Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-05-16
Building Has
Long History
0fPOpularity
Formal Dedication Will Be
Scene of Social
BriIIiance.
By CONSTANCE DRExEL.

WASHINGTON, May 16.-It may be a
long-distance guess. but there is every
possibility that the historic buildings to
be rededicated as the new headquarters
Of the National Woman's Party, in the
presence Of President Harding, will
again make political history.
That prophecy is based not so much
on the popularity OF the old National
Woman's Party restaurant IN Jackson
Place as a meeting place for radicals
and liberals, but still more on the loca-
ton of the new place.
Facing the Capitol. across the park
like plaza on the eastern front, the three
old houses have been purchased through
the generosity Of Mrs. o. H. P. Bel
mont Of New York. Even the society
columns declare that the reason she has
kept her famous estate In Newport
closed IS because of past and future
gifts to her pet godchild, the National
Woman's Party, OF which she became
president at Its reorganization something
more than year ago And now. not
content with purchasing the buildings
with princely gift of $4,000, Mrs.
Belmont has engaged Hastings. the not
ed New York architect, who created the
ampitheater In Arlington, to remodel the
three houses into one structure. There
are old stables in the back which also
form part of the property.
The formal dedication and laying of
the corner stone, for which alice Paul
and others of the National Woman's
Party have been feEerishly preparing,
will take place soon. They have been
using the house for months past, not
only to live In but for administration Of
fees
The ceremonies, for which traffic on
the surrounding streets will be closed.
will open with professional Of several
hundred, perhaps 1000 women. OF the
seven speakers, four are women, and
three are men. leaders of the two great
political parties-Senator Curtis OF Kan
sas, assistant Republican floor leader OF
the Senate; Representative Simon Tess
of Ohio, national Republican congress
sional chairman, and Cordell Hull. chair
man of the national Democratic commit
tee.
The women speakers OF the day are /:
Miss Maude Younger. national iegisla-
tive chairman of the Woman's Party
Mrs. Oliver FL. p. Belmont of New York,
who returned from France to make the
keynote speech of the afternoon, outlin-
ing the policy and progress OF the Wom-
ans Party; Alice Paul. vice president Of
the party, who will accept the headauar.
tiers for the party, and Mrs. Isetta Jewel
Brown OF West Virginia. political chair
man. who will make the corner stone
speech. Mrs. II. O. Havemeyer of New
York will preside. President Harding
has accepted the invitation TO attend the
ceremonies and is expected TO lay a
greeting In the corner stone, but not to
speak.
Following the dedication ceremonies.
THE national reception committee, of
which Mrs. John Gordon Battell OF Ohio
is chairman. will hold an informal re-
ception to visiting delegates In the gar
dsns surrounding the buildings. Both
amplifier and radio will be used to carry
the music and talks of the dedication to
hundreds Of thousands OF women
throughout the country.
Now as for the history Of the corner
building. 1t Is intimately connected with
the history OF khe Nation itself.
Built to house Congress, after the
burning OF the Capitol By the British
during the war of 1872, Congress sat
therein from 1914 to 1919. In 1917 Presi-
dent Monroe was inaugurated there Dur
Ing the Civil War the "oid Capitol as
1t was called, became Fedora. prison
where Confederate prisoners of GiStinc-
tfon were housed. Since that tine, Sena-
tor John c. Calhoun Of South Carolina
lived and died there: Senator Spooner of
Winconsin and Supreme Court Justice
Field have occupied the House at various
times But the place had been turned
over into a mere boarding house when
the National Woman's party took It
over, together with the two adjoining
houses.
It's the location that will count IL his
tory is ever TO be made there again.
Though representing women's power and
dedicated to women's interests, there Will
be clubrooms and a large restaurant to
which the paucity Of such places on the
desert of Capitol Hill will surely drive
Representatives and Senator'S. Liberals.
labor leaders and all sorts of other peo-
pie from all over the country are also ex-
nected to flock there, Just as they did on
Jackson Place
In such an interchange of thoughts,
served with waffles and chicken the
Woman's Party expects to instIIl new
ideas into Congress which might per-
meate In no other way. The dedication
Is only the beginning Of their campaign.