Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-31
REEVES MEMORY
OF COXEy'S ARMY
Carl Browne, Once a Leader of [
the Unemployed, Again
in Washington. I:
COMES HERE TO EXHIBIT
NEW TYPE OF AEROPLANE
Has Twice Visited National Capital
With Noted Agitators, Once
With Denis Kearney.

me announcement few days ago that
Carl Browne of California would exhibit
a model of an entirely new sort of flying
machine. an 'octoplane.' at the Labor
day celebration to be held at Benning
serves to bring to mind among the older
residents OF Washington stories of the
odd events of 1894. when "Coxey's
Army invaded the Capital. and OF 1873
when Dennis kearney. the. anti-Chinese
agitator. came here.
Mr.. Browne was tho originator or
ganizer and chief marshal of the march
of the unemployed. styled the Com
monweal OF Christ" known as .Coxey's
Army" and at that time he was arrest
ed by the Washington police, for. as he
calls il, getting on the grass. After
those stirring days Mr.. Browne married
a daughter OF Gen" Coxey. and now
has home known as ''Commonweal
Castle, in Napa county. Cal.
Mr.. Brownies first trip to Washington
was in September. 1878, when he cam,
here as private secretary to kearney and
special correspondent of the San Fran
cisco Chronicle There was a lukewarm-
ness toward kearney on the part OF labor
people in Washington, so that when ne
reached the west front of the Capitol
where he wanted to speak. there was
none 10 SHOW nlfn the way
Browne Persists in Speaking
At that time the steps were i'm process
OF construction. and a group OF police
| stopped Kearney to talk with him.
Browne. who was with him. kept on his
| way. thinking Kearney was following,
and as Browne reached the abutment the
people who were scattered about cheered.
ir,lri xxrac u RratVn..
began to speak. when IL was learned the
police had told kearney he could not
| speak. Nevertheless Browne continued
to speak. and introduced kearney.
| The police. knowing no law to prevent.
did not arrest either OF them. but short
| ly afterward John Sherman introduced "A
| biil which passed. prohibiting public
meetings and speaking on the Capitol
| steps without permission OF the Vice
| President and Speaker.
In 1894. when Browne paid his second
visit to Washington. this law was in
| voked against Browne by Maj. Moore.
chief of police. Browne and Coxey tried
to get the consent of Vice President Ste
venson and Speaker Crisp. unsuccess-
fully.
When Browne arrived there he wore
a buckskin Buffalo Bill costume. typ
ical of his California home, to attract at
tention and draw the police after him
in chase over the southeast lawn Oh
the Capitol among the trees and shrubs
The police, thinking Coxey was with
Browne beat the bush for both, but
Coxey, who was a small man dressed con-
ventionally. succeeded In eluding the po-
lice until he reached the Senate steps.
Jail Sentence for Both.
A great cheer told Browne of the success
of his ruse. and then he ran for the
House steps,, as had been agreed be
tween the two He got within forty-hve
feet of the lower step when several po-
licemen. mounted. surrounded and ar
rested him. He was convicted, Coxey
being convicted as an accessory, and
both were sent to Jail for twenty days.
Later July 1. Browne actually succeeded
i'm speaking on the Capitol steps, having
obtained permission to march his mel
to the steps from the camp at Biadens-
burg.
Occa sionaliy Mr.. Browne comes I"
Washington. where he Is now visiting
He is a constituent of Representative
Kent and a few days ago he demonstrate
ed the model of his ''octoplane III the
yard of the iatter's home.