The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-12
THE HUNGER MARCHERS
CAPTURE WILMINGTON

n1lnston, their shoulders Strengthened percsp-
tibiy and their cheers we're little more vigorous
Trouble was expected. The police had announced
to the newspapers that the Hunger Marchers
would be rushed" through the city But the
hunger AIsrchers had scheduled q parade
through the city, and they were determined to
stick to their schedule
Mile Long Lime
The line of trucks and passenger cars that
stopped at the city limits OF Wilmington was
almost & mile long. Huge cartoons drawn by
the artists in the New York John Reed Club,
on the sides of the trucks effectively expressed
the Marchers' demands and their contempt for
their rulers as well. The Marchers began to
sing in q body as they disembarked from the
vehicles. AS they lined into perfect formation
with their banners aloft and still singing, the
cops literally turned pale. Within a few min
utes the parade was on its way. Hundreds OF
Wilmington workers, q large percentage of them
Negroes, followed the Marchers. The word soon
spread through the city that the Hunger March
ers were coming. BY the time the Merchers
reached the center of Wilmington workers were
lining the sidewalks eight and ten deep. So
many workers had turned out to greet the
Msrchers that traffic through all the main
streets Of the city was at complete stoppage
while the Hunger Marches paraded. Despite
the freezing weather workers kept their windows
open for more than half hour to wave at the
MaFchers. AS the parade continued through the
city 1t grew from an original 500 to more than
1900, at least 80 per cent of them Negroes.
Workers Throw Flowers at Marchers.
The tremendous cheering and singing that
started as the Msrchers swung into formation
continued throughout the entire parade. 1t was
not the breed Of cheering and singing that is
heard at picnic. It was deep, ominotls roar
that sent the blood running cold through the
thiek-veined COPS and demolished with one blow
the terrorism that had for 30 long kept the VII
mtagton workers in its grip The local workers
gaspsd at the self-confidence Of the Hunger
Marche-s, t91sn they ci1eered then many OF them
cried ana then some OF tire italian workers
threw flowers along the path Of the Marehers.
So many local Negro workers infiltrated into
the parade that polics forbade the local news
paper photographers from taking any pictures,
but Workers International Relief cemeremen
shot" enough film to make fuil-length movie.
Thousands of pieces OF literature were distrib-
uted and sold by the Marehsrs IN this city where
an hour before the Marchexs arrived one might
be sent 10 ieN for reading the Daily Worker
under s criminal syndicalissn law passed two
months ago ct the advice OF Ham Fish.
yindicated Faith.
The hundreds Of Negroes who followed the
marchers q half mile out OF Wilmington were
almost beside Themselves with Joy as they asked
where the Hunger Marchers came from, what
they stood for, did their plscards denouncing
Jhn-Crowtsrn really express their views. The
Negroes asked 10 be taken to Washington and
then pleaded with the Marchers to visit Will
naington on their return tourney They bad
been won by the National Hunger Marchers
Who only q few hours laher IN Baltimore were
to vindicate this faith by forcing the Baltimore
government to break its policy Of racial dkscrtm-
nation in the distribution of relief and then
APOLOGIZE TO THE MARCHERS BECAUSE
TT HAD ATTEMPTED TO LODGE NEGRO
AND WHITE WORKERS IN SEPARATE
QUARTERS