The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-04-24
PICKETINC IS
new PROFESSION
IDEA GAINED EPIDEMIC IN WASH
tNGToN FURNISHES INTEREST
ING STUDY In HUMAN NATURE.

W. SiN ~ = TN
ING STUDY IN HUMAN NATURE.
Washington. April %. Political
picketing, often OF the peaceful sort
and more often with militant accom-
paniments, 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 in
scriptions
Seemingly, every cause which wishes
to impress it's demands, arguments
or protests on the powers that be"
ultimately adopts the picketing sys
tenn, which was first introduced in the
capital by a branch of the woman
suffragists about ten years ago. The
latest to adopted the method are wom-
en- espousing the cause of Irish free
dom and these have directed their pro-
tests against the British embassy.
Their campaign has caused somewhat
Of furry because it is not without
it's inter- national aspects.
The British embassy, for instance, is
foreign territory; whether the side
walk in front of it is American ter
ritory, no one has essayed to decide.
Moreover, there is federal law
which penalties any person who "as
saults'' a diplomatic representative of
a friendly power. Whether the pick
citing of the embassy is an annoyance
to the British diplomats, and whether
an annoyance is an assault within the
technical meaning of the law is an adj
ditional question.
Then there is involved the question
Of preserving the public peace, for
a En-Avv rEA 4l,z
picketing. Often, some woman passer-
by, expresses her disagreement with
the banners the pickets bear by ripping
them to bits and the pedestrian and
the picket have a scrimmage, with
sometimes regular old-fashion hair
pulling. The police patrol clangs up,
both parties to the quarrel are hustled
off TO the station house. Relief
pickets Immediately arrive. The po-
lice court gets another case.
The personnel of the picketing forces
furnishes an interesting study in hu-
man nature. They are women appar-
emily from all walks of life. Many bear
evidences of breeding, education and
social position. Others are women
who appear to be of the opposite
types. Every picketing campaign
brings out new charges that many
others who are willing to provide sub
stitutes and do not wish to picket in
the streets in all sorts of weather.
The suffrage pickets who made a
record for getting arrested, jamming
the police court docket and finally
having a 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 a police station cell and fin
ally did time in the work house. Some
of them, If the truth were known,
were freed by husbands, who disap-
proved OF their actions. There was
more than one case of husband
promising the authorities he would un-
dertake the responsibility of making
his wife "be food" 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 of the
resolution for the woman suffrage
amendment to the constitution, the
suffragists laid off, but they had fired
an example in a local association of
negroes who were demanding the dis
missal of a man of their race from the
local school administration. So the
negro women in emulation picketed the
streets surrounding the school admin
istration buildings bearing banners.
Their picketing, however, was inter
mittent, and the negro educator to
whom they objected still holds his job.
British humor all but broke up the
picketing Of the British embassy, with
it's possibilities of disagreeable Incl
dents Of an international flavor. when
on the first day, the embassy Off
Gals sent out and invited the pickets
in to afternoon tea 1t probably was
a temptation, for a cold raw wind was
sweeping the city. but the leaders
pulled stern faces and declined the in
vitation.
The first arrests of the Irish pick
eters were not unaccompanied by ele-
ments of humor. The police captain
who took them in was Robert Emmett
Doyle, rosy-cheeked and blue-eyed,
who couldn't possibly deny he was a
son of Erin. All the policemen on the
lob were O'Connelrs and Regans and
F'lathertys or bore names Enthusiastically
neither Greek nor Yiddish. Their COM
ments on the proceeding were neutral
and humorous.
The whole proceeding was con-
Quoted in the height of courtesy and
polite formality. There was no come
along, you're pinched." Instead, Cap
tain Doyle raised his cap. and with
an engaging smile said: Ladies, these
are policewomen who will place you
under arrest" Then the men stepped
back and the women did the job.
whoopIns Cough.
In this disease 1t is important that the
he kept loose and eNpectOr2 ton