The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-05-02
COXEY SUPPRESSED.
His Speech on the Capitol Steps
Nipped in the Bud.
HIS CHIEF MARSHAL ARRESTED

the Omoers, while Co1ey Went Away
. QuietIy-Browne Out on BaII-Inoipient
Riots in which COMMONWEALTH Did Not
Take Part.
WARRINGTON, May 2.-The march Of
Coxey's Commonweal army, which started
from Massillon Easter Monday, that its
leader might speak from the steps of the
Capitol in advocacy of his bills for non
interest bearing bonds and for giving
work to the unemployed on public roads
by an issue of legal tender, ended, as
might have been predicted in interruption
by the police, The performance which
was enacted within the shadow of the
Capitol yesterday is without counter
part in the memory of Washington ans.
Over the broad, smooth plaza Of several
acres facing the east front of the Capitol
was packed a crowd of men and women
numbering 10000 by conservative esti-
mates, such gathering as is never seen
there except on Inauguration days.
1t was shortly after 1 o'clock when the
army halted in the public streets south Of
the Capitol grounds Its five mile march
down from Brightwood through the prin-
cipal streets of the city had been wit
messed by thousands, attracted more from
curiosity than by interest in the move
ment, although their good natured yells
were interpreted by the Commonwealers
into applause. Such fantastic aggrega-
tion never paraded itself in seriousness
before the public. There were 500 in line,
| Mrs. Annie L. Diggs, the Populistic agi-
| tator of Kansas, in barouche, CoXey's
| 17-year-old daughter, in white, on a cream
| COlOred steed representing the Goddess of
| Peace, Carl Browne on a great grey Per
! cheron stallion, General Jacob Slecher
| CoXey, his wife and the infant Legal Ten
der Coxey together in another carriage,
| Virginia La Valette, said to be an actress,
| on horseback, draped in an American
| flag, as the Philadelphia commune's God
dess of Peace the unemployed carrying
white flags Of peace on staves, and the
nondescript banners setting forth the doc
| tlines of reincarnation, good roads and
enmity to plutocrats, sprinkled through
| them.
Marshal Browne halted the procession
in the street and walked back to Coxey's
| carriage The general kissed his wife,
and then the two moving spirits of the af-
fair, Browne swinging aloft small BAN
ner. forced their way over the plaza to the
| Capitol steps their men, acting under or
ders, standing in their tracks. After
| Coxey and Browne pre- ssed u yelling crowd
of several hundred men, most of them
| following Browne, conspicuous because Of
| his unique costume. TTampling and tear
| ing its way through the costly shrubbery,
the mob went, while the squad of mounted
police which had headed the parade, dazed
| for a moment by the unexpected move,
charged recklessly into their midst
Coxey was confronted by the police as
he took off his hat to speak on the steps,
and his demand for his constitutional
right, as he called it, being refused, thrust
upon them printed protest. which proved
to be well worded epitome of PopulistiC
doctrines, Two police captains, ieuten-
ant and sergeant thrust the mild man
nered Coxey back across several hundred
feet Of humanity 10 his carriage. The
Commonweal leader was not placed under
arrest, the officers being contented with
having prevented the delivery of his
speech.
Coxey offered not the slightest physical
resistance to the officers, and apparently
was not perturbed in the slightest degree.
There were number OF colored men in
the crowd in state of hysterical excite
ment. Had there been any active inclina
tion in the crowd to release the Common.
Wehl leau6T IL WOulu nave Dttu easy W ut
so and to carry him back into the Capitol
grounds. Such move would have pre-
cipitated dangerous conflict.
Meanwhile Carl Browne was being lit
orally dragged by the collar of his coat
through the crowd toward the nearest
station, after he had made fight to re
} tain his banner. Christopher Columbus
Jones, the leader of the Philadelphia con
tingent of the army, and the comedian OF
the movement, also made a vigorous re
distance, and he too was arrested and car
ried to the station house. Mounted police
! were forcing their horses among the peo
Pile sew eral of them cracking their clubs
over the heads of the nearest persons
Women were shrieking in terror, mer
were yelling fercely, 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 east
: steps, which occupied about an acre of the
: asphalt. Then, the two agitatinG spirits
having been removed and half dozer
particularly belligerent men having beer
taken in by the police, the disturbance
was quelled without serious injuries to &
single person.
Another riot was started almost imme
diately near Coxey's carriage in the street
whittier the crowds pressed as soon as the
leader had rejoined his lines, and clubs
were freely used upon the excited negroes
Of the class which abounds in this city
ready to seize upon any pretext for max
ing disturbances. Gable cars changing
through the mob increased the danger
but none but minor injuries were inflicted
As Coxey got into his buggy the ex
cited crowd closed around the white stal
lion on which his daughter rode anC
thrust up their hands for her TO shake
She smilingly accepted the civility, with
no apparent fear of harm from the mol
that surged about her without hindrance
Sometime after the army was started of
, for its new camp, through double lines Of
police, followed by mob of thousands
p negroes and white men, cheering lik'
= demons for Coxey and Browne. Within
! an hour the Capitol grounds had almos
regained their normal quiet, with only
, few people strolling around and nothing
but trampled shrubbery and grass grOunC
p under thousands of feet left as evidences