Seattle’s 'Industrial Army' Mobilizes for Washington, D.C.
Unemployed workers organize under strict military discipline to march across the country to protest economic conditions during the Panic of 1893.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Northwestern Industrial Army is quickly gaining strength and the advisory committee is preparing to organize under military rules and begin the march to Washington City. Yesterday over 300 members had been enrolled and more recruits are being received continually. It is expected that another hundred will be enrolled this evening. The committee is asking for contributions of furniture, dishes, knives and forks, a stove and cooking utensils, as well as provisions. It is proposed to create a thorough military organization and to divide the army into companies, which will then begin drilling systematically. It is proposed to maintain strict military discipline and no men who drink will be admitted. President Henry Shepard says they will be sent where they belong.
“The Northwestern Industrial Army is quickly gaining strength and the advisory committee is preparing to organize under military rules and begin the march to Washington City.”
This story captures a local arm of 'Coxey's Army,' a national movement of the unemployed during the 1893 depression. It mirrors contemporary debates about how society should address homelessness and collective economic despair in a city currently experiencing a severe housing and cost-of-living crisis.
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