The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-08-22
WORTH TALKING ABOUT.
Pen Picture Of coxsy, the Noted
CommonweaI Leader.

GVuuOtI
MeRargee, the charming writer In
the Philadelphia Times, says:
In columbus, Ohio, the other day-it
WAS wednesday, body of men, formed
III wnaC Is Known as n convention, named
jacob .. CoNey for governor of the great
State-the buckeye State-of Ohio for
governor, as the he ad of n political party
known as the Populists. The mere men
ton OF this mans name brings to mind n
vision OF a long haired, straggly- bearded,
whd-eyeu, grimy tramp; an anarchist;
freak; disorganzer of capital; a man
without method: one simply organizing
dlsorganlZation. Such, unquestionably,
Is the mental portrait in most minds of
CoXey. lie was the commander -'n chief
OF the army of the commonweal; the man
VINO wanted to lead one hundred thou
sana Oh .he unemployed to the front of
the National Capitol to impress the Con-
gress with the justice of their claim; who
was arrested for ..disobeying the injunc-
tion which forbids all good citizens of the
District OF Columbia from walking on
the grass.
How different is the real picture.
Bring before your miud's view a man
who has just passed the border line of 40
years; VINO Is on intimate terms with his
barber; whose tailor is an eXpressionist
oil the sartorial art and who is receiving
reaoy cash; whose eyes are clear; whose
face is frank; who wears as he walked
down Chestnut street yesterday morning
sweller suit than most of us; whose
men Is geutle. whose whole demeanor is
That OF an educated gentleman. That is
CoNey; the real, genuine CoXey, whose
name is written in the baptismal register
as Jacob 5. and who was born in the
good SINGER county Pennsylvania town
of Selinsgrove, on Il bright Easter Sunday
morning in the year of 1851.
CoXey is worth talking about; plainly,
bluntly, frankly. 1t is not necessary to
advocate his peculiar political beliefs to
tell the truth concerning him. He is n
man worth knowing. He was carried
from Selinsgrove to Danvile, of this
great state of ours, rs u child, and did
not end his career there until 1881 when,
rs n worker in a rolling mill-ulthough
his manner and his appearance do not
indicate that he ever enjoyed severe toll
he had, by his honest labor, amnssed
sufficient money to go to his home at
Massilion, Ohio, where he bought
stone quarry, which he still works. He
had always viewed public questions with
the seriousness that belongs to true cit
izeDship. He was an earnest advocate of
democratic doctrine, and claims that the
education which TINT party gavesled him
TO pelleve In governmental issuance of
money. In Pennsylvania, while still ut
Danville. he voted for Pershing for gov
ernor, and in 1876 for Tilden for Presi-
dent, although the hard money platform
OF the national Democratic convention
of 1870 disturbed him, but hoping that
his party when i'll power would abandon
that monetary idea, he cast his ballot
aOnIpSt Hovac That l.; l..
ocratic vote. Thenceforth he has been
actively affiliated with the Greenbacke rs
and their present successors, the Popu-
ISIS, and i'll season, and sometimes even
out OF season, he has preached doctrines
which are now considered rank heresy by
the two great political parties of this
country.
1t Is unnecessary to agree with Coxey
to become interested in him. He is nat
ural and earnest There is not trace of
demagogue about him, but he asks no
man to pay one dolla" towards the an.
nunciation Of his ideas. With unflag-
ging energy he travels through the land,
the apostle OF his own creed, pay ing his
own expenses, asking no contributions,
and desiring to despoil no mans property
He and the stone quarry 10 iu all. Py care
and frugality he has brought about n
comfortable home condition of monetary
affairs. From his excavation, five miles
beyong Massillon, his men bring wealth
from the earth, and well-appointed
stock farm produces many of the best
trotting stock that has ever flown heetly
over the tracks of the grand circuit.
That is the practical side of CoXey His
sincerity demonsti ates itself in the fact
that he is willing to take his honest earn
ings, asking assistance from no human
being, to give earnest and public express
sion TO that which he believes is for the
public COOL.
The manner in which he got the idea of
his much talked-of ''tGood Roads Bjlln
shows the common sense which, diverted
as 1t may be, dominates the man. While
he was an earnest advocate of the green
back theory, he had no clear idea as to
how the government should issue the
money. Riding from his quarry one
night towards Massillon, aud finding the
roadway unusually and profanely rough,
the thought occurred to him that it
would be great idea to have "Uncle
SAM take the hundreds of thousands
OF unemployed and put the roads of the
country into good shape, issue greentacks
in payment. thus accomplish great pub
lie work with benefit to those who were
distressed The subsequent thought that
this would not prove OF benefit to the
large cities led To his now well. known
''Non-interest bearing bond bill" which
he is now endeavorng to engraft as the
primal principle of the Populist party.
With these theories as the basis of his
appeal to public support, Coxey went be-
fore the people of Ohio in November,
1898, against both the candidates of the
Republican and Dem ocratic parties,
stumping TIE State from one end TO the
other-and mind you, still at his own ex-
pense-making rs speeches and convinc-