| OCR Text |
Show SUFFRAGE COUP IN CONGRESS NEVADAWOMAN IS IN CHARGE MISS MABEL VERNON. , lk I C 4v v " ill Banner Is Unfurled While President Wilson Reads His Message. WASHINGTON", Dec. 5 President Wilson's address to congress today to-day was marked by a woman suffrage coup in the galleries the first real show of organized militancy mili-tancy in the capital and by a great demonstration of congratulation to the president upon his return, in which many Republicans joined with the Democrats. After acknowledging the prolonged cheers and applause which greeted his entry to the hall of the house, the president launched into his address, reviewing recommendations for railroad legislation, a corrupt practices act, and had passed to his recommendations recommenda-tions for a broader government for Forto Rico. He was just about to begin a sentence: ''The present laws governing the island and regulating the rights and privileges of its people are not just," when over the rail of the gallery, where sat a party of women suffrage leaders, there fluttered down above the heads of the amazed assemblage of senators and representatives a silken banner of suffrage suf-frage yellow, bearing in great black letters let-ters the inscription: "President Wilson, what will you do for woman suffrage?' Banner Pulled Down. The suffragists said afterward it was their protest against the president's plea with congress for broader suffrage for the men of Porto Rico, while he did not mention their own cause in his address. As the banner rippled down, the suffragists suf-fragists sat. smiling and unperturbed, watching the effect. A diminutive page, raised on the arms of men directly under un-der the gallery, grasped the edge of the banner and snatched it down. President Wilson, attracted by the stir, looked up from his reading and, apparently taking in the situation at a glance, smiled broadly and without hesitation or interruption inter-ruption turned his eyes back to his manuscript manu-script and continued his address to its end without further demonstrations. Policemen and gallery guards scurried to where the women were seated, but contented themselves with watching the partv, as if to prevent a further outbreak. out-break. When the joint session was over the suffragists filed out unmolested by the police, who said they bad no orders other than to prevent any further infringement in-fringement of the rules of the house. The banner remained a trophy with the sergeant at arms. Nevadan Gives Signal. As it turned out, the women had their plana laid with precision and sprung their coup almost on the second. Evidently Evi-dently in possession of an advance copy of the president s address, thev had timed the document at the speed they expected he would read, and anticipated he would reach the Porto Rico section in eight minutes. Miss Mabel Vernon of Nevada, who heckled the president here at his American Ameri-can Federation of Labor speech last .Tulv and who smuggled the banner into the house gallery, under her coat today, !;c;t time and gave the signal for tlie unfurling of the banner. Before the police could get to the callery the suffragists' press agent was busv handing out "canned" reports of (Continued on Page Three.) SUFFRAGE BANNER 15 WlDICQgSS (Continued from Page One.) the affair, replete in detail, givinp t bo names of the militants aud interviews with each. The consensus of their opinion Tvas summed up by Mrs. Abby Scott Baker of the Congressional union, who declared tho incident was ' ' expressive ; of the indignation that women feel at 1 the stupid and senseless opposition to j granting tlie right of self-government to one half tho people of the United States. ' ' The ten women who pnrtiri pa ted iu the coup marched off, acclaimed heroines, hero-ines, to Congressional union headquarters, headquar-ters, where they held a reception. Carefully Prepared Plot. Miss Mattel Vernon nf Nevada, iJr. ; Caroline L. Spencer nf Colorado, Mrs. Florence linvard Hilles of I)ellaw;ire, Mrs. John Ifodgers of Xew York, Mr?. Anna Lowentmrg of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Bessie H. Papa nd re and M iss Maud Gilbert, of f'alifnrnia. Mrs. V. L. ''nit. of Xew York, Miss l-ncy Burns of the Congressional union, and Mrs. Townsend Scott of Mary bind enmpo.-ed the suf-fr.n suf-fr.n ist party. The first five held the banner and tho latter five acted aa guards, prepared to resist interference. The women had carried on their preparations prepa-rations so carefully, however, that none of the hundreds of spectators surrounding surround-ing them , had any iDkling of their plans. The coup, say the suffragists, worked well enough to Buit them, even if it failed to draw anv acknowledgment, and they plan something more startling the next time. Everybody around the Congressional union, who had anything to do with it, was keen for another. "It was a most excellent demonstration' demonstra-tion' said Chairman Alico Paul, smiling smil-ing happily. "Certainly we may in the future adopt various methods not dissimilar dis-similar from the one we used today to keep congress reminded of our cause." Miss Lucy Burns declared the suffrage question was the only one before con- fress today; when President Wilson nifihed reading his address. "When he finished," she said, "the senators and representatives on the floor turned toward tis anil muttered the one word, ' Suffragists ' no one said, 'Adam-sou 'Adam-sou law,' or 'Porto Kico. ' We feel that we did our duty today, and we never should have forgiven ourselves had we overlooked it. " Other members smiled while M iss Burns and M iss Paul talked, and all were anxious to know what impression they had made. "Has the White house issued any statement about it?" chorused a dozeu or more. The White house had not, and there were no indications of whether the president presi-dent was much put out . Aside from the suffrage incident, the demonstration of welcome which greeted greet-ed the president was tho feature of the joint session. Many Republicans joined in applause nnd cheering, which was led on the floor by William Jennings Bryan and some of the cabinet members. mem-bers. 1 t was said to have been the most prolonged out burst of its kind since the president began the custom of rending his addresses in person, nearly four years ago. All the president 's recommend at ions for railroad legislation have, been previously pre-viously published. At the last moment he added a recommendation for parage ;of a vocational education bill. the Wharton school to make an official visit to the western part of the country, and his coming Is looked forward to with Interest by all Pennsylvania men. Alumni and former students who want to attend tomorrow's dinner at the University Uni-versity club may make reservations fit once by telephoning to W. C. Eliaugli, Wasatch |
