Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-23
coMMoNwEALERy MASS MEETING.
The Gathering at Rechabites' Hall on
Saturday Night.

Anc uutner1nR nj HecnaD1teB Hull On
Saturday Night.
There were more of the curious than there
were Of the commonwealers at the mass
meeting held in Rechabites' Hall Saturday
evening, under the auspices Of Citizen Red
stone and his associates, who are holding up
the Washington end of the Coxey crusade,
and the approval that was manifested in the
utterances Of the several speakers was
rather too vociferous to be inspired by de-
vout admiration Of the principles enunciated.
The crowd was extremely good-natured and
more inclined to be pleasantly receptive Of
the declarations of the speakers than the
gathering Of the preceding Saturday night,
when Mrs. Diggs was made the target OF a
volley OF indignant denials from wrought-up
old soldiers for declaring that the war was
q failure. Every one of the ninety-seven
chairs was occupied, and humanity fringed
the side walls and stood up In the rear,
after lots of 1t had been unable to squeeze
In, when Citizen Redstone called the meet
Ing to order.
Some Speeches Made.
Mr.. A. M. Cook was requested to preside,
but was not present, and the honor devolved
upon Mr.. ]. r. Mahoney. He made a very
pleasant little address, in which he regarded
the Coxey movement from humanitarian
standpoint and hoped that 1t would have the
effect Of directing the efforts of the national
legislature toward relieving the distress of
the thousands of persons all over the Union
whose necessities 1t represented and in
whose behalf it was coming to Washington
to appeal. He pleaded for a sympathetic
reception for the army, with lots of sub
stance In 1t in the shape of help, and ex-
horted his hearers to see that it was met
with bread instead Of bayonets.
Mrs. Anna L. Diggs, the co-laborer of
Mrs. Lease in the stump-flled field of Kan
sas politics, also spoke She eloquently
~0 yr0d fhn vNrfv In. xt1l. Hsav.
Coxey and his companions were journeying
so fearlessly onward and was followed by
Col" T. p. Roberts of Tennessee. whose
motto Is the heritage of Patrick Henry,
Give me liberty or give me DEATH" He
said Congress would not decide the question
which Coxey and the millions he represents
would put to 1t, but that the people them
selves would, and paid vigorous attention to
taking occasion to refer to Judge Kimball
as shoemaker judge.
Committees Appointed.
Ex-Congressman Wise and Mrs. Clara
Colby made brief addresses. and the ap-
pointment Of committees was taken up, and
resulted In that on public comfort being
formed If George o. Cook, William Nc
Gam, p. ]. White. ]. Dewitt, Mrs. Croft.
Mrs. Davis. Mrs. Maltby, P. ]. Dougherty.
and Mrs. Tragena, Mrs. Diggs and Mrs.
Madigan; on reception and demonstration,
Of G. NJ. Bell ]. ]. Barring, Col. Roberts,
r. ]. Bell, Morris ]. Colbert, A. A. Reagan,
L. p. White and Thomas f. Fisher on
permit and location, of T. J. Mahoney, Mrs.
Lockwood, Mrs. Clara Colby and George o.
Cook, and on labor organizations, of c.
Coleman, Milford Spaun and s. Maltby.
After Mr.. Cook had been nominated for
the public comfort committee he announced
out loud that he would pay for the rent of
the ground necessary to accommodate the
Coxey encampment in Washington, and
then told the secretary, in a whisper, to
cross his name of the committee because
he couldn't pay for a lot. The only other
trouble experienced In forming the COM
mittees was when some irreverent wag
nominated and the meeting selected a man
who had been dead for two years.
A Needless Scare.
Last night some one who had probably
been frightened by the immensely Of the
gathering at Coxey headquarters the night
before ran into police headquarters and an
nounce1 that 800 Coxey men were encamped
in the yards Of the Richmond and Danville
railroad on Maryland avenue. No attention
was paid to the statement but 1t was dis
covered later to have been founded upon
the fact that three weary fishermen, who
had been breaking the Sabbath day, had
sought the seclusion Of the yards until
darkness fell. so that they would not shock
the sensibilties of Christian citizens by car
rying a lot of mud catfish through the city
thoroughfares in sacred Sunday daylight.