XIII THE APPEAL TO THE PRESIDENT ON HIS RETURN

The President of the United States returned to America from Europe on February 24, 1919, landing in Boston. Boston arranged an enormous welcome-home demonstration¹. The Woman’s Party determined² to take part in that welcome to remind him of the Suffrage³ work to be done, and they announced this to the world at large. Alice Paul went to Boston to arrange this demonstration. The Boston police announced in their turn that they would establish a dead line in front of the reviewing stand beyond which the Suffragists would not be allowed to penetrate⁴. However, the Suffragists, following the Red Cross women, marched through the line of Marines who held the crowd back, and took up their position before the reviewing stand where the President was to appear. At the head of the line in the place of honor, waving the American flag, was Katherine Morey. On one side of the Stars and Stripes was the historic banner:
MR. PRESIDENT, HOW LONG MUST WOMEN WAIT FOR LIBERTY?

On the other side of the Stars and Stripes was a second historic banner:
MR. PRESIDENT, WHAT WILL YOU DO FOR WOMAN SUFFRAGE?

The special lettered banner for the occasion read:
MR. PRESIDENT, YOU SAID IN THE SENATE ON SEPTEMBER 30,
“WE SHALL NOT ONLY BE DISTRUSTED BUT WE SHALL DESERVE
TO BE DISTRUSTED IF WE DO NOT ENFRANCHISE⁵ WOMEN.”
409YOU ALONE CAN REMOVE THIS DISTRUST NOW BY SECURING
THE ONE VOTE NEEDED TO PASS THE SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT⁶
BEFORE MARCH 4.

This banner was carried by Lois Shaw and Ruth Small.

The police politely requested the pickets⁷ to depart and the pickets politely refused to go; whereupon the police politely arrested them. The arrested women were: Jessica Henderson, Ruth Small, Lou Daniels, Mrs. Frank Page, Josephine Collins, Berry Pottier, Wilma Henderson, Mrs. Irving Gross, Mrs. George Roewer, Francis Fowler, Camilla Whitcomb, Mrs. H. L. Turner, Eleanor Calnan, Betty Connelly, Betty Gram, Lois Warren Shaw, Rose Lewis, Mrs. E. T. Russian.

They were charged with “loitering more than seven minutes.”

In the afternoon while the President was making a speech in Mechanics Hall, a Watchfire demonstration occurred on Boston Common. A vast crowd gathered about it. From three o’clock in the afternoon until six, the women made speeches.

The speakers were: Louise Sykes, Mrs. C. C. Jack⁸, Mrs. Mortimer Warren, Mrs. Robert Trent Whitehouse, Agnes H. Morey, Elsie Hill.

Louise Sykes burned the President’s words—and they were the words that he was speaking that very afternoon. Mrs. Mortimer Warren and Mrs. C. C. Jack were arrested at six o’clock and released immediately. Elsie Hill was detained on the charge of speaking without a permit.

That day the President’s carriage drove by the Boston Headquarters. When Wilson saw the purple, white, and gold colors, his expression changed. Quickly he looked the other way. It was observed that he held across his knees a newspaper whose flaring⁹ headlines announced that day’s picketing¹⁰.

410The Suffragists were tried on February 25, by what was very like a Star Chamber¹¹ proceeding¹², in the Judge’s lobby on the second floor of the court house. The Press was not excluded from the hearing, but the public was. As usual, the Suffragists did not assist the Court by giving names or answering questions. As a result, in the words of the Suffragist, “There is quite a family of Jane Does in Boston.” Sixteen of them—everybody, except Wilma Henderson, who was discovered to be a minor¹³, and several others who could not be identified—were sentenced to eight days in jail.

Some person—I quote from the Suffragist—entirely unknown and untraceable and unidentified, whom the policemen gave the name “E. H. Howe” paid the fines of these women. Katherine Morey, Ruth Small, and Betty Connelly were released on February 26; Josephine Collins on February 27; the others came out two at a time.

As usual, the complaints of the Suffragists called the attention of the people of the community to the filthy¹⁴ condition of their jail, which these experts pronounced one of the worst in the country. It was characterized by the “bucket system.” In each cell stood two buckets for toilet purposes. One contained the water in which they bathed. The other was emptied once a day or once in two days, according to the frequency with which the prisoner was permitted to go into the jail-yard for the purpose.

The Boston papers gave this demonstration enormous publicity¹⁵. Boston institutions received in the press a muckraking which they had not experienced in years.

When President Wilson arrived in the Capitol at Washington—after this welcome in Boston—one of the first pieces of legislation which he took up was the Federal Suffrage Amendment. He went to the Capitol and conferred with Senator Jones of New Mexico (Democrat) Chairman of the Woman’s Suffrage Committee, about the Suffrage Resolution. After the vote of February 10, 411Senator Jones of New Mexico refused to introduce the Suffrage Resolution again, but Senator Jones of Washington, the ranking Republican, introduced the identical bill. The President expressed his regret over the failure of the measure on February 10, but he did not exert his influence towards getting it passed.

The Sixty-fifth Congress was about to adjourn¹⁶ in a few days. On February 28, in order to overcome the Parliamentary difficulty of the reconsideration of a measure which had been once reconsidered, Senator Jones of New Mexico introduced a Suffrage Amendment which was a variation of the Anthony Amendment and so of course to Suffragists not so satisfactory. It was referred to the Woman Suffrage Committee. Soon after this, Senator Gay of Louisiana, who had voted against the Amendment on February 10, announced that he would now vote for it. The President had obtained this vote, but like all his action on Suffrage, it came too late. There were only three days left and Senator Jones of New Mexico made several attempts to obtain the necessary unanimous consent for the consideration of his Resolution, but he was unsuccessful. On Saturday, March 1, Senator Wadsworth (Republican) objected. On Monday, March 3, Senator Weeks (Republican) objected. On Tuesday, March 4, Senator Sherman (Republican) objected. The session came to an end in the Senate without action on the Suffrage Amendment. The Republicans did not want the Democrats¹⁷ to get the credit of passing it, and so prevented it from coming to a vote.

1 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 suffrage   

n.投票，选举权，参政权

参考例句：

• The question of woman suffrage sets them at variance.妇女参政的问题使他们发生争执。
• The voters gave their suffrage to him.投票人都投票选他。

4 penetrate   

v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解

参考例句：

• Western ideas penetrate slowly through the East.西方观念逐渐传入东方。
• The sunshine could not penetrate where the trees were thickest.阳光不能透入树木最浓密的地方。

5 enfranchise   

v.给予选举权，解放

参考例句：

• The company voted to enfranchise its 120 women members.公司投票决定给予其120名女职员选举权。
• If the city's foreign residents are enfranchised,they won't be able to vote until 1996.如果该市的外国居民获得选举权，他们要到1996年才能投票。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 pickets   

罢工纠察员( picket的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Five pickets were arrested by police. 五名纠察队员被警方逮捕。
• We could hear the chanting of the pickets. 我们可以听到罢工纠察员有节奏的喊叫声。

8 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

9 flaring   

a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的

参考例句：

• A vulgar flaring paper adorned the walls. 墙壁上装饰着廉价的花纸。
• Goebbels was flaring up at me. 戈塔尔当时已对我面呈愠色。

10 picketing   

[经] 罢工工人劝阻工人上班，工人纠察线

参考例句：

• mass picketing of the factory 罢工工人集体对工厂的封锁
• "And my chaps were also there to prevent picketing! “我的人也是防着女工们要拦厂！ 来自子夜部分

11 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

12 proceeding   

n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报

参考例句：

• This train is now proceeding from Paris to London.这次列车从巴黎开往伦敦。
• The work is proceeding briskly.工作很有生气地进展着。

13 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

14 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

15 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

16 adjourn   

v.（使）休会，（使）休庭

参考例句：

• The motion to adjourn was carried.休会的提议通过了。
• I am afraid the court may not adjourn until three or even later.我担心法庭要到3点或更晚时才会休庭。

17 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》