Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-05-03
COXEY'S ARMY A JOKE.
Weaicrs and All Her Fears
Quickly Vanish.

WASHINGTON, ID. e., April 5D.-Now,
that Coxey's army has arrived end has
been sized up, as it were, the feeling OF
apprehension which has prevailed here
1or several weeks has died out. 1t
IS seen that whatever the future
may have in store for Washington
there is no danger to the city
IN the 300 or 400 footsore and weary pill
grims who have followed Coxey from
the lake regions over the mountains to
this point, where the ocean tides make
themselves felt SO far as affecting
legislation is concerned the Coxey
moveme Mt was 1oredoomed to
failure. Congress cannot be
reached by anything that looks
like intimidation. The army will be
permitted to parade the streets and
march to the capitol grounds tomorrow,
but they will not be permitted to enter
them as an organization. Nor will they
be permitted to hold meeting on the
steps Of the capitol.
Visible evidences Of preparation for
the CoXeyltes were to be seen about the
halls and corridors Of Congress to-day,
but everything had been done SO quiet
ly that the same serenity prevailed as
that of any ordinary day. A double
force of officers was on duty, Capt Gar
den and Lieut.. Watkins having charge
ing, in charge at the House
end. The double force of pri-
Yates gave men for all the
entrances of the capitol and for the
main assembling points. Two men
were in the main rotunda. Each of the
main doors and the basement entrances
had an officer. The Hobbies Immediately
surrounding the Senate and House
were patrolled by officers. The halls
giving ingress to the congress
sional galleries were also patrolled.
Each man had his post and
was expected to remain there
unless called to assemble by whistle.
The officers were courteous to the sight
seers who thronged the halls There
were no rough characters in the crowd.
The people came and went with the
same freedom as usual, and the extra
officers demeaned themselves so quiet
ly as to pass almost unnoticed.
The main outward sign of preparation
was in the erection of two large parti-
tons, with gates on each side of the
main rotunda. They were heavy pine
bars extending twelve feet from the
floor and fitted securely to the stone
arches. The gates were not provided
with locks Sergeant-at-Arms Snow eX-
planned that the gates were the same as
those used at Inauguration times and
whenever unusual crowds were expect
ed to assemble. They were to be USE.
only to prevent the congestion of u
crowd in the rotunda or at one end or
the other of the capitol, he said.
When closed people would be moved
down the stairs outside each door to
the basement below, whence there was
ready access to the streets. All the
main approaches and entrances to the
capitol were open as usual except
some of the obscure entrances in the
endorsement. These were closed, not
rs a means of precaution but in order
to allow officers to be utilized at other
points. The doorkeepers in the gal
leries were giving seats to all corners.
but with the purpose of keeping the
seats no more than comfortably filled
without crowding the aises and door
ways.
There is to be no Coxev talk in the
House of Representatives if those who
direct the course of legislation can pre-
vent it, and they think they can. 1t
has been appreciated that an intlamma
tory debate might readily be started in
the House as an adjunct to the Coxey
demonstration outside, and care has
been taken to cut off the possibility of
such discussion. The Tlouse leaders
feel that such a course is i'm
perative in order to avoid con-
gressional encouragement to the
movement. Resolutions which may be
submitted bearing on Coxey' bills, or the
treatment of Coxey's men, or hearings
l. 4 1 ~ Il
referred to committees without debate.
Once in committee there is no likeli-
hood of the measures emerging until
the question subsidies. Neither will the
House leaders construe any CoSey reso-
luton as embracing q question OF priv
ilege, permitting it to be debated
without reference 10 committee. BY
these means the House will proceed
vi it'll it's regular business as though the
Coxey demonstration had not occurred.
The only means by which reference can
be crowded into the debate will be by
the injection of Il CoNey speech into the
debate on one OF the pending appropri-
alton bills. Even this will be discour-
aged and if possible prevented, and at
the most an injected speech can accom-
plish nothing.
Out at Coxey's camp, at Brightwood
Park. the morning sunlight thawed out
:. stiff and cold and hungry lot of tour
lists after the first night passed in the
District of Columbia. Many of the
rank and file had stretched their limbs
unprotected on the bare ground within
the enclosure of the canvass which en-
circled their quarters. The leaders,
Gen. Coxey and Marshal Carl Browne,
were in the city ensconced in the lux
urious surroundings of 4 S3-a-day hotel.
The shabby tents only provided accom-
mediation for the commune leaders and
privileged characters of the retinue,
and as for the privates they swarmed
like rats into the commissary wagons or
dropped to sleep without blankets or
covering on mother earth. There was
scramble for the shelter OF the morse
sheds in which Coxeys high-priced
stations were stabbed. Stations fetch
market price. and it is necessary that
thew should be rubbed down, bedded,