The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-10
ALLEN TALKS FOR COXEY.
He Calls for an Inquiry Into the Con-
duct Of the Police.

hanted About as an Outrage On a
Constitutional Right-Senator Sher-
man Glasses the Whole Agitation as
Sham and Pretense 49, Senator
Mills Denounoes the Compromise
Tariff Bill.
Washington, May 9.-Early in the ses-
sion of the Senate to-day the resolution Of
fered last Monday by Mr. Allen, pop. of
Nebraska, for the appointment of select
committee to investigate the police as
sault upon the arrest of Coxey, Browne
and Jones, in the capitol grounds on May
l, was laid before the Senate, and Mr.
Allen made an argument in support of it,
He had expected, he said, that the senior
senator from Ohio (Mr. Sherman)
would have introduced a resolution
looking to the Investigation Of
that outrage" But, as the sena-
tor from Ohio had taken no
such step, he (Mr. Allen had been moved
to do so. He had deemed it his duty,
although it was not a pleasure, by any
means, to offer a resolution for the pur-
pose of having a thorough and complete
investigation of the remarkable scene.
Mr.. Coxey had come to Washington, as
was stated by the press. If that was TO be
relied upon, for the purpose Of exercising
his constitutional right of petitioning the
Senate for the redress of what he consid-
cred a grievance of himself and many
millions of people in common
with him, He (Mr. Alen) had
taken various occasions to say
that, with the purpose Of the Coxey
movement, he had not, and never had
the slightest sympathy. He did not be-
lieve that it would be wise for congress to
appropriate money for the construction of
highways in the states That portion of
Mr.. COxey's mission found no sympathy
with him. 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 capital of the nation for the
purpose of peaceably petitioning congress
for redress of grievances.
CoXEY's ADDRESS.
| Mr.. Allen went on to read the address
| which MIR Coxey had tried to read from
the capitol steps and which he has been
prevented from doing by the police, who
laid violent hands upon him and drove
him from the capitol grounds"
ATo you uOb Jue COUNSEL OF MT, COXeyf'
Mr.. Daniel, dem, of Virginia, asked.
! mo SIR" Mr.. Allen answered.
Has not, Mr.. Daniel further asked,
"Mr. Coxey full legal remedies for any
wrong which he may have suffered"
II hdpe,' Mr.. Allen said, .'that the SEN
ator from Virginia will not undertake to
divert me from the course which 1 have
marked out"
II do not desire to divert the senator, ~
! 1T a 7
| to the propriety of the Senate acting in
the case if the man has been injured. and
if he had legal remedy for the injury"
Mr., Allen went on to say that it was not
true that he was, or ever had been, coun-
sci for Mr.. Coxey. He had been called in
consultation with two representatives
MIR. Hudson, of Kansas and Mr.. Pence
of Colorado-as to Mr.. Coxey's right,
| and he had gone to the police
court in connection with the matter. He
wanted to say to the senator from Vir-
ginia that it was rule of his life to go
wherever his duty required him; and he
should do so, regardless of whether il
pleased or displeased the senator from
Virginia. But the rough hands that had
been laid upon MIR. Coxey had been laid
on the rights of 100000 of American
citizens. 1t was for their rights that he
spoke to-day.
The policemeu's clubs which had been
aimed at the devoted heads of the three
men had been aimed at the heads of every
American citizen who saw iii 10 raise his
voice in defense Of his constitutional
right. The blow aimed at these men was
blow at free speech, at the right of free
| assemblage, and it was for those great
rights that he stood.
UNWORTHY OF THE REPUBLIC.
He described the occurrence at the
capitol grounds on May l as scene
worthy of having taken place in ST.
| Peters burg, or in the capital Of some
! foreign monarchy, and entirely out of
place in a representative republic These
men had not come armed. They had not
been backed by a mob, and there had
| been no show of military force. They
had come simply as law abiding, peace
able, but perhaps misguided, citizens, for
a lawful purpose.
MIR Allen ridiculed the charges upon
which Coxey, Browne and Jones had been
indicted in the police court-treading on
and injuring the turf of the capitol
grounds-and spoke with derisOn of the
sacred soil of those grounds being trodden
on by the vulgar feet of people who were
not residents of Washington. But there
was not, he said, a senator or an Ameri-
can citizen who did not know that the
real charge against those men was their
attempt to exercise their constitutional
right of peaceable assemblage and of
free speech on the capitol grounds Of the
nation.
THE RIGHT OF PETITION.
He traced back the right of petition to
the year $40, when the magma charta was
wrested from the King of England, and
said that there had never been a time
since then when subjects and citizens had
not the right to present petitions 10 their
government The American people, he
said believed that the right of peaceable
assemblage and the right to petition had
been assaulted and while they had no
particular sympathy for Messrs. Coxey,
Browne or Jones, they would demand at
the hands of the Senate close and relg-
ious recognition Of the right of every
American citizens TO come on the capitol
grounds and petition for a redress Of
grievances. Important as the tariff was,
It was of no Importance If the constitu-
tional rights Of the people were taken
from them Whenever the right of an
American citizen TO stand anywhere under
the flag of his country and
TO proclaim his opinions in a
peaceful and lawful manner was
stified, and whenever he was deprived Of
the right OF petitioning for d redress Of
grievances, then liberty was lost in this
country, and the right of the people was
swept away by the usurpation of power.
A SHAM AND A PRETENsE.
Mr. Sherman expressed his great re-
gret that when important business was