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Ida Paul is attributed as the main organizer of the procession with these significant aspects:
⚜ The Suffragette event was scheduled and successfully held the day before Woodrow Wilson's presidential inauguration.
⚜ Permission from the inaugural committee was obtained to use the podium, grandstand, constructed for Wilson's inauguration. This allowed a more comfortable seating arrangement for those select observers & the media.
⚜ While the organizers had received permission for their event and police presence was there, once agitators began attacking the parade participants the police backed off. The Federal troops eventually intercepted to calm the crowd before it became a full riot.
⚜ Coverage by the news reporters was so extensive it created an illusion, a perception by Washingtonians, it was a formal, authorized, organized celebration of Wilson’s presidential inauguration. Additionally, the near-riot was denounced by editorial writers and a Congressional Committee held hearings to determine how the procession became a violent event.
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