Evening star., 1931-12-07

BY WILLIAM w. CHANCE.
A shouting, singing army of hunger
marchers," four hours late, tumbled out
of trucks on the outskirts of Baltimore
late Saturday night and assembled In
column of fours to parade through
the city.
Undaunted by the small crowd and
the chill, wintry wind that greeted
them, the 500 marchers broke into
their theme song, Solidarity Forever, -
to the tune of GLORY, Glory Hallelujah.'
The writer, unnoticed, slipped into
their ranks and joined in the song.
After a brief delay the parade started
We were off-to carry a message from
the working men of America to capt.
tahst President Hoover and his capi
talistic Congress, a demand for bread
instead of beer, unemployment insur-
ance instead of charity"
Youths Lead Column.
A group of young boys, not over Il
years old, headed the column, led bv a
siIaoDily dressed white man and be-
draggled looking colored man.
/ dropped into line beside one of fhe
youngsters, tow-hesded boy of about
a. He was singing and shouting AT
the top of his lungs.
Where are you from, buddy?"
I'm not buddy" I'm 'comrade I"
the boy retorted, and I'm from
Hollandtown.
"Hollandtown? Where's that?"
Maryland"
Lneh, between songs and cheers he
soiu now ne happened to join the
Just Came Along.
punch of us were hanging around
Wnen the marchers came throueh Thev
stopped Tor gasoline and we went over
10 TAX TO them. They said. come on
along 70 washington with us-and we
A young Jewish girl, a squad COM
appeared. 'ooeieiiiy
st.ryo Come es, on, boys, whoop it up, don't
We demand relief-we denos,d 80
heI-dont starve, fight"
Everybody joined in the shout,,r
coiored men, white men. colored wo,,,a,,
Wniee women. Spontaneously thar
Snitteo from cheer to song:
solidarity forever;
Solidarity forever:
solidarity forever:
For the union makes us strong"
Joined by $50 More.
halfway through the city the narada
was augmented by Baltimore marrhers
1o0 strong. They put new life into tbo
sreu Harcners from New England New
ork, Philadelphia, New Jersey and
Escorted by motor cycle policemen
me comrades" paraded down to Balti-
more and Asquith streets and into a
large hall for chow"
hardly had the motley crew been
seated before shout of disgust went
up; Ihere was no meat nor potatoes
only weak, Soup-like stew.
We want food-we want food 4" sor,s
one yelled. The crowd caught the siae
nal, and a great roar went 10 from 51o
oarched throats.
Down with the Salvation Armv-to
nell with charity. Is this the kind of
reception Mayor Jackson planned for
US? Down with Mayor Jackson--down
WIN HooVer-down with the Salvation
Army. Give us food"
but the marchers ate what was nut
before them; guzzled their stew like
half-starved wolves.
Taken to w. I. r. Quarters.
An overfi2w crowd of Comrades"
was taken over to the Baltimore
communist party headquarters at 1905
EAST Baltimore street. sign in Yid
dlsn on the plate glass front window
oesignated the building as the office
Oh Ghe w. l. r., the Workers Inter
natlonal RELIEF, an offshoot of the
RUSSIAN Communist Party.
Inside were about 100 ragged m
shaven men, white and colored and
about 25 women, mostly Russian Jews
Bologna, rye bread and Russian tea
were served to all who asked for food
IL was the first meal many had had
since early Saturday morning. when
the army left Philadelphia.
At midnight we all went down To
the Municipal Pier, at the foot of
South Broadway, TO spend the night
on Army ccts, furnished by the Sal
vation Army.
AS we entered the pier building an
argument was going on between
group of marchers and the police over
the sleeping accommodations.
Attack Mayor Jackson. .
There aren't enough beds to 20
around, one OF the men declared,
Why the he'll didn't Mayor Jackson
listen to us when we told him we'd
have six or seven hundred marchers
here for the night,
He just laughed at us and said,
Pooh, pooh, I'll arrange for 400-and
you probably won't have that many
Well. the laugh is on Capitalist jackson
and his crowd of parasite politicians.
We want beds and blankets; what
,he he'll do they think we area bunch
If buns? Why, we're the workingmen
If America and we hunger marchers
'epresent the American working man
give us beds"
A police captain interrupted the
speech to declare he had found 10 beds
1t the mission home, but they won't
AXE any colored men, only whites"
Down With Discrimination
Discrimination, that's discrimination
md segregation" some one shouted,
We won't stand for twill we men?"
mo. we won't" echoed the army.
Order finally was restored and the
narchers went to bed. those who bad
10 beds sleeping on the floor or benches.
II was then about 2 O'Clock.
Wake up comrade wake up, some
)ne shouted in my ear.
1t was s o'clock Sunday morning.
We all rolled out bleary-eyed, and
istened to leaders of the column exhort
IS to carry a the fight for unem-