Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-20
WILSON WON TO SUFFRAGE
BY HIGH TYPE OF WOMEN
LEADING FIGHT FOR RIGHTS

Mrs. Carrie Chapman Gait; Mrs.
Anna Howard Shaw and Mrs. Helen
| H. Gardener. He later appointed
| Mrs. Gardener to be a member of
the civil service commission.
Converted by Daughters
When Mr.. Wilson finally yielded
to the arguments of the suffragettes
he said to a friend:
"When l find two Of my daugh-
ters such ardent suffragettes, pas
sionately devoted to the cause, and
when [ find also such refined, Gull
tured ladies as Mrs. Gait, Mrs. Shaw
and Mrs. Gardener equally devoted
and conscientious, I must concede
that some of my prejudices were UNI
reasonable, and that the desire for
the ballot cannot be limited to the
relatively few agitators. A cause
which could enlist the enthusiastic,
devoted idealistic support of such
ladies must be wholesome.
In this connection it is worth
while perhaps to relate the inside
story about the picketing of the
White House and Mr.. Wilson's part
in the incident which the militant
suffragettes always charged was
tyrannical. They blamed him for
throwing them into Jail. To them
Mr.. Wilson was represented is furi-
ously indignant and as employing
the power of the presidency to fight
back at them.
The actual facts are that Mr.. VIII
son did none of these things. The
| commissioners Of the District of Co.
lumbia, in whom the police power is
vested in Washington, repeatedly
urged him to sanction a breaking
UP of the picketing of the White
House. Repeatedly Mr.. Wilson said
to them:
let them alone. They don't
worry me a particle. If they derive
any satisfaction out of parading
about the White House or standing
with their banners. for goodness sake
let them do it. | not only do not
object but L never think about it
except when l ride through the
gates in the afternoon on my way
for drive. Let them picket to
their hearts content"
Later on when the United States
| severed diplomatic relations with
Germany and an international crisis
was growing, the district commits
sioners sent for the leaders of the
militant suffrage group and ap-
pealed to them to forego picketing
because it looked as if the United
States would enter the war and it
! was desirable for all forces Of the
nation to appear united. They de-
| clined. After war was declared the
| appeal was made again and once
! more the commissioners urged the
| president to permit them to break
up the parades and the picketing
| but he refused. At none of these
! conferences did he reveal the slight
est irritation about the picketing.
| His attitude on the other hand was
| one Of amusement. His eyes always
twfnkled and he chuckled as he
| talked.
Violence Forced Action
One day an unusually large crowd
| gathered in front of the White
! House and attacked the suffragettes.
! The police reserves were called out
and 1t was with difficulty that the
militants were saved from bodily
harm. This finally became a regu-
! lar occurrence in the front of the
White House as the clerks were
leaving the government departments
at 4:30 o'clock. Major Raymond w.
Pullman, superintendent of police,
! and himself an ardent believer in
| woman suffrag for years, was ac-
| Cused of melting the rioters but he
was really trying to protect the pick
eters from harm. Appeals to Mr.
Wilson were of no avail.
Finally, the secret service,
charged under the law with the duty
of protecting the White House, took
| the initiative and cooperating with
the police caused the arrest of the
suffragettes. This, of course. was
just what they wanted. Mr.. Wilson
had said. Don't arrest them, that
Is exactly what they want"
In police court the judge, out of
patience with the seriousness of
their performance sentenced the
women to sixty days. That also was
what they wanted. They then
started hunger strikes and began a
campaign of publicity about their al
legged ill-treatment in the work house.
whereupon Mr. Wilson stepped in
and pardoned them.
Instead, therefore, of being an
ogre who prosecuted the suffragettes
President Wilson was the one man
in the situation who was tolerant
who refused to give his consent to
their arrest, and who pardoned them
after they were sent to Jail.
(TOmorrOw's instalIment tells how
small group of friends influenced
the career of Woodrow Wilson,