The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-09
MUST STAY OUT.
Coxey's Army Can't Enter Dis
trict of Columbia,
Without Violating an Old For
gotten Law.
WILL ALL BE RUN IN.
Labor Leaders Mad Because of
Arrests Already Made.

WASHINGTON, April 9.-The uncere-
-nonious manner in which the freight
load of forty unemployed from Gin
cinnati was taken in charge by the
police is q foretaste of the reception
that awaits Coxey's army. To-day
the men will be brought into police
court upon charges of vagrancy- The
local law against vagrancy applies to
all men without visible means of sup
port who are destitute, likely to be-
come charges upon the city, who have
no vocation or means of gaining a
livelihood, or who so1icits aims.
The penalty is ninety days in the
worl1house at hard abor, but it rests
within the discretion of the Judge to
accept their promise to leave the city
at once, or to accept 5000 bonds as
become public charges.
There is no doubt of the applica-
ton of this law to the band from Texas
under Captain Primrose, for the
search in the police station shows the
total capital of the company amounts
to about 81. They have received two
fairly good meals to-day and have
been passab1y comfortable except for
the ignominiOus confinement in cells
Captain Primrose, the leader of the
band, may find himself in more seri-
Gus trouble than his followers. There
which passed in 1880 and has never
been repealed, which makes it
an offense to bring into the
District of Columbia any disti-
tute people who are likely to
become public charges, with penalty
from S25 to $50 fine for each offense.
The police authorities are considering
the advisa bility of bringing a charge
of violating this law against the lead
er, in which case his fines, with the
onment, would amount to a very
heavy punishment.
The same charge may be made
against General Coxey, if disaster
does not overtake the army of the
commonwea1 before it completes its
journey
Major Moore, chief of police, said
yesterday, in speaking of the march
of Coxey:
These laws are on the statute
books, and we have no discretion
about it. We must enforce them if
Coxey's army arrives unless congress
should give them permission to con-
gregate on the capitol steps"
The details of the police movement
against Coxey is kept secret No
doubt he will be met at the District
limits. and if the numbers of his army
are too great for the police to cope
with the local militia will be called to
their aid. What to do with the army
when it arrives nd is taken into GUS
tody, if it should be, is difficult
question
The jails and station houses of the
city will not accommodate such a
crowd. To simply repulse the men
and forbid them to enter the district
would be to turn them loose on the
suburban residents of Virginia and
Maryland, and this is an aspect of
the matter which gives rise to much
uneasiness here
Labor Leaders Tncensed-
WASHINGTON. April g. -Many of the
labor leaders in this city are incensed
at the arrest of the forty-one unem-
ployed and declare the proceedings
was without lawful authority. They
say also that Major Moore had no
right to deal with these men in a
manner intended as an example
for Coxey's army. 1t is claimed
when the case comes into court
there will be plenty of friends of the
arrested men, including a constitu-
tional lawyer and member of congress
and if authority has been overstepped
in this arrest the proper people will
be made to suffer for it.