Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-05-17
COxEYiSM.

| COxEYiSM.
Extracts From Discussion In the United
States Senate Over , Resolution In Re-
fataon to the Arrest of Coxey. Browne
| and Jones the National Capitol
Grounds.
| WASHINGTON. May o-Mr. Allen, In sup
porting his resolution for investigating the po-
lice assault on Coxey said he had expected
that the senior senator from Ohio (Mr Sher-
| many would have introduced q resolution look
| Ing to the investigation of that outrage Z"
| But as the senator from Ohio had taken no such
| steI 8 he (Mr. Allen had been moved to do SO.
| Mr. Allen had not the slightest sympathy with
| the Coxey movement. He did not believe that
| 1t would be wise for congress to appropriate
money for the construction of highways in the
| states. But he had TO deal with him and with
| the unfortunate and perhaps misguided men
who accompanied him. simply in the light of
| American citizens coming to the capitol of the
nation for the purpose OF bly, petitioning
congress for redress OF grievances
| Mr.. Allen went on to read the address which
Coxey had tried to read from the capitol steps
and which he had been prevented from doing
| by the police who laid violent hands upon
him and drove him from the capitol grounds"
Are you not the counsel Of Coxey?" Mr..
Daniel asked
mo. SIR Mr.. Allen answered.
Has not Mr.. Daniel further asked. "Mr.
| Coxey full legal remedies for any wrong which
| he may have snffered?"
Il hope,' Mr.. Allen said. that the senator
from Virginia will not undertake to divert me
| from the course which have marked OUT
Il do not desire to divert the senator" Mr..
| Daniel said but want to judge as to the pro-
priety Of the senate acting in this case, if the
man has been injured and If he had legal
remedy for the injury"
Mr.. Allen went on to say that 1t was not true
| that he was had been counsel for
Coxey He had been called in consultation
! with two representatives (Mr. Hudson, OF Kan
sas, and Mr.. Pence. of Colorado,) as to Coxey's
| right. and he had gone to the police court in
| connection with the matter. He wanted to
| say to the senator from Virginia that it was
| rule Of his life to 60 wherever his duty re-
| Quired him; and he should do so regardless of
whether 1t pleased displeased the senator
| from Virginia. But the rough hands that had
been laid upon Coxey had been laid on the
rights of 70, 900 900 OF American citizens. The
poicemen's clubs which had been aimed at the
devoted heads OF these three men had been
| aimed at the head OF every American citizen
who saw fit to raise his voice in defense OF his
| constitutional right The blow aimed at them
was blow at free speech. at the right of free
assemblage: ana 1t was for those great rights
that he stood. He described the occurrence at
| the capitol grounds the 1st Of May q
scene worthy OF having taken place in st.
Petersburg in the capitol of some eastern
| monarchy. and entirely out of place in repre-
sentative republic. These men had not come
armed They had not been backed by mob.
and had made no show of military force. They
had come simply as 1aw-abiding, peaceable.
but perhaps misguided citizens, for q lawful
purpose.
Mr.. Allen ridiculed the charges on which
Coxey, Browne and Jones had been convicted
in the police court-treadtng on and injuring
the turf OF the capitol grounds-and spoke with
derision Of the sacred soil OF those grounds be-
ing trodden on by the vulgar feet OF people
who were not residents OF Washington. But
there was not he said senator or an Amerf-
can citizen who did not know that the real
charge against those men was their attempt to
exercise their constitutional right OF peaceable
| assem- lage and of free speech on the capitol
grounds of the nation.
Mr.. Sherman expressed his great regret that
when important business was pressing this
resolution should be brought before the sem
ate and occupy its time. The whole thing. no
asserted, was sham and pretense. without .
shadow OF foundation. Nobody. Mr.. Sher-
man said. had ever denied the right of petit
| tion. Coxey knew that any member Of tho
senate or the house would present his
petition and the petition of the
who were with him. leading citizen
OF Ohio had called upon him (Mr. Sherman)
and asked him IL he would present Coxey's
petition. and he had promptly answered: Yes
If couched in proper language He had also
offered to introduce any OF Coxeys bflls-al-
though he did not believe in one word Of them
That message had been carried to Mr.. Coxey,
and he had replied that he did not desire to
that he intended to present it on the stops Of
the capitol He (Mr Sherman) had no doubt
that his colleague (Mr. Brice) would also in
troduce Mr.. Coxey's bills. He deeply regretted
the error which had led Coxey to Washington,
and his wild delusion that congress could
step into the arena and build up roads in all
the townships counties and states IN the
United States There could be no wilder or
more extravagant proposition presented The
The senator from Nebraska (Mr. Allen) had
frie a nj WHAT
Not for what he proposed. because the senator
himself, although his views were extreme,
dared not tndorse the good roads BILL" and
dared not indorse the assembling OF men around
the capitol. The object OF the founders Of the
government in having an exclusively federal
district was to protect the government from
any such foray as that Of Coxey and his fol-
lowers. It had been done wisely in the light
OF experience in England and France If
Coxey has the right to make a harangue from
the capitol steps, every other man would have
the same right, and yet neither he-a senator
OF the United Statesmen the vice president
OF the United States had any such right
Coxey had been allowed every right
which anybody could have exercised. He
(Mr. Sherman) believed that Coxey was. on
the whole, kind, good man In many respects,
but he thought he was little Eighty. Laugh
teri He would not say anything unkind of
him because he was q constituent, and he felt
bound to protect him IL he were unduy in
jured But Coxey had come to the capitol with
the deliberate and determined purpose to vio-
late the law, which had been so wisely framed
by the ex-senator from Vermont.
Mr.. Butler-And he did do it.
Mr.. Sherman-He had the purpose, acknowl.
ed and declared to come here and violate this
law; and he brought with him some three
four or five hundred men who sympathized
with him. It is true he did not bring them
the grounds, but there were crowds Of people
assembled to see this extraordinary spectacle
of what is called an army of men, led here
to get congress to pass bill to make all
the roads of the country good, so that
every man can ride his bicycle in his
carriage. on foot. [Laughter.I Whether
Coxey, or Browne. or Jones violated the law,
I neither know nor care. They certainly came
here with the intention of violating it. Ihope
that Coxey will go home to Ohio and take care
OF his wife and family. and that IL others with
him came from that state. they will also go
home, and rather suffer the ills they have than
seek the ills that may come from other
sources.
There is no occasion for excitement At all
events the senate of the United States ought
calmly to await events and go on in the dis
charge Of its high duties-treating their fellow
citizens, whether wise or unwtse, with for
bearance and kindness. Let US perform otr
duty to the country; and countrymen will
sustain US. These people who say that they
speak for TO- Co., 600 people will find that they do
not speak for 10000 They will find that the
favor of lawful means and lawful ends: and
all this passing wavelet of excitement will die
away with the genera: appreciation and action
of the mass OF our people.
A Damaging Storm In Minnesota.
SALTWATER, Mimi, May 10.-A
storm of cyclonic proportions swept