The Washington herald., 1918-10-06
Women Prominent in the Social Life of the Nations Capital

family in town. was present every
day during that suffrage discussion.
Mrs. Thomas F. Walsh. Mrs. Ned
McLean's mother. and Mrs. Marshalfs
most intimate friend was there once
or twice, rather elaborately turned
out as usual, and knitting through IT
all, also as usual. Mrs. Walsh al
ways brings her knittin'." She knits1
at the theater. at the horse show, In
her motor as she rolls along the
streets, probably In church II she
goes-I don't know about that for /
don't. at least not to the same church.
I have been told that she knits walk
ing along the street, bu personally l
dom believe she ever walks.
She might not have knitted in the
Senate gallery had she known that
she owed the privilege to Mrs. Robert
Baker, one of the most militant of the
suffrage militants, who has plcketed
and done time and generally been
thorn In the flesh. The sergeant-at-
arms Of the Senate tells with enjoy
ment how "Abby'-Mrs. Baker-broke
into his ONCE one day with fire in her
eye and demanded that a door
keeper who had told her that she
could not knit in the Senate gallery
be Immediately disciplined or dis-
charged or something.
She was told that the doorkeepers
might be trusted 20 kaUw the rules.
a. they had little Csc to do than TO
study them. Then she demanded"
that the rules be changed, and was
told that that was not within the
province Of the sergeant-at-arms' Of
fice. The Senate Committee on Rules
did that. Lee S. Overman, of North
Carolina, was its chairman. So she
took her demands" to him, and he
changed the rules for her. Since she
was allowed to knit, Mr.. Higgins in
sists she has never wanted to. but she
made things easy for any number Of
less militant knitters who adorned all
the galleries during that suffrage dis
cussion. and enabled them to do so
without feeling that they were alto
gether wasting their valuable time.
One Of the most amusing stories
1 heard OF that fray was of a woman
who came downtown with a large
bag Of peachc-stones collected and
dried as per Uncle Sans request
to help out with the manufacture
Of gas masks. Before she had had
chance to dispose OF them she
learned that the President was going
to address the Senate at l o'clock.
1t was a quarter to /, and she jumped
on car and hastened to the Cap
itol. with the comfortable assurance
that IL she could get at the people
who knew her there she would get
in all right She had won past a
number OF guards who were a bit
dubious Of her explanations, but
didn't quite like to refuse a woman
who claimed some pretty influential
friends, when one of them noticed
her package.
"Oh. lady. I can't possibly let you
in with that. Why, it might belt
might be- TT might be a bomb
to blow up the President-but l as
sure you it isn't. Here, you can
have it"-and she handed IL over.
but I insist on your looking at it"
Rather sheepishly the man opened
the bag and looked in. Then he
laughed. too, as he handed it back,
1 guess that's credentials enough
for anyone; you're all right, lady,
go ahead in|' And she went.
She sat right near Admiral Nc
Gowan and the two Burleson girls in
their yeowoman uniforms. and later
she asked me whether Sam" was
trying to beau them both at once.
or was he really paying attention
to either Of them. 1t seems as if he
must be 'beauing them both at
once" for IL he had paid marked
attention to either one the town
would have been flooded with ru-
mors of their engagement before this.
MCGOWAN is Celt enough to like the
ladies' but he is also canny enough
to realize that there's safety inl
numbers.
Tuesday when the vote was i'm
minent, the Ladies Of the Senate"
the organization of war workers, Of
which Mrs. Marshall. wife of the
Vice President, is the head. with
Mrs. Philander Knox and Mrs. Atlee
Pomerene as her lieutenants, laid
aside their war work and went over
to watch the fun. Mrs. Marshall is.
frankly. not in the least interested
in suffrage-not even enough in
terested to be hostile. ct was un-
derstood that If the vote resulted in
tie. so that the Vice President had
to vote, he would vote for it. merely
as an administration measure,
though he is not credited with being
very keen about it,
The rather marked absence Of the
wives and daughters of Senators
during the three or four days of
rather wearisome discussion. up to
the hour of actual decision. was un-
doubtedly accounted for by the fact
that most of those who were in
town were giving the greater part