Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/223

 rivers and creeks are slowly becoming smaller and the source of water supply disappearing with cultivation.

The year 1894 brought a general depression in business, throughout the entire country. Thousands of laboring men in every State of the Union found it difficult and, in many places impossible, to procure work to support themselves and families. Many attributed the cause of the depression to unwise “National legislation.” A movement began among the laboring men to organize what were termed “Commonweal Armies” for the purpose of marching to the National Capitol and demanding of Congress some kind of legislation to furnish work for the enforced idle. It does not clearly appear what remedial legislation was demanded or agreed upon by these armies to bring the relief desired, but the movement gradually assumed considerable proportions. The working-men who joined in this movement chose officers and maintained a good degree of discipline. The largest of these armies began its movements in California and, selecting for its commander General Kelly, began its march toward Washington. Many of the railroads helped the army on its long journey by giving the men free transportation. It finally reached Omaha and as it was about to enter Iowa, Governor Jackson went to Council Bluffs for the purpose of turning it back. The appearance of a peaceful body of men proposing to travel across the State disarmed suspicion, however, and no authority was found for legal interference on the part of the Governor. The army entered the State and the people showed their sympathy along the line of march by contributing food for its subsistence. A stop was made at Des Moines where the people furnished supplies generously and thousands visited the camp and conversed with the men. The ranks were found to contain men of almost every trade and of many of the professions, who had been unable to find employment, most of them had families and were seeking work. They were well behaved and respectable appearing