Today in Herstory: Suffrage Hikers Have Made it Halfway from New Jersey to DC

[niyad]

Today in Herstory: Suffrage Hikers Have Made it Halfway from New Jersey to DC

February 18, 1913: Halfway! Day Seven of the suffrage hike was very successful in a number of ways, not the least of which was passing the midpoint in the long trek from Newark, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C.


The hikers, with Elizabeth Freeman at the far left, Ida Craft second from left, and Rosalie Jones in the middle of the front row with a hiking staff in her hand.

The relatively short 14-mile day began with General Jones leading her suffragist Army of the Hudson out of Chester, Pennsylvania, accompanied by tooting whistles, automobile horns, a police escort, at least 1,000 spectators cheering them from the sidewalks, and two local schoolgirls, ages 15 and 16, marching along for the day. The troops carried with them a gift from Major Stundell, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. It consisted of a large gift box containing smaller boxes of pretzels for each hiker. It was a timely gift, because a large supply of “army rations” donated by Alva Belmont had been misrouted to General Jones’ home on Long Island.

Even the traditional “incident of the day” was minor, as General Jones tripped over a rock in Pennsylvania and stumbled into Delaware. Fortunately, no damage was done to the General or the State Line.



When the hikers approached the historic Robinson mansion, once frequented by numerous Revolutionary War figures, they were first met by “Jeff Davis,” a thankfully pro-suffrage bulldog who wore a blanket made of “Votes for Women” pennants. The present residents, a colony of artists, gave the hikers a warm reception. Next came a luncheon with single-tax advocates known as “Ardenites.” They want to implement an idea by Henry George (1839-1897) to abolish all other taxes and replace them with a single tax based on the value of the land. Female members of the Arden colony have voted on affairs of common interest for ten years. The hikers were greeted by the Suffragist Club of Arden. (The name “Arden” derives from the “Forest of Arden” in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”)

The entry into Wilmington was wonderfully triumphal, and an appropriate way to celebrate the half way point of the march. Applauding crowds lined the streets and three fire companies gave the pilgrims the noisiest greeting of the trip, something especially appreciated by General Jones. The parade through town was followed by a reception at City Hall, where Mayor Howell – who has mixed feelings on the issue of woman suffrage, but great admiration for the hikers – expanded the army’s growing collection of “keys to the city” by presenting one from Wilmington.

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http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2015/02/18/today-in-herstory-suffrage-hikers-have-made-it-halfway-from-new-jersey-to-dc/