There are many reasons to be in awe of suffragists. For one, the spectacular parades they pulled off, time and time again, even marching “Three Miles in Torrid Sun.” Those were the suffragists who marched in New York City's great parade held just two months to the day after the Grand Procession and Pageant in Washington, D.C. The cropped article pictured here appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune, May 4, 1913, p. 1.
Inez Milholland, who had led the Washington parade astride a magnificent white horse, led the New York parade up Fifth Avenue astride a "mettlesome chestnut cob,” a sturdy, stocky horse. An escort of mounted police preceded her.
Forty bands playing the "Marseillaise" accompanied 20,000 women dressed in white with yellow streamers. Beautifully crafted banners read "More Ballots—Less Bullets," "Let the People Rule," "Women are People." Eight girls in blue, with silken flags walked behind Inez; then came women with the suffrage map and its nine yellow stars for equal suffrage states (Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Washington, California, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona).
The rank and file marched eight abreast with military precision— "Women with snow white hair; children not yet out of rompers; girls from Sweden, women from New Zealand , cowgirls from OK; newsboys from the east side; Wall Street brokers . . . Artisans of many trades and callings," wrote a reporter. General Rosalie Jones and her “little band of pilgrims” were there following behind a brass band of boy scouts. A host of professions were represented, including teachers, students, sculptors, bookkeepers, musicians, social workers, and delegations from Greek, Jewish, Italian and Syrian suffrage societies.
Men marched too, and a song with each verse and the chorus proclaiming: "We’ll vote for woman’s rights!" was dedicated to the recently formed Men's League for Woman Suffrage. (See article.) Near the end of the line, forty-seven girls carried a widespread yellow flag with nine stars. It was covered with coins that spectators threw as the girls marched by.