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Show III If III PARTICIPATE I Controversy Between Chairman Chair-man Harper and President of the Women's Wilson Union Comes to a Head. ROW STARTS OVER THE STATE FLOATS Mrs. James H. Boggs Declares De-clares Withdrawal of Women Wo-men From Parade ; Lacks Authority, Is Claim. WASHINGTON, Feb. 22. A controversy contro-versy over what part women shall take in the inauguration ceremonies came to a head tonight with an announcement by Mrs. James H. Boggs, president of the Women 's Wilson union and a member mem-ber of the inaugural committee, that because be-cause of a ruling barring from the inaugural in-augural parade a section of state floats being organized under her direction, she had declared "the withdrawal of all women from the parade.'' Robert N. Harper, chairman of the committee, replied that Mrs. Boggs had no authority to declare such a withdrawal. with-drawal. He said women were wanted in the parade, ami that the state floats had been barred only because the plans for them could not be completed. The decision to withdraw, Mrs. Boggs declared, had the indorsement of the executive board of the Wilson union, including in-cluding the wives of many senators and representatives a'nd other public officials, offi-cials, and would receive the backing also of millions of women throughout the country. Mrs. Boggs's Statement. Her announcement, issued as chairman chair-man of the women's division of the inaugural in-augural committee, said; "The chairman of the women ?s division di-vision of the inaugural committee announces an-nounces the withdrawal of all women i from the parade which will take place on March o. "This decision was reached after it became known that Chairman Harper had arbitrarily ruled that state floats and automobile representations which had been planned lor and financed by prominent men and women of the various va-rious states, would not be allowed iu the line of parade. ' ' Although she would not add to this statement tonight, Mrs. Boggs indicated clearly that it only feebly expressed her indignation over the incident, and that the women of the union might have something to say later. Mr. Harper declared de-clared there never had been such an organization or-ganization as the womens division of the inaugural committee, and intimated that he would take no further notice of Mrs. Boggs's announcement. Want Wonjen to Participate. "No one except Major General Scott, who is grand marshal, and myself has authority to say who shall or shall not take part in the parade," Mr. Harper said. "We want women to participate, provided only they conform to the same requirements' that are laid down for the men. ' ' . The suggestion that a number of historical his-torical floats representing the states be organized was made several weeks ago, the chairman said, and he designated Mrs. Boggs to carry out the idea if she could do so according to parado requirements. require-ments. Until a few days ago, he added, she had not submitted any concrete plan, and consequently the floats subcommittee sub-committee unanimously agreed with him that the project should be abandoned to prevent the assembling at the last moment of a float section that might not conform to committee requirements as to number, uniformity of dress, music anil details. At the Wilson union headquarters, on the other hand, it was insisted tonight that a considerable fund hud been raised for the section, that at least two floats were ready for shipment to the capital and others Hearing completion, and that a definite plan had been worked out in every state. . The women and Chairman Harper agreed only on the point that the dispute dis-pute was in no sense an outgrowth of the controversy over representation of women suffragists in the parade. That element, it was declared on both sides, had not entered in any way into the situation. |