The record-union., 1894-05-02
Special to the REcoRD-UNIox.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
WASHINGTON, May 1.-The march OF
Coxey's Commonweal Army. which
started from Massillon, o., on Easter
Sunday, ended to-day by the Interrupt
ton of the police. Fortunately there
were no casualties. and tonight General
Coxey addressed his burlesque army in
camp. Marshal Carl Browne, who was
placed under arrest, is out on bail, while
Christopher Columbus Jones, the leader
of the Philadelphia commune and the
comedian of the movement, endeavors to
appropriate a share of the lnartyrdom in
prison cell.
The performance enacted within the
shadow of the Capitol to-day is without
a counterpart in the memory OF Wash
ingtonians. Over the broad, smooth
plaza facing the east front of the Capitol
was packed crowd of men and women
numbering 10000. The Capitol steps and
the porticos under the Grecian pillars
were packed with people of both sexes,
well dressed, and most Of the members
OF Congress in the throng.
An early adjournment had been taken
by the Senate on account of the death OF
Senator Stockbridge but the House, not
wishing to seem to be terrorized by the
demonstration, went through the SEM
blance of q session with handful OF
members. More than 200 city police re-
inforced the Capitol officers, and detectives
from several cities were sprinkled
through the crowd for concentration ot
lawless local characters, who gave just
grounds for apprehensions of trouble
apart from the presence of the Coxeyites.
1t was shortly after IL O'Clock when the
army halted in the public street south OF
the Capitol grounds. Its five-mile march
down from Brightwood through the
principal streets of the city had been wit
messed by thousands. There were 500
men in line, Mrs. Annie L. Diggs, the
Populistic agitator of Kansas, in ba-
rouche; Coxey's seventeen year old
daughter in white on a cream -colored
steed, representing the Goddess of Peace;
Carl Browne on a great gray stallion;
General Jacob Coxey, his wife, the infant
Illegal Tender Coxey together in an
other carriage; Virginia La Vallette, said
TO be an actress, on horseback. drape6 in
an American flag as the Philadelphia
commune's Goddess OF Peace; the unem-
ployed carrying white flags of peace on
slaves, and the nondescript banners set
ting forth the doctrines of reincarnation,
good roads and enmity to plutocrats.
sprinkled through the caravan.
Marshal Browne halted the procession,
walked to Coxey's carriage, the General
kissed his wife, and then the two moved
spiritedly away, and forced their way
over the Plaza to the Capitol steps. their
men, under orders, standing in their
tracks After Coxey and Browne had
passed. yelling crowd of several hum
dred men followed, most of them follow
ing Browne, conspicuous because of his
unique costume. Trampling and tearing
ing its way through the costly shrubbery,
the mob went, while the squad OF
mounted police which had headed the
parade was dazed for a moment by the
unexpected move, charged recklessly y
into their midst.
Coxey was confronted by the police as
he took off his hat to speak on the Capt.
tol steps. His constitutional rights being
refused, he thrust upon them printed
protest, which proved to be a we'll
worded epitome of the Populist doctrines.
Meanwhile Carl Browne was being
dragged by the collar of his coat through
the crowd to the nearest station, after he
had made q fight to retain his banner.
Two Police Captains, Lieutenant and a
Sergeant thrust the mild-mannered CoXey
without violence back across several feet
Of humanity to his carriage. Mounted
police were forcing their horses among
he people, several of them cracking
sheir clubs over the heads of the nearest
persons. Women were shrieking in ter
ror. men were yelling fiercely. and some
were being knocked down and trampled
upon.
For five minutes there was riot in that
section of the mob in front of the steps,
which occupied about an acre of the as
phalt Then the two agitating spirits
having been removed, and half a dozen
particularly belllgerent men having been
taken in by the police, the disturbance
was quelled without serious injury to a
single person. Somehow the army was
started off toward its new camp between
double lines OF police. followed by a mob
of thousands cursing like demons for
Coxey and Browne.
Within an hour the Capitol grounds
with only a few hundred people strolling
around.
General Coxey accepted the situation
philosophically. His army was put to
work clearing up the new camping
ground for occupancy, while Coxey drove
over to the office of the District CommiS-
sioner with an eye TO business. lie made
application of them for a licenseto charge
admission to his camp. The tommls-
sioner5 desired to consider the proposl-
ton, so. acting upon the proposition, Mr..
Coxey went to the clerk. and, by paying
So, secured a license for one day only.
- have no complaint, said Coxey, to
make as far as the police are concerned.
They treated me with great consideration.
for they had to carry out the law, even II
IL was an unjust one. My sDeech-mak-
ing, however. at the Capitol is over. and
/ shall not again attempt it. It would be
OF no use. The American eagle did a
coed deal of screaming to-day, but that
was to be expected. The authorities
pinched him rather hard. He'll have his
say. however, sooner or later.p
The most serious chapter of the after
noon was the problem what is to be done
with the army, and it remains unsolved.
Coxey has no intention of leading his
men away and still declares that the
movement has just begun-that they will
stay here until Congress provides for
them by passing his bills.
SCENES AT THE CAPITOL.