Evening star., 1932-07-27
An Other States and Canada.
naan,hnr nt tha Assnciated press
Real Drama-Not a Farce.

The process of "evicting" the bonus
eouatters from Government property
that the Treasury Department wants
cleared for building operations has as
suned the superficial aspects. at least,
OF ridiculous farce With Gandhilike
paSSivity the SQuatters have diSregarded
ultin1atum after ultimatum to move out,
30 far has seen fit to issue the neceS-
sary orders for making the ultimaturns
effective. The police refuse to act until
given specific orders to act; the con-
tractor. notified by the Government to
proceed with the work of clearing the
property and razing the buildings, re-
fuses to proceed until the property is
first cleared of trespassers. And there
the matter stands today, with the vet
Grams. as far as anybody can see now,
making monkey out of Uncle Sam.
Uncle Sam is represented by numer-
Gus agents There is the Treasury De-
partment, which has jurisdiction over
the property that the veterans occupy
and which has been purchased by the
Government as the site of various
buildings that Congress has ordered
built. There is Col. q. s. Grant, Sd,
who has jurisdiction over other prop
erty owned by the Government and set
aside as public park, but for the pres
er1t is being utilized as camp site ny
several thousand citizens. There are
the District Commissioners, who have
police Jurisdiction over the District OF
Columbia, including, when requested 10
exercise their authority, the public
parks. There is the Police Department,
which enforces the orders Of the Com
missioners when such orders are given
by the Commissioners. There are the
Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps,
which, when ordered by the President
of the United States, and sometimes
the Vice President, are available for the
enforcement of orders and ultimatumS
# and when such orders are given.
And there are the bonus squatters,
with their comic opera general stan
and commander in chief, aides, etc.,
who refuse to move unless other quar-
tiers are provided, when there is no law
or rule requiring anybody to furnish
them with other quarters.
The resulting impasse might be ended
BY a specific order in writing to the
police by some Of the many constitut-
ed authorities in Washington to clear
the Government property OF trespaSs-
ers. Certainly the occupants of this
property are trespassers, and certainly
there is authority under the law to pre-
vent trespassing on Government prop
erty.
But who will issue the order? And If
no one will issue the order, who can be
blamed for the failure? 1t is obvious
that no one wishes to take the re-
Sponsibility for the disorder and blood
shed that might accompany forcibie
eviction of several thousand men,
women and children. And leaving aside
the possibility of disorder and bloodShed,
where are the men, women and children
to 90 if and when t..Iy are eVicted?
There is no space for them in jail, If
anybody wanted to send them to jail.
The parks are certainly preferable, as
cantonment sites, to the public streets.
Until somebody comes forward with a
workable plan of eviction not only from
the Government area desired for build
ing operations, but from the public
parks that Col. Grant has requested to
be cleared, this situation is not to be
construed as a farce. 1t Is another act
in highly emotional and absorbing
drama, the last act of which Is yet to
be writtens