The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-05-10
Evening Herald.
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1894.
COxEY'S ARMY .

George T. Angel, President of the
American Humane Education Society,
etc, has issued the following appeal to
Congress
have read with interest in our daily
papers Of the progress Of this army and Of
the various bodies of men who propose to
join It, either at, or before its arrival at
Washington, also the opinions of General
McCook Of our United States army, and
various others upon the subject.
This army may not reach Washington
with sufficient force to endanger Con
gress or the United State Treasury, and
these opinions of General McCook and
others may be wrong. But there is no
doubt that there is in this country at the
present time very large number Of labor
ing men, willing to work, who cannot find
employment, and another class who are
anxious to stir up these men TO anarchy
and the destruction of property and life
On the other hand there can be no ques-
ton that half million of laboring men
could be usefully employed to-day by our
National and State Governments on
public Improvements Of great value.
100000 men could be put at work on a
ship canal from the Mississippi river to
Chicago-another 100000 on enlarging
the Erie to a ship canal from Buffalo to
Albany, POSSIBLY by the use of electricity,
or otherwise, these canals might be kept
open a large part of the winter another
uIOl0 on ship canal across upper
Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the
St. Johns river-another large force in
strengthening the leyees of the lower
Mississippi and other southern rivers
another in draining and irrigating vast
srscts of waste lands and so preparing
them for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in con.
structing Notifications and breakwaters
tor the protection of our hsrbors-an-
other in constructing and improving ma
SIGNAL and state roads, and another in
aghting the Russian thistle and in vGri-
aus other ways too numerous to mention.
II mistake not a very considerable
body Of men might be proftably employed
in Washington itself, securing better
sewerage, the filling of the Potomac flats,
building proper bridges across the river,
and killing out the causes of malaria.
Now, IN not Congressman, never
held q political Office in my life, and
aever want to; but ] have in common
with others an interest in the welfare Of
our country and in promoting peace and
goodwill between all classes of its citizens,
and with that view would inquire whether
it is not entirely within the power of
Congress to authorize the immediate
enlistment of one, two, three or more
hundred thousand men as an Industrial
Corps of our regular army to be en-
qlOyed only in useful industries, but to be
subject to as strict military discipline,
luurt martial trials, etc, as the regular
srmy;-this industrial Corps" to be
placed under the control of officers de9g-
mated by Congress or the President. The
enlistment to be for one, two, or more
years and the men put at work as soon
as possible in some Of the ways above
specified.
State governments my follow the
example of the United States, and every
unemployed man in the country, willing
TO work, have plenty TO do.
II the question be asked, "Can we afford
Co give all these unemployed men en-
ployment ?' l answer, Can we afford not
aoW
Suppose, il absolutely necessary, we
postpone for year or two the building
sf any more Sl,OOOOOO war ships and
$4,000 cannon, every discharge of one OF
Ehich costs from $500 to 800
suppose during the next year or two we
astch the costly experiments of European
governments, which are much more likely
20 try to keep their own restless citizens
quiet by setting them at fighting each
ether, than to meddle with us il we prop
srly behave ourselves
II we should go to war to-day could we
not arm, equip and support 500 600 men
in the field as easily as we did thirty
years ago'
And would not the wheels Of industry
move as they did then
And is it not Thousand times better
and vastly cheaper to put 100000 men at
surk on great internal improvements OF
7uhlic value than to have war, or have
them stand idle