The advocate., May 09, 1894, Image 1

About The advocate. (Topeka, Kan.) 1894-1897

Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS

I
TOL.TI.NO. 19.
$1.00 A YEAR.
TOPEKA, KANSAS, MAY 9, 1894.
OFFICIAL STATE PAPER.
SACRED CAPITOL GROUNDS.
DESECRATED BY THE LONG
FEARED PETITION IN BOOTS.
Everybody Laughs at the Shot-gun
Valor Displayed by the Dis
trict Officials.
WasMnglon Correspondence.
Well, the Coxey commonwealers came
to Washington. It must hare been
fore written in the great Fate book, for
everybody said they would not Lions
little and big growled and snapped at
every step they took. At the first it
was said they would never leave Mas
sillon; but they did, though snowy,
sleety liona confronted that very first
step. Then a great, growling sheriff
strove to bar them out of Pennsylvania,
but that lion, too, backed tamely into
his den before the fearless, quick tread
of the army of peace. The mighty press
from ocean to ocean jeered and scoffed
and threatened, all to no purpose. On
they came, over mountain tops, through
mire and clay, through storm and cold,
unmindful of harships, unheedful of
scornful rebuffs. On, on they came,
silently, resistleesly, marching under the
banner of Him whose advent was her
alded by the glad angel song of "Peace
on earth, good will to men." Every
where turning foes into friends, opposi
tion into helpfulness. Oh, God of na
tions! Qod of justice and of love, what a
march that was ! At the last it was said
they cannot march into Washington.
The militia performed in ridiculous
"riot drill." Cavalry troops cavorted
hither and yon. Two hundred eztra
policemen were sworn in, but the sol
emn procession of footsore heroes moved
steadily on, calmly trustful, knowing
their own righteous purpose and never
dreaming of defeat
On Sunday they went into CampThad
eus Stephens one mile from the city
limits. Thousands thronged to visit
them. The police met them with hand
shakings and proffer of protection in
stead of the threatened bludgeon and
arrest I visited the camp, not for the
first time, I had seen the army in camp
at Oaithersburg and Rockville. I have
been an honorary soldier of the Com
monweal of Christ from the first. I be
lieved in their mission. I Lave become
wholly a convert to their method. I be
lieve it will win a peaceful settlement of
our frightful difficulties. So I went out
to camp to see for myself the kind of
men whom the newspapers called "hobos,
tramps and lazy louts." I found men of
varying degrees of intelligence, some
illiterate as to school education, some of
wide information, some of a considera
ble degree of culture. All were Ameri
can citizens, mostly native born. Many
had strong letters of recommendation
from former employers. Most of the
skilled workingmen had membership
cards in labor organizations. They were
men who had striven to obtain employ
ment, had worked at whatever they
co uld get to do. Their hard hands were
their credentials ss wealth-producers
and their hcmelessness bore witness that
others had reaped the benefit of their
toil. I never in my life saw anything
like their patience and perfect trust
On the last great day of their march
when they fejl into line, a dense mass of
humanity walled six solid miles of their
gateway. Marshall Carl Browne or
dered the carriage in which I rode with
my husband and two Kansas-born
daughters, to the front As a good sol
dier I would not demur, and so oddly
enough it came about that Kansas led
the army of the commonweal into the
capital city. It had often been said
that the "cranky Coxey craze" should
have originated in Kansas, but since it
did not it was perhaps fitting that loyal
Kansans should bear the motto of our
glorious state at the foremost of this
band of conquering heroes.
Next after our carriage came pretty,
fair-haired Mamie Coxey, dresssed in
white and riding her milk-white, slender-
limbed, pink-nostrilled horse as
pretty a figure of "peace" as you ever
saw. Then cams warm-hearted humanity-loving,
jovial, yet earnest Carl
Carl Browne, picturesque in his tilted
sombrero, his fringed buckskin doublet
and high-topped boots. What a rider
he is, and wrat a horse he rode! A
massive, dapple gray, as fine a specimen
of horsedom as Carl Browne is of honest
powerful manhood.
Following Marshall Carl came the
man who planned all this, the man who
believed so strongly that nothing could
swerve him from his purpose. Mr. Coxey
is rather slight of physique, quiet and
genteel of manner, ss one of the corre
spondents said, more like a professor in
a young ladies' seminary than a leader of
such a move as this. Firmness and
gentleness are his two most distinguish
ing traits. With him rode Mrs. Coxey
and baby, "Legal Tender," whose other
name which his mamma whispers to him
is Leland, but "Legal Tender" it will
doubtless always be, for not even',"Baby"
McKee has been more publicly christened
than this good-natured bit of baby flesh,
who sucks his thumbs composedly as he
is passed from one to another of his hun
dreds of eager admirers.
But how shall I describe to you the
5C0 marching men. I cannot Lift your
hats. Let your tears flow if they will,
there's no need to be ashamed of the
tribute of a tear for these. Keep silent
for a moment then aay, "God bless
them." I can but faintly show you these
poorly-clad, patient-faced, weather-beaten
men, each holding aloft his small, white
peace banner, inscribed with the good
will motto of the commonweal. I
watched the faces of the crowds of spec
tators, rich and poor, black and white,
the wealthy fashionables in carriages,
and all sorts and conditions of men on
foot I saw only the utmost seriousness,
respect and sympathy depicted on the
faces of onlookers for the first few miles
of the route. For the most part, the
march was a silent tread, only occasion
ally broken by the fife and drum, then
by a solo by the faithful bugler, and
again by the weird notes of the bagpipe
which had piped for the men over the
mountain heights. There was consider
able handkerchief-waiving, but no noise
or cheering until juat before we reached
Pennsylvania avenue, then Mr. Coxey,
Carl Brown and the pretty "Goddess of
Peace" were frequently greeted with
cheers. Everything which could be done
to arouse fear and create hostility
among the citizens had been done by
the editorial, not the reportorial, press,
and by the city authorities; despite all
this, respect and solemn sympathy dom
inated the multitude. The monstrous
absurdity of riot drills, cavalry and
extra mounted police to greet these
orderly bearers of tiny, white flags borne
aloft on short sticks struck the populace
as the living cartoons of the age, in
which the pompous paraders of swords
and guns and a government of armed
force playad the part of a ranting, roar
ing farce. So much parade of shot-gun
valor, so much cannon and grape-shot
threat wasted on this body of men
armed only with pocket combs and tooth
brushes. Please everybody laugh and
say "scat" at brave General Ordway and
valorous distriot police officials.
Now and then some soulless, selfish
worm of the earth who earns his bread
by the sweat of his lead pencil describes
these "hobos of the commonweal" as an
'inferior looking lot of scrubs." True it
is they are not up to the latest tailor
made style, and their toilet conveniences
on the line of march have not been of
the palace-car variety. But even the
president of these United States might
not look elegant after such a jaunt
Honestly, I believe if Grover were
patched out in such rigging as these
mountain marchers were, he couldn't
get a job to tend bar in a Bowery dive,
unless the proprietor hired him to scare
away Dr. Parkhurst
All the way down Pennsylvania ave
nue and turning to the right of the
peace monument at the west entrance of
the capitol grounds the commonweal
marched on May 1, Marshal Carl Browne
and ''Oklahoma Sam" aisisting the
mounted police in clearing a passage
through the dense crowd. At the top
of the hill and opposite the south en
trance of the capitol grounds Marshal
Browne called a hs.!i, left his great horsa
and started for the capitoL Mr. Coxey
kissed his wife good-bye and walked
leisurely along the asphalt pavement
toward the capitol steps where it was
his purpose to make a speech and pre
sent a petition in behalf of his "good
roads" and "non-interesting bearing
bonds" bills. His purpose in making
this attempt was two-fold; first, to mi
the constitutionality cf the police regu
lation which prohibits such an assem
blage for such a purpose upon the steps
of the capitol. Second, to draw the at
tention of the entire cation, and thru
influence congress to consider petitions
in behalf of the toiling wealth-producers
which they hava striven in vain to gat
considered by other methods.
The capitol steps and grounds pre
sented such a scene, as is only seen on
inauguration day. Mr. Coxey was
was watched with aa intense interest,
and surely with more anxiety, than was
ever any president of the United States
on his way to take the oath of office
yet Mr. Coxey walked up the capitol
steps as calm and unperturbed as if his
errand had been of commonplace, every
day occurrence. I think he was the only
thoroughly composed person on the
grounds on that strange occasion. The
anxiety was intense. Outside the
grounds the commonwealers stood still
in the ranks. They had been so drilled
and schooled for anything which might
occur, and so charged to keep the peace,
let coma what would, that I believe
those heroes would have stood still and
silently borne the blow if Mr. Coxey and
Carl Browne had been shot down in cold
blood. They would have let their tears
flow and their hearts break and waited,
trusting that such tragedy would enlist
the nation and purchase the ransom of
their brother toilers.
But even this last lion of all made
kingly surrender to the dauntless cour
age of Coxey. He walked up the steps
and straight to the police and District
officials stationed to await hia arrival,
stating his purpose to make an address,
he appealed to them as an American
citizen for protection. The officials in
formed him that he could not make an
address. He then drew forth a written
protest and asked permission to read it,
being refused this also, he handed a copy
of his protest to the officers which they
refused to accept He then handed copies
of the same to soma press men and
quietly turned to walk back to his car
riage. He was not arrested, nor was he
"jostled" or "hustled" as the newspapers
had it The police walked with him,
chatting pleasantly, and cordially shook
hands with him when he reached hii
carriage. I "broke ranks" in compliance
Contimud on pages.