Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-14
He Was Not Disappointed at Being
Defeated.
PEOPLE HAVE misunderstood him
He Explains How He Would Re-
|ieve the Unemployed.
HIS KIT M A r G II


dent candidate for Congress in this district.
was asked this morning how he felt over
his own defeat. and what effect the results
In this election throughout the country
would be likely to have on his proposed
new move on Washington next summer.
Mr.. Coxey replied: so far as my candi-
dacy for Cong 'ess is concerned 1 was not
much disappointed at being defeated. 1t
was too much to expect a majority Of the
people to break away from their party lines
at this time to support an independent can
didate; and when FILLED to receive the in
dorsement Of either of the two old politi
cal organizations I was bound to be de-
feated. But 1 am proud Of the more than
5000 votes cast last Tuesday, not for me
particularly, bu for the principles repre-
sented by me In this canvass. No candidate
anywhere had SO much to contend with as
/ did. The bOndnolders and money lenders
of the whole country were interested In my
defeat, and they poured the money in here
freely to secure that result Had / been
elected II would have meant an indorse-
ment for my plan of government assistance
to towns and villages in their double effort
to build good roads and bridges, and at the
same time relieve actual want and distress
by giving work to the unemployed. And
right here let me tell you that almost every
one who understands my plan approves of
it. Those who criticise 1t are either in some
way controlled by the bondholding or
m0ney-lendih6 classes or do not understand
It, 1 sometimes think have not been able
to make the general public understand me
as well as they should
"Wen. general, The Evening Star will
give you audience for an explanation If
you think the people of Washington need
to be instructed on this question. In what
way do you think you have been misunder-
stood?"
People Misunderstood Him.
I'm this: Many people seem to think my
plan contemplated that the bureau of en-
craving and printing at Washington should
be set to work grinding out money to be
given by the government to the road or
highway commissioners of the several
states with which to build roads every
where. AS a ma tier Of fact, in view Of the
great Industrial depression for the past
year, my plan was the most statesmanlike
of anything proposed to relieve the distress
among the industrial classes
The whole theory of my proposition vas
based upon the accepted principle in eco
Monies that those who are employed are
bound to support those who are not; in
other words, IT makes no difference wheth-
er man gets trusted and does not find
himself able to pay for his subsistence, or
gives up the struggle for himself and
throws himself on the poor authorities Of
the town, he is yet supported by society.
hiS DcihS true, L IudlHtdiH tHdt II were lar
better for society to make each man self
supporting by providing him with labor
than 1T Is to permit him to be supported in
idleness. For all things least desirable in
any community large number of lille
people will cause the most trouble. Idle
ness Is the greatest breeder of vice; vicious
people become criminals. and criminals
prey upon society. Now, what are the con-
ditionS In which we found ourselves as a
nation during the past year? Whatever the
cause, large proportion of the people in
every section of the country were idle ard
seemed unable to properly maintain them
selves and those dependent upon Them for
support. 1t was no for them to leave
home and seek employment elsewhere, for
the same conditions prevailed all over the
country. In this emergency 1t became the
duty of the men selected by the people to
devise ways and means to bring our coun-
try out Of its distressed condition. There
were starving people in nearly every ham,
let in the United States.
How best to relieve their wants became
the question Of the hour. The people looked
In vain to the democratic administration at
Washington for any movement in this d.
rection. While Congress fooled away it's
time with attempts to still further impover-
ish the nation. the people continued to suf-
fer. 1t was then that the plan afterward
submitted to Congress suggested itself to
me- 1t was simple and it was right, and
the principle involved will yet meet with
the approval of the American people. There
is scarcely a township in the country that
has not, at some time in its history, issued
bonds for the purpose of raising money
with which to construct highways or
bridges. Such improvements are perma-
nent and add to the real wealth of the sec
ton where the money is expended. Prop
erty values are thus increased, bringing an
increase into the township treasury in tax
es. To get money in this way bonds are
usually authorized by vote or the people,
and then a loan is negotiated through some
firm Of brokers in New York or other mon
ey center. Between the commission to the
brokers and the interest to the money lend
ers the township will pay, on a twenty-five
year loan, about two and half times the
amount Of the principal before the debt is
Cancelled. This makes such method of
public improvements expensive, and the
people are slow to authorize bonded in
debtedness under such conditions. But my
plan would have changed these conditions,
and 1t is for that reason that was 50 BIT
terly opposed by the moneyed interests. The
government now loans money to national
banks for q mere nothing, taking bonds us
security for the loan. This very money is
then loaned to the townships at stir rates
of interest Now, pray tell me why should
not the government take the bonds of those
same townships as security for loan of
money and let the people have the benefit
of the money at first hands?
What His Plan Proposed.
my plan proposed that the government
should do this, retaining 10 per cent Of the
principal to cover the cost of handling the
loan, printing the money, ETC., and per-
nit the people to pay back the loan, with
out interest, in twenty-five annual INSTALL
ments The bonds deposited by the banks
draw interest from the government; the
bends to be deposited by the towns would
not draw interest, and that is what is
meant by Notwithstanding bonds This
has been purposely misconstrued to mean
that we wanted people to loan money with
out interest. We ask nothing Of the kind;
but we do maintain that the making and
loaning of money is a legitimate function
of government, and that in such times of
national distress as we experienced all
over the country during the past year 1T
" as the duty of the government to make
every possible effort to relieve the suffer-
ing of it's people.
Wall Street Killed 1t.
1.-THE towns most interested in such legis-
lation as that proposed by me were the
towns where labor was suffering from en-
forced idleness, and those are the towns
whic h would have been glad Of an oppor-
tunity to vote issue of bonds under
such conditions as 1 have outlined The
money thus secured would have been ex-
pended among the needy people of the To-