Evening star., 1944-04-23
Fifty Years AGO

happened. Gen. Coxey was in town with
his army. Compared to
Coxeys Army what he had predicted,
In Town his army was little
larger than = corporal's
guard, yet it was disturbing to civic au-
thorities. Most Of these were scrupu-
lously polite to Coxey himself, desiring
to avert further trouble. For instance,
when the general applied for permission
to move his 424 men to Z vacant lot,
according to The Star Of April 30, 1894,
commissioner ROSS rendered his pri-
vate carriage to Gen. Coxey, and with
the committee left for the proposed new
camp grounds ION James Creek at First
and M streets s.W.) - The board
decided that there was no good reason
why the lot should not be used"
Dwarfing Coxey's army in promise was
Fryes army, based at Indianapolis A
dispatch from that city,
A Dire Threat published in The Star
SoueIched of April 80, 1894, ex-
~ planned: "At meeting
Of Frye's commonwealers last night,
Col. Aubrey explained what the army
would do when 1t reaches Washington.
Nearly one million men win compose
that army he said. and when we ar
rive there we will say to Congress, Here
we are now. What will you do with us?"
They will give us something, you can
bet on that. A million starving
men are liable to cause trouble, and II
they refuse to do anything for us. We
will take possession Of the Capitol At
this point the police interfered and
broke up the meeting" Later the Frye
movement faded out.
Threats Of unrest and lawlessness
were prevalent throughout the country,
an aftermath of the unem-
Labor ployment caused by the
Unrest panic Of 90. The Star Of
April 28, 1894, discussing
the matter, believed: '"rhe labor situa-
ton has assumed most serious aspect
and the President and his cabinet have
concluded that radical and prompt &C.
ton is necessary to prevent spread
of the lawlessness which has manifested
itself in an alarming manner, especially
in the distant Northwest. The Attorney
General and the Secretary Of War
spent most OF the day at the White
House considering the best means Of
subduing the tendency to violence that
is displayed by the more reckless dis
ciples of Coxey in the Far West"
The convention of the week was the
congress of the Sons of the American
Revolution, at the ban
Sons Of the quet hall Of the Arling-
Revolution ton Hotel. AS related in
The Star of April 80,
1894: Groups of the sons of revolu-
tionary sires lounged reposefully on the
settees and waited clouds of Havana
incense toward that realm wherein are
said to be the spirits of their ancestors.
They told OF the doughty way they had
made American history in the days that
tried mems souls"
Tribute was paid in The Star of April
%, 1894, to the genius of a Washington
sculptor: "Our city
Statue Of Gen. may justly feel proud
Hancock of the recognition of
the talent Of one Of
our own citizens by the commission to
whom was assigned by Congress the duty
Of deciding on the various designs SUBJ
mitted for the st,tue of Gen. Hancock"
The sculptor was Henry J. Ellicott and
the subject, Gen. Hancock, was a vet
eran of the Mexican and Civil Wars,
and incidentally a candidate for the
presidency against Garfield in 1880.
when he was defeated by less than
10000 votes. The statue was completed
as planned and was unveiled May IL,
1896. It's site, in the little triangle on
Pennsylvania avenue between Seventh
and Eighth streets NV, makes it today
prominent feature of downtown Wash
inptOn