The representative., 1899-11-16
GENERAL COXEY is RICH.

1 The Former Eccentric Commonwealth
| on the Way to n Big Fortune.
| General Jacob Sechler Coxey, the
leader of Coxey's army and the advocate
OF good roads, has struck it rich it is
reported, in Missouri lead and tin
mines.
| About year ago Mr.. Coxey and some
other Ohio capitalists organized a COM
pany to prospect near Joplin Mo-, and
they took a lease of the Shoal Creek
companys property, about three miles
| from that city. For six months they
| met with little success but now, it is
| announced, they have struck an i'm
| mense vein of lead ore, said to be ten
feet thick and very rich.
This may mean a fortune to Mr..
| Coxey, or rather another fortune. For,
contrary to the general impression, he is
wealthy man, prosperous and sue
cessful man of business. He lives in
comfortable home about seven miles
from this city, where he freely talked
with Massillon correspondent of the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch about his busi-
ness uccess and his political ideas.
Mr.. Coxey is heavy-built, darkroom
plexioned man of middle age, with a
smooth, full face. He is under so years
of age and is rich.
Upon his mothers side Gen. Coxey
descends from a Swiss priest named
Reese, who left the Catholic church,
married, was thrown in prison, was re-
leased by Napoleon and emigrated to
America. His Sechler ancestor fought
with Washington in the revolution, the
first American Coxey coming over from
England rather later.
In 1881 Mr.. Coxey bought and began to
develop his stone Quarries. Besides
quarrying building stone and grind
stones he works stone into sand used for
molds to make steel castings. Man of
peace as he is, his sand has nodded the
steel plates for many an American war
ship. Mr.. Coxey is also a successful
farmer and stock raiser
General Coxey's residence is almost
unique in this country 1t is a two
story log house, built more than 125
years ago, but still as sound as nut.
The big rooms. with their huge, open
fireplaces and books and pictures, are
an ideal home for man Of culture.
Mr.. Coxey edits the Massillon Evening
Item. AS the roads are often horrible,
he runs in and out of town in naphtha
launch used on the Ohio canal, which
passes his house and quarries. He has
built tiny suspension bridge over the
canal to get at his landing place more
easily.
Carries and farm and newspaper are
not enough to keep this man busy and
he is now preparing to tour the country
in a special train of three cars, each
bearing the legend: Jacob Sechler
Coxey's Good Roads and Non-Interest-
ing-Bearing Campaign Car"
First, there is Pullman hotel car for
the Coxey family and guests; then
comes a tent car to carry big tent that
will hold when raised 10000 people. The
third car is to carry the tent men and
brass band. These two cars are covered
with curious pictures and lettering. Mr..
Coxey will spend $4,000 in this cam
paign. He has distributed, free of cost,
100000 copies of his pamphlet upon
good roads and non-interest-bearin
bonds. He seems to make money as a
successful business man, only that he
may spend 1t again in pushing his pet
theories.
Mr.. Coxey's unique campaign began by
his wagons getting stuck in muddy
public road which he finally had to re-
pair at his own expense. This suggest
ed to him that in hard times the great
army Of the unemployed might be set
road-making at wages of not less than
$3.50 per day. This, Of course, is not
new idea. But it is also his notion
that such work should be paid for by
non-interest-beari bonds, to be paid
for in Is insta1ments.
Mr.. Coxey is highly spoken of by the
business men in Massillon. He employs
40 workmen and has never had any
trouble with them. Their only COM
plant Of him is this:
Say, he spends every cent he makes
on his campaign; an he don't want no