Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-31

Then it is reported that Capt Rlack-
ford told Kearney that he did not intend
to arrest him. and there we're sorue
cheers, kearney went TO tho south side
of the staircase so tho old chronicle
runs. and standing below the statue Of
Columbus made his speech. He took Of
his coat and spoke for an hour He s.,id
the people Of the District of Columbia
lived under a dynasty. They paid taxes
and had no vote. The Norkingman was
the backbone Of the country. ,...-
kearney called number Of prominent
public men "blatherskites and political
whelps." The elected rulers of the ia
ton, he said. plunderers There
was no freedom in America The govern
ment should he captured by the working
men John Sherman was scoundrel
Merchants were bloodsuckers They
should be done away with The news
pc pers and tho press associations were
in the hire OF the punderers. News
paper writers were hut the meanes''
minions kearney told the crowd that
he had had talk with President HAYES
and that he tkearneyl didn't have much
of an opinion of him" He had told the
people of San Francisco that the Presi-
dent of the United States was owned
body and soul by the money power
He said also that he despsed Tilden.
Peter Cooper was an old granny. Ben
Butler was the man The chinese were
''almond-eyed long tailed. laproGs para
sites And SO forth and $" forth, There
was some cheering from the 26sp people
around the Capitol. After his speech
Dennis went back to the Emmett House
with a crowd of Cohenites, paid his hill
and took night train.
The Star on the day following Keaf1
ney's speech at the Capitol said: a.
.'Kearney has visited Washington and rcns
and the common verdict is tina, y there is an.
which is afraid OF him and his teachings that !,
community has only to invite him 10 visit IL
its fears dispelled 1t Is indeed a marvel how
such low backguard with only vituperatidt
nro,ose Thai viii bsneft The working classes
could have gained the notoriety he has even
with the aid Of newspapers 10 keep him =, Setorr
other locality than San Francisco where he had
the prevailing prejudice against the Chinese to
appeal to and large element Of bowling syn
pathzing hooilums for bis audiences. So far
as the Atlantic states are concerned the SAND
lot orator is poweress for either good or evil.
There was a great deal of noisy labor
agitation I'm Washington In those days
AS the Rambler has said it was the
period of Isaac Cohen. He spoke daily
and nightly either at the east portioo
of the Capitol or in front OF the C,M
Hall. He headed delegations. or mobs.
that marched to the Treasury. the Agri-
cultural and other departments and to
the Columbian building then the offices
of the District government. Cohens
headquarters were at 423 New JERSEY
avenue His aim he gave il out. was
TO organize a general strike Of workers
for a dollar and a half a day. There
was a scarcity of prosperity in 1873 and
many laborers were working for doi--
lar and a quarter and dollar A day. ana
the charge was made at the time OF
the riots over the construction OF the
bureau of engraving and printing that
men were being paid by contractors on
that work only Is cents a day
Cohen was arrested number of times
for disturbing the peace. On the evening
of September 10. 1878. Cohen narshaled
his forces for demonstration and
marched from his headquarters on Me-"
Jersey avenue to E street thence to-
Indiana avenue and thence down IN
street to a stretch of commons near the
arsenal where the army was to biN-
ouac that night
For some reason. not then known n
outsiders, Cohen countermanded his camp
order at II o'clock at night and the
army scattered over Washington The
Cohenites cut quite a wide swath in local
affairs and there was so much disorder
that there was talk of calling out the
District militia but at length the police
got the situation under control and
Cohenite professions and mass meetings
were prohibited.