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Show AT WASHINGTON. Geiil. Coxey Makes A Characteristic Char-acteristic Speech. WILL WAIT ALL SUMMER For Congress to do Something- in Behalf of the Unemployed tirover Cleveland, Tom Seed and Sherman the Cause of the Trouble. Washington, April 29. Citizen J. S. Coxey, commander-in-chief of the Good Roads Army of the Commonweal, standing on his rickety wagon in the center of Brightwood driving park, waving aloft his Alpine hat to one of the most cosmopolitan and extensive audiences ever gathered in Washing ton, announced this afternoon that the greatest march of the nineteenth century cen-tury had been accomplished. Three hundred and fifty woebegone "soldiers" were with him. Their camp was much like a circus ground. A reporter found General Coxey clad in a fashionable spring attire of light drab hue and aa perfectly creased trousers as couia oe seen on , Fifth avenue, with a cud of coffee in one hand and a boiled egg in the other, I from which he alternatively took refreshment re-freshment and sustenance. The question which has most agitated agi-tated Washington of late was propounded pro-pounded to him by the associated press reportei, " WLat do you intend to do when the police prevent you from holding your meeting in the capilol grounds?" he was asked. I "No one will prevent us," replied I Coxey. ! "Does not the constitution guarantee the right to peaceably assemble and petition congress?" asked he. "But there is a police regulation passed by congress which lorbids persons per-sons and assemblies on the capitol grounds, and the police will stop your army if it attempts to trespass?" "The constitution was written before any police regulations," replied the gen eral. 'If they come in conflict with the constitution they are void. We stand squarely upon the constitution, that is our platform." "How do you intend to enforce your righu?" "There is but one way, by an appeal to the courts. We will go before the highest courts in the land if neccessary. Meanwhile, we will wait here in Wash ington if it takes all summer. If the courts refuse us our rights, there will be a revolution. I do not advocate revolution, nor do 1 desire it, but it will be irrisisiable and it will the greatest revo.ution of history, if the American people are only thoroughly aroused." The conversation of Mr. Coxey was broken into by a trumpet call which summoned the choir of the army. Following Fol-lowing Carl Brown, the choir of a dozen privates in the army came out to tbe platform wagon. Brown climbed into the watron, standing beside a stalwart man holding aloft the banner with the legend: "The kingdom of heaven (on earth) is at hand. When, fiually, tbe general scrambled awkwardly upon the wagon and was introduced be waved his hat to each quarter of the compass. He launched forth into his description descrip-tion of the millions of starving unemployed, unem-ployed, sboutipg, We'll stay here all summer, until congress takes action on these bills." (Great applause with bell accompaniment). "1 believe they will be passed in t wo weeks. You only have to pick up the papers to see what a desperate strait these men are coming com-ing to to get to Washington. Look at the trains that have been seized. I don't believe in lawlessness. No, far from it. It makes no difference if they don't get here Tuesday. We will go to the capitol and make our demand, de-mand, and come back here to camp and wait "This revolutionary spirit of 1876 is making the money lenders tremble now. Congress takes two years to vo.e on anything if left to itself. Twenty millions of people are hungry, and can't wait two years to eat. Four million idle men for nine months that's what Grover Clevel ind has cost this country. (Great apilause.) "bnerman and Tom Keeu have helped him, so the republicans have not yet get the horse on the democrats. (More applause.) "If congress knows what the people need and doesn't give it, congress is dishonest. We proposa to giye the ben etit of the doubt and show them the way out of the muddle." |