The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-05-09


fully assemble upon their own premises and
with their petitions has been abridP d. by
the passage of laws in direct viol2 "a of
the constitution we are here to draw the
eyes of the entire nation to this shameful
fact. Here rather than at any spot upon
the continent is fitting that we should come
to mourn over our dead liberties and by
our protest arouse the imperiled nation to
such action as shall rescue the constitution
and respect our liberty. Upon these steps
where we stand has been spread a carpet
for the royal feet of a foreign princess, the
cost of whose lavish entertainment was
taken from the public treasury without the
consent or the approval Of the people. Up
these steps the lobbyists of trusts and cor
porations have passed unchallenged on their
way to committee-rooms to which We the
representatives of the toiling wealth-pro-
ducers, have been denied.
ONLY ASK FOR EMPLOYMENT.
In the name of justice, through whose i'm
partial administration only the present civ
| ilization can be maintained and
perpetuated by the powers of the
constitution of our country, upon
which the liberties of our people
must depend and in the name of the com
monweal of Christ" whose representatives
we are we enter a most solemn and earn
est protest against this unnecessary and
cruel act of usurpation and tyranny, and
thus enforce subjugation of the rights and
privileges of American citizenship.
We have assembled here in violation of
no just laws to enjoy the privileges of
every American citizen. We are now un-
der the shadow of the capitol of this great
nation, and in the presence of our national
legislators are refused that dearly bought
privilege, and by the force of arbitrary
powers prevented from carrying out the
desire of our hearts, which is plainly grant
ed under the great magma charta of our
national liberties We have come here
through toll and weary marches, through
storms and tempests, over mountains and
amid the trials of poverty and distress, to
lay our grievances at the doors of our ma
tional legislators and ask them in the name
Of Him whose banners we BEAR in the
name of Him who pleaded for the poor and
the oppressed, that they should heed the
voice of despair and distress that is now
coming up from every section of our
country, that they should consider the con-
ditions of the starving unemployed of our
land and enact such laws as will give them
employment, bring happier conditions to the
people and the smile of contentment to our
citizens. Coming, we do, with peace and
good Will to men, we shall submit to these
laws, unjust as they are, and obey this
mandate of authority and might which
overrdes and outrages the law of right. In
doing SO we appeal to every peace loving
citizen, every liberty loving man or woman,
every one in whose breast the fires OF
patriotism and love of co,.ntry has not died
out to assist us in our efforts toward better
laws and general benefit j. S. CONEY.
Commander of the Comnlonweal of Christ.
SYMPATHY OF THE CROWD WITH
CONEY
When the police had escorted Coxey to
his carriage, pushing him by the shoulders.
but not Selling him, they released him. He
clanbered into the carriage, Mhere his wife
sat, and as he stood there fierce cheer
arose among the crowd The policemen
+loi,, .1- f,1i
the negroes and women nearest them they
dubbed them Justify. For a moment the
army seemed leaderless and in confusion,
although the men had not broken ranks in
all the tumult. The honor fell to the hum
BILE bass drummer of rescuing it from con-
fusion, for he started rhythmic and regu-
lar boom upon his ins.-ument, the veal
ers fell into step, and, With CoXey bowling
to the right and left, amid wild cheers, the
cohorts turned down Second street to the
south and started the march to the new
camp.
We stand here today in behalf of millions
Of toiers whose petitions nave been buried
in commit tee-roomS, whose prayers have
been unresponded to and whose oppor-
tuntieS for honest, remunerative labor have
been taken from them by unjust legislation
which protects idlers,e spectators and gam
lers We come to remind congress, here
assembled, of the declarations of a United
States senator that for a quarter of CEN
tury the rich have been growing richer,
the poor poorer, and that by the close of
the present century the middle class will
have disappeared as the struggle for eX-
istence becomes fierce and relentless We
stand here to remind congress of its promise
of returning prosperity should the "Sher-
man act'' be repealed. We stand here to
declare by our march of over 800 miles
through difficulties and distress, march
3 unstained by even the slightest act which
yxro,, hrp tho h11Ich nf q n
citizen, and as such our actions speak
louder than words. We are here to petition
for legislation which will furnish employ
ment for every man able and willing to
work; for legislation which will bring uni
versal prosperity and emancipate our be-
loved country from financial bondage to
the descendants of King George
We have come to the only source which
is competent to aid the people in their day
of dire distress We are here to tell
representatives who hold their seats by
grace of our ballots that the struggle for
existence has become far too fierce and re-
lentless. We come and throw up our de-
fenseesS hands and say: Help! or we and
our loved ones much perish" We
gagged in bitter and cruel war with the
enemies of all mankind-a war with hunger,
wretchedness and despair-and we ask con-
gress to heed our petitions and issue for
the nations good a sufficient volume of the
same kind of money, which carried the
country through one awful war and saved
the life of the nation.
When any one reads the clear-cut,
temperate remarks of Mr.. Coxey, and
then peruses the description of the
brutal police. clubbing unoffending
men and women, he is ready to blush
for his country; and when he sees a
resolution offered in Congress to in
vestigate these outrages on citizens,
rushed to the tomb of a committee.
without word of discussion being pos
sible, he is ashamed of his congress
and feels that his country is already
ruined.
And the most horrible part of the
whole business is the utter heartless-
ness of the daily papers. They are
filled with cartoons burlesquing these
unemployed men as ragged wretches,
tramps and criminals: and this in the
midst of paragraphs like the following
pitiful statement of suffering, descrip-
tive of Randall's men in Chicago:
''This was a luxury in comparison with
the packed caves and caverns of the barrel
factory, where the troops were mustered
in and without waiting for the empty and
delayed provision wagons the poor unfor-
tunates fell to the bare floors to rest and
sleep and dream of good roads and bonds
without number. 1t had been eight hours
since the last crust, sbut there was not a
fellow in line whose face did not show
that bit had long been his customary diet
for the day.
And in Washington theylocated the