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| The original contingent of Coxey's Army arrives in Washington, D.C., April 1894. |
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| "General" Kelsey |
The reference goes all the way back to 1894 when Jacob Coxey, an Ohio millionaire and populist, came up with an idea about how the federal government could help extricate the nation from the hard times that had followed the financial panic of 1893, the worst to date in U.S. history. Unemployment had reached 18 percent; without a safety net of social programs, people were hungry and homeless.
The plan involved a massive nationwide public works road improvement program funded by the sale of interest-free bonds. Workers would be paid in paper currency in order to expand the supply of money. The plan was similar in some ways to New Deal programs introduced 40 years later. Then, and later, it was enough to cause a Republican to faint dead away.
Coxey gathered about him in Ohio an "army" of the unemployed and marched to Washington, D.C., to share his plan with Congress, arriving there in April of 1894. Congress turned the army away; Coxey was arrested for walking on the Capitol grass. The concept was too progressive for the times.
But it was the first great march in U.S. history, setting a precedent for later marches on Washington for civil rights, women's rights, gay rights and more.
And that first march had inspired a movement. As the spring progressed several armies of Coxeyites sprang up and prepared to march east. The most notable to reach the Midwest --- Omaha, Des Moines and Keokuk before sputtering out --- was Kelly's Army, launched in San Francisco,
It was a Nebraska "army," led by Thomas C. Kelsey, a saddlemaker awarded the honorific title "General," referred to as Kelsey's Army, that passed through Chariton during late May, 1894 as it followed the C.B.&Q. railroad line east to the Mississippi bound for Cincinnati.
Kelsey's Army --- estimates of its size range between 100-200 --- arrived on foot in Chariton on Tuesday, May 29, and received a mixed reception. Keep in mind the army relied upon donations of cash and in kind along the way to survive.
Public gatherings with General Kelsey as the speaker were a way to spread the word about the army's goals --- and to encourage contributions. In Chariton, the army collided with members of Iseminger Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which had just erected a speakers stand and seating on the courthouse lawn for use during a Wednesday Memorial Day program.
When the Army arrived on the square Tuesday evening, a G.A.R. delegation identified as Henry Blous (clerk of district court), Thomas S. Smith, Isaac N. Funk and F.M. Shular, ordered General Kelsey and the crowd he had attracted, to move away from the benches (where the crowd already had seated itself) and speakers stand.
At the time, three newspapers were published in Chariton. The Patriot was staunchly Republican and referred to Kelsey as "an irresponsible mendicant and saloon bum." The Democrat was published by Democrats and more sympathetic. The Herald was somewhere in the middle --- but generally sympathetic. Here's The Herald's report/editorial from its edition of May 31:
Kelsey's army arrived at Chariton Tuesday noon and camped for dinner in the triangular park in the northwest part of town, having marched from Lucas, eight miles west, that morning. The men were fairly well dressed and conducted themselves in an orderly and decorous manner. Their clothes were covered with dust of course, causing them to present a rather dingy and forlorn appearance, which was made the basis of many hateful remarks by those who have not better hearts if they do wear better clothes.
No concerted action was taken by the city or county authorities nor yet by the citizens to furnish the army with provisions. Sheriff Gartin directed them to the vacant lot where they temporarily camped, and by the private charity of a few kindhearted citizens they were provided with barely enough of bread and meat to subsist upon while there. Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Mallory kindly gave them permission to camp over night upon his land in the creek bottom southwest of town, to which point the army took up the line of march about 6 o'clock in the evening, following the stars and stripes, keeping step with the drum and passing down Main street in excellent order.
The camp in the city was visited during the day by large numbers of our citizens, both ladies and gentlemen, some out of a sort of sympathetic interest, but with precious few was their sympathy deep enough to reach their pocketbooks.
General Kelsey spoke in the courthouse park on Tuesday night, Wednesday afternoon and again Wednesday night, to the respectable audiences that gathered to hear him. He is a small man, of unassuming demeanor, with a rather intelligent though somewhat unprepossessing appearance at first that bears acquaintance remarkably well. He is quite well posted upon economical questions and is an entertaining and forcible speaker, carrying conviction to unprejudiced minds of the honesty of his purposes and the truth of his statements.
General Kelsey was a soldier in the Union army and fought for the old flag. Referring to his fact in one of his speeches, he expressed his willingness, crippled as he is, to again take up arms in defense of that dear old emblem of Liberty, should it ever again be assaulted. (Mr. Kelsey served as a civilian scout and guide for Union troops during the war, but was not regular Army.)
In this connection we are pained to have occasion to record one of the saddest commentaries upon the perversion of human nature that presents itself in a lifetime. A speaker's platform and seats for a good sized audience had been arranged by the G.A.R. in one corner of the courthouse park on Tuesday, prepatory to the memorial exercises that were to take place on Wednesday. When it became known that Kelsey was to speak Tuesday night in the park, at the appointed time a goodly crowd of men, women and children had gathered in, and occupied these seats. When General Kelsey came into the park, finding the people comfortably seated and supposing that everything was all right, he attempted to mount the platform when some over-officious gentleman forbid him stepping upon the platform, and pettishyly informed him that said platform was erected for another purpose and that he could not stand on that platform to make a speech.
Mr. Kelsey then begged the poor privilege of getting on the platform just to announce to his audience that he would speak in another corner of the park,, where there were no seats, but this was also refused. So he made the announcement from the ground and his audience followed him and patiently stood and listened to him for nearly an hour.
The very people for whom the seats had been erected were occupying them for the purpose of listening to Kelsey's speech. They wanted Kelsey to occupy the platform for their convenience and comfort. He could have done the platform no possible damage by such occupancy. In view of these facts it seems passing strange that such malicious littleness should be exhibited in a civilized country. Surely Iseminger Post does not endorse an act that stands in such inhuman contrast with the true sentiment of Memorial Day....
Iseminger Post G.A.R. owes it to her good name, owes it to her honorable membership, owes it to humanity to repudiate such action, and let the would-be hero (Thomas S. Smith) enjoy alone the justly merited contempt of all noble hearted people.
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Kelsey's Army --- estimates of its size range between 100-200 --- arrived on foot in Chariton on Tuesday, May 29, and received a mixed reception. Keep in mind the army relied upon donations of cash and in kind along the way to survive.
Public gatherings with General Kelsey as the speaker were a way to spread the word about the army's goals --- and to encourage contributions. In Chariton, the army collided with members of Iseminger Post, Grand Army of the Republic, which had just erected a speakers stand and seating on the courthouse lawn for use during a Wednesday Memorial Day program.
When the Army arrived on the square Tuesday evening, a G.A.R. delegation identified as Henry Blous (clerk of district court), Thomas S. Smith, Isaac N. Funk and F.M. Shular, ordered General Kelsey and the crowd he had attracted, to move away from the benches (where the crowd already had seated itself) and speakers stand.
At the time, three newspapers were published in Chariton. The Patriot was staunchly Republican and referred to Kelsey as "an irresponsible mendicant and saloon bum." The Democrat was published by Democrats and more sympathetic. The Herald was somewhere in the middle --- but generally sympathetic. Here's The Herald's report/editorial from its edition of May 31:
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Kelsey's army arrived at Chariton Tuesday noon and camped for dinner in the triangular park in the northwest part of town, having marched from Lucas, eight miles west, that morning. The men were fairly well dressed and conducted themselves in an orderly and decorous manner. Their clothes were covered with dust of course, causing them to present a rather dingy and forlorn appearance, which was made the basis of many hateful remarks by those who have not better hearts if they do wear better clothes.
No concerted action was taken by the city or county authorities nor yet by the citizens to furnish the army with provisions. Sheriff Gartin directed them to the vacant lot where they temporarily camped, and by the private charity of a few kindhearted citizens they were provided with barely enough of bread and meat to subsist upon while there. Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Mallory kindly gave them permission to camp over night upon his land in the creek bottom southwest of town, to which point the army took up the line of march about 6 o'clock in the evening, following the stars and stripes, keeping step with the drum and passing down Main street in excellent order.
The camp in the city was visited during the day by large numbers of our citizens, both ladies and gentlemen, some out of a sort of sympathetic interest, but with precious few was their sympathy deep enough to reach their pocketbooks.
General Kelsey spoke in the courthouse park on Tuesday night, Wednesday afternoon and again Wednesday night, to the respectable audiences that gathered to hear him. He is a small man, of unassuming demeanor, with a rather intelligent though somewhat unprepossessing appearance at first that bears acquaintance remarkably well. He is quite well posted upon economical questions and is an entertaining and forcible speaker, carrying conviction to unprejudiced minds of the honesty of his purposes and the truth of his statements.
General Kelsey was a soldier in the Union army and fought for the old flag. Referring to his fact in one of his speeches, he expressed his willingness, crippled as he is, to again take up arms in defense of that dear old emblem of Liberty, should it ever again be assaulted. (Mr. Kelsey served as a civilian scout and guide for Union troops during the war, but was not regular Army.)
In this connection we are pained to have occasion to record one of the saddest commentaries upon the perversion of human nature that presents itself in a lifetime. A speaker's platform and seats for a good sized audience had been arranged by the G.A.R. in one corner of the courthouse park on Tuesday, prepatory to the memorial exercises that were to take place on Wednesday. When it became known that Kelsey was to speak Tuesday night in the park, at the appointed time a goodly crowd of men, women and children had gathered in, and occupied these seats. When General Kelsey came into the park, finding the people comfortably seated and supposing that everything was all right, he attempted to mount the platform when some over-officious gentleman forbid him stepping upon the platform, and pettishyly informed him that said platform was erected for another purpose and that he could not stand on that platform to make a speech.
Mr. Kelsey then begged the poor privilege of getting on the platform just to announce to his audience that he would speak in another corner of the park,, where there were no seats, but this was also refused. So he made the announcement from the ground and his audience followed him and patiently stood and listened to him for nearly an hour.
The very people for whom the seats had been erected were occupying them for the purpose of listening to Kelsey's speech. They wanted Kelsey to occupy the platform for their convenience and comfort. He could have done the platform no possible damage by such occupancy. In view of these facts it seems passing strange that such malicious littleness should be exhibited in a civilized country. Surely Iseminger Post does not endorse an act that stands in such inhuman contrast with the true sentiment of Memorial Day....
Iseminger Post G.A.R. owes it to her good name, owes it to her honorable membership, owes it to humanity to repudiate such action, and let the would-be hero (Thomas S. Smith) enjoy alone the justly merited contempt of all noble hearted people.
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Later reports suggest that General Kelsey and his army won quite a few friends during their public appearances in Chariton and enough donations to sustain them before marching east toward Melrose on Thursday morning.
In the days that followed, The Patriot devoted itself to defense of the Iseminger Post decision; The Herald, to publishing many letters --- including those from Sheriff Gartin and quite a number of old soldiers --- accusing post officials of violating free speech rights as they flaunted their patriotism. In terms of public relations, the G.A.R. boys apparently were the losers.
Kelsey's Army got as far as Cincinnati that summer before calling it quits --- and General Kelsey returned to his Nebraska home, making public appearances along the way, via the C.B.&Q., wearing the same clothes and carrying the same cane he'd used on the trek east.
Mr. Kelsey settled in Lincoln where he became an honored labor leader in a generally populist state. He died at the age of 66 in Lincoln during May of 1911.
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