The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-09-12
Self Convicted

Instead of doing his duty by trying to head OH
the cash bonus demand of the American Legion 'he
President is busy trying to protect hlnseH from
threatened legion condemnation for using the army
against the bonus marchers.
No official spokesman of the administration win
he allowed by the President to risk losing VoteS ny
annea1ing to the legion convention against Vne cash
bonus proposal If Secretary OF War Hurley SpeaAS'
he will deny that he is representing the PRESIDENT
hut he will attempt to justify the President ana the
war department for ordering out the troops against
unarmed men, women and children.
such is the setting for the statements issued by
the White House this morning Tor PreSloehV anu
Acknowledgement Mitchell. The document drawn up
bv the encouragement reads like the brief OF de-
Tense attorney for client. in this case the Presl-
don't The brief consists of truths, but more
half truths and untruths.
The brief tries again to prove-as the Presloen6
and several of his assistants have been Trying 10
rrove without success since July 2S-that the bonus
marchers were dominated by criminals and Conlifu-
nists who we're not veterans, that the troops were
not guilty of violence and that the use OF troops pre-
vented serious threat to the peace OF the capital
and to institutions of government
All these statements are untrue. The fact that
thew are untrue is proved not only by hundreds OF
reliable press reports by eyewtnesses, but also oy
the record of the department OF justice ana the con-
Trajectory Mitchell brief itself.
indictments have been returned by the grand
Jury against number of the alleged rioters says the
attorney general.
Actually. three men we're indicted, and they have
not yet been tried All three of them have good war
records-ar three we're wounded, in fact and one
holds the Distinguished Service Cross none is al
legged to be a criminal Communist.
NJ fortv-seven men arrested as radicals or Com
rnunists all had to be released because of lack of
evidence The attorney generals brief itself admits
that there was no disorder at the Communist camp
a small separate camp organized by the radicals,
driven out Of the bonus army by the veterans them
selves
The brief itself admits that the only real check
made by the veterans bureau showed that three
quarters of the bonus marchersa veterans and
that of the remaining quarter sit is possible some
were ex-service men and could not be identified,
because of meager information"
The attorney-generals effort to show that many
had police records discounted because he includes
those arrested for being members Of the bonus army
and of unemployment demonstrations, not criminals
That the veterans were peaceful men, with no
thought of violence is proved conclusyey by the I'M
challenged fact that they were unarmed and that
thew killed no one-even though two of their own
veteran members shot to death
That the city and the nation we're not endangered
by these veterans proved by the testimony of Gen.
era Glassford, police chief. who refused to call for
troopsand whose statement is distorted by the at
torney general
That the troops were guilty of mass violence
against thousands of citizens well against the
veterans, is proved by news photographs and reels
which no amount Of cfaciaI whitewasn can wipe out