The Washington times., 1894-04-02
Mrs. Digs ON the co1ey Movement.

Mrs. Digs ON the Coxey Movement.
To the Editor Of TIE TINES:
III. 8. Coxey were coming to W ashington to
petition Congress for the issuance OF $500 900 900
Of interest-bearing bonds, instead of being a
tramp and q gambler, he would be q gentleman
and patriot. The entire banking fraternity
would laud him as q statesman, England would
cable approval, and Messrs Cleveland and Car.
Isle would banquet him. II the peace army
were marching to the capital TO petition for
500 600 900 bonds to build the Nicaragua canal
Senator Morgan would meet them at Rockville
and step and mark time with rank and file until
the Capitol steps were reached II, instead Of
carrying a banner bearing the strange device,
Peace on earth, good will toward men, but
death to interest on bonds" their motto read,
would conveniently forget the statute which 1or-
bids the parading Of banners on the Capitol
grounds, and the foot sore soldiers would be per-
mitted TO rest upon the Capitol steps, while the
distinguished rural gentleman from Ohio was
being respectfully listened TO by the Senate
Committee on Foreign Affairs. If ''crazy
Coxey and his motley crew" were coming to ask
Congress to sanction c. p Huntington's scheme
for the refunding of Pacific railway bonds, the
whole characterization outfit would be given
free transportation, and it would be quite the
proper thing.
But since these audacious idlers are coming to
petition Congress to exercise its constitutional
prerogrtive, and to coin some of precisely the
same sort of money which Abraham Lincoln
ordered when the nation was in peril why these
marching fellows are of, wrong and must be in
all ways bluffed, 1eered, and headed of. Mr.,
Coxey is coming to ask for kind of money that
would not entail debt upon the people: that
would go directly to the laborer, who would be
employed. and money that would not be servicea-
BILE an investment for idIers who live of the
toll Of other people, therefore COxey is a crank
and possibly q criminal.
If Mr. Co1eys good roads bill were to become
q law, the result would be to set every unem-
ployed man at work, to start up every mill, set
every wheel in motion, every spindle flying, and
light every furnace fire. To employ every man
who is not out of work would enable him to buy
new clothes instead of begging old ones; hence
the merchants would become prosperous With
steady work and sure pay the men now hungry
could supply their tables and bring prosperity
to the grocer Every branch of industry, from
ocean to ocean, would revive for there would be
demand for all the produce and all the wares
that serve the needs of civilized life. 1t is the
impoverished state of the people, who are un-
employed, and therefore unable to purchase the
fruits of the loom, that has extnguished the fac
tory fires.
If there had been work and wages plentiful no
'mere threat Of a Wilson tariff bilr' could have
disturbed conditions. The pretty factory girls
here, under the chaperonage of Mrs- Foster,
need never have known that righteous Repub-
hcan administration went out and wicked
Democratic administration came in had the
masses been employed, as the demand for the
product for their labor would have been quite
uninterrupted
Mr.. Coxey's plan contemplates no charity nor
unsafe experiment, Tor every days wages paid
to the laborer an equivalent would be returned
in the enhanced value of real estate and the
wealth created Mr.. CoIey is like vast num-
Der of citizens Of this country, quite impatient
with the dilatory and devious methods of na-
tional legislation He is seeking TO initiate the
'initiative, he seeks people destitute and unem-
ployed now, and he thinks that now is the ac-
cepted time to rescue the perishing and avert
disaster TO the country. Mr.. Coxey very wisely
holds his Good Roads Association aloof from all
partisanism- 1t is neither Republican, Demo-
cratic, or Populist- He believes that 1t will take
too weary long time 10 reform the old parties
or upbuild the new. He is quite willing that Re-
publicars and Democrats should continue TO
amuse themselves with their tariff foot ball II
Congress will but do its sworn constitutional
duty and promote the general welfare by
opening up opportunity for the employment of
the American laborer and the consequent up
building OF a home market for farm products
1t was quite gratuitous for Senator Allen to
diso~n the Coxey good roads measure as a Pop
ulist project II had not been asked to be her.
aided as party measure. But il was, perhaps,
in the line of Providence that Senator Allen
should have so thoroughly acquainted the peo-
pie with his ideas concerning the functions of
government Senator Allen had become quite
cherished Presidential possibility.
As one of the founders, and as continuous
worker for the Populist party, take pleasure in
saying that any man who will needlessly maIign
of citizens, no matter how misguided and unwise
he may deem them. is himself far from being
imbued with the humanitarian principle which
is at the heart of the Populist party Any man
who entertains grave doubts as to the right of
the government to appropriate money for the
Is 50 far behind the enlightened political econ
omy Of our times that he will not be able TO
catch up in time to be the successful candidate
Of the people in 1896 ANNIE L DIGGs.