St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-09

house for Ninety Days-A Very
Gloomy Outlook for the Grand
Army Of the Commonweal and
Its Leaders.
WASHINGTON. April s.-The uncere-
monious manner in which the freight
carload of forty unemployed from Gin
cinnati was taken in charge by the
police last night is fOretaste of the re-.
ception which awaits Coxey's army.
Tomorrow morning the men will be
brough: into the police court and
charge of vagrancy entered against
them. The local law against vagrants
applies to all men without visible means
Of support who are destitute. likely to
become charges upon the city, who have
no vocation or means of gaining live.
liiiood, or who solicit aims. The penalty
is ninety days in the workhouSe at hard
labor, but it rests within the discretion
of the Judge to accept their promises to
leave the city at once, or to accept 500
bonds that they will not beg or become
public charges. There is no doubt of
the application of this law to q
THE BAND FROM TEXAS,
under Capt. Primrose, for the search in
the police station showed that the total
cash capital of the company amounts to
about 81. They have received two
fairly good meals today and have been
plssably comfortable, except for the
ignOminy of confinement in cells usually
occupied by criminals. Capt. Prim-
rose, the leader Of the band. may find
himself in more serious trouble than his
followers. There is an old law on the
statute books passed in 1889. aud has
never been repealed. which makes it an
oHense to bring into the District of Col
umbia any destitute people who are
likely 10 become public charges, with
a penalty from SIS to $50 fine
for each offense. The police
authorities are considering the advisa-
bility OF bringing charge Of violating
this law against the leader. in which
case his fines, with the alternative Of
the workhouse Imprisonment, would
amount to very heavy punishment.
against Gen. Coxey if disaster does not
overtake the army of the comnsnweal
before it COMPLETES its itinerary. OF
course, the yagrancy act may be brought
into application against his followers,
and, besides, there are two other laws
which it is the ayowed and advertise
purpose of the CoXeyites to break. One
is the act of congress regulating the use
OF the capitol grounds. which
FoRBIDS- ANY GATHERING.
demonstration or. parade. the making of
any oratioas or use of threatening
language. the display of any banner or
device to attract attention. The other
is a local law which forbids men to con-
grega:e Oh the steps of any public or
private building. 1t rests within the
discretion of the vice president or the
speaker of the house to suspend the
Capitol regulations for any proper pur-
pose, aud perhaps Coxey'S agents will
apply to them for permission to carry
out their programme. Maj. Moore, chief
Of police, said today, in speaking of the
march of Coxey:
"TheSe laws are on the statute books,
and we have no discretion but to en-
force them if Coxey's army does arrive,
unless congress should give them per-
| mission to cOngregate On the Capitol
steps,
The details of the police movement
against COxey are kept secret. No
doubt he will be met at the district linn
its, 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 1t ar.
riyes, and is taken into custody, if it
should be. is difficult question, be-
cause the jails and station houses of
Washington will not accommodate such
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 un-
easiness here. Maj. Moore has received
a letter from the chief of police of Al
legheny City, Pa, describing the Uoxey
men in most uncomplimentary terms.
he declares that there are several pro-
feSsiOnal criminals in their ranks: that
four or five burglaries were commit ed
by them while they were in his town.
and that there would have been more
depredations but for the close police
watch. 1
LABOR LEADERS ANGRY.
Many Of the labor leaders IN this CITY
are incensed at the arrest of the forty
one unemployed. and declare that the
proceeding was without lawful author
ltY. They say also that Mai. Moore had
NO right to deal with these men in a
manner intended as horrible example
for CoXey's army. 1t is claimed that
when the case comes into court tomor-
row morning there will be plenty of
friends of the arrested men, including
constitutional lawyer and member of
congress, and that if authority has been
overstepped in this arrest the proper
people will be made to suffer for it. 1t
is held that constitutional question is
thereby raised. which will be tested to
the utmost. and that the laboring men
of the district seem to be aroused to
pitch of willingness 20 back such in
Quiries with their time and money.
BOSTON's CRANK KCONTINGENT.