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Image provided by: Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, KS
Newspaper Page Text
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.