Imperial Valley press., 1920-04-17
HAVE
MANY TROUBLES
IN WASHINGTON
Picketing Is Running Rampant
In Washington Again This
Year; Situations Are Odd
Because of Embassies.
CBy Associated Press


compartments, is running epidemic
IN Washington again and the
thousands of tourists who make the
national capital their Mecca all year
round again see bands of women
slowly parading about the streets
bearing banners with a wide variety
of inscriptions.
Seemingly, every cause which
wishes to impress its demands, argu-
ments or protests on the powers that
be- ultimately adopts the picketing
system which was first introduced in
\ the capital by branch of the woman
suffragists about ten years ago. The
/ latest to adopt the method are women
espousing the cause of Irish freedom
and there Aave directed their protests
against the British embassy. Their
+. campaign has caused somewhat OF
furry because it is not without its
international aspects.
The British embassy, for instance,
is foreign territory. whether the
sidewalk in front of it is American
territory, no one has essayed to
decide. Moreover, there is a federal
law which penalties any person who
assaults" diplomatic representative
of friendly power. Whether the
ance to the British diplomats, and
whether an annoyance is an assault
within the technical meaning of the
law is an additional question.
Then there is involved the question
of preserving the public peace for
disturbances often grow out of the
picketing. Often, some woman pass
erby, expressing her disagreement
with the banners the pickets bear by
ripping them to bits and the pedes-
trian and the picket have scrim-
mage, with sometimes regular old
fashioned hair pulling The police
patrol clangs up. both parties to the
quarrel are hustled off to station
house. Relief pickets Immediately
arrive. The police court gets anoth-
er case.
The personnel of the picketing
forces furnishes an interesting study
in human nature. They are women
apparently from all walks of life
Many bear evidences of breeding. ed
ucation and social position. Others
are women who appear to be of the
opposite types. Every picketing
campaign brings out new charges
that many pickets are "hired' for
the work by others who are willing
10 provide substitutes and do not
wish to picket in the streets in all
sorts cf weather.
The suffrage picAets who made a
record for getting arrested, jamming
the police court docket ani finally
having hunger strike, patterned
after their British sisters, were COM
posed apparently of women Of all
classes. Many whose names are ma
tionally known did picket duty, spent
nights in police station cell and
finally did time. in the work house.
Some of them, if the truth were
known, were freed by husbands who
disapproved CT their actions. There
was more than one case of husband
promising the authorities he would
undertake the responsibility of
making his wife "b'e gooi", and
more cases of stormy scenes at the
workhouse when the husband arrived
to take the wife home over her
protests.
With the adoption By congress CT
the resolution for the woman suffrage
amendment to the constitution, the
suffragists laid off, but they had
fired an example in a local associa-
ton cf negroes who were demanding
the dismissal Of a man of their race
from the local school administration
So the negro women in emulation
picketed the streets surrounding the
school administration buildings
bearing banners. Their picketing
however, was intermittent, and the
regro educator to whom they object
i still holds his job.
British humor all but broke up thS
picketing cf the British embassy
with its possibilities of disagreeablc
incidents Of an international flavor
when on the first day, the embassy
officials sent out and invited th<
pickets in to afternoon tea. 1t prob
ably was temptation, for d colo
raw wind was sweeping the city, bu
the leaders pulled stern faces ant
declined the invitation.
The embassy is in on Connection
avenue in the heart of the downtown
business and residence district no
far from Dupont circle. The neigh
borhood might be compared to Fiftf
avenue in New York in the fifties.
Thousands of shoppers, tourist!
and government clerks and officials
on their way to office pass by anC
for days there was always a small
crowd watching the pickets anC
hoping for a scrimmage. The old anC
deserted Austrian embassy, once the
scene of social gaieties in the pros
porous days Of the Hapsburgs stand.
grim, silent and dusty across thc
street. Nobody knows who owns it
now, it is highly valuable piece o1
property gone begging. Not fal
away is the house James G. Blainc
occupied while secretary of state
Dolly Madison's house is not far of
in another direction. Practical every
building in the vicinity has housed
some notable at some time or other
and the neighborhood is playground
for the sightseeing wagons, The
pro-Irish pickets selected a battle
ground where there will be plenty Of
onlookers.
The first arrests Of the Irish pick,