The Portland daily press., 1894-05-05
THE coxEY M MOVEMENT.
Its Rationale Explained by an Iowa News
paper Man Who Joined One of the
"Armies".

Every day that man follows this army
he loses respect for it without there being
any particular season other than the
whole thing continues to dawn upon him
as a piece of monumental folly. Every
day that man follows it, and every
day he sees the crowds gather around
Kelly and his black horse with red
surcingles, he thinks of what the great
Snowman said, that the American people
love to be hum plugged.
This army is now getting down to
purely business basis We do not intend
and we do not intend 70 walk unless we
cannot help it. Our advance agents
are bout twenty-four hours ahead of
us all the Jime, making arrangements
for the necessary supplies on the contri-
button plano which supplies shall pro-
tect us from deciding whether OF not we
shall work or starve. Our advance agents
are growing more and more businesslike
in their methods. They begin to levy
their contributions with some show of
authority. They are getting so they do
not ask; they suggest. We are getting
along so well that we have been led to
wonder why this plan of civilization
had not been thought of before. Posi-
bly, Adam had it in the Garden of Eden.
We do not know as to that We are
living on the fat of the land. We are
met in the streets of every village by the
multitude. Fair ladies gather to see US
- ahao 70
women of our land. We are not robbing
anybody; we are obeying the laws of our
country We are not killing anybody;
we are not setting torch to anybody's
habitation. We could not afford to do
these things, as Gen. Kelly says, and
Gen. Kelly knows what we caL afford to
do.
When we march into town we sing
Marching Through Georgia." and that
makes good impression in every town.
We carry the star-spangled banner-that
rleases onlookers. Sometimes around our
campfires some of our excellent singers
sing Nearer, My God, to Thee,"" and
Jesus, Lover of My Soul" These selec-
tons take well and impress the honest
farmers who are feeding us with our
good Intentions We are not ordinary
tramps. If we tramped as individuals
the farmers would set their dogs on US.
So long as we tramp ostensibly in the
name of great cause, with flags flying
and bugler at the front, they receive
us as if we were heroes. 1t makes some
difference whether We 90 singly or in
droves of thousand. Before marching
into Adair'T yesterday evening our forces
halted outside and we marched in in
body. We camped in beautiful grove
just east of the town of Adair, where we
could look down the railroad deep cut
where nineteen years ago Jesse James
and his followers shot poor Jack Rafferty,
the engineer as be stood with his hand
on the throttle, and where they made
bullets play through the coattails of
Billy Smith, then the conductor, now
long since gathered to his heavenly
were robbing the rich to give to the
poor. The James brothers, I am COM
PEELED to think, as / sit here on the
green sward, were not on to their job.
They did not conduct their professions
with Salvation Army attachments. They
were foolish enough to pass for just
what they were 1t is probably we'll for
he saw his methods SO much improved
upon. Blessed are-the ways of peace.
The farmer that rode with today told
me that he owned 1850 acres of land in
western Iowa, that he had it all under
cultivation, and that it was paid for.
His son is a student at AmeS. He said
he located in the Middle River valley III
1859. The average wages of the farm
hand at that time was SIS to SO per
month when there was any demand for
farm hands at all. The foolish farmer
told me that he had been pegging away
on that farm from that time until the
present. He had worked hard; he had
paid his honest debts; he had been
blessed with considerable family of
children. some of whom slept beneath
the greensward on the hillside. He had
discharged his every duty to the govern
ment; he had been lava biding citizen
He had not marched in any procession;
he had fought his political remedies at
the ballot box. He had shared the pros
perity and the adversely of his country
and his kind. He had not threatened
any revolution. He had never
started away from home, leaving his
wife and children unprotected on the
prairie. He had never gone away from
home without having money to pay for
his food and his sustenance while en-
route.
When told by member of our army
whom he was hauling for nothing that
he had SURRENDERED a job in California