The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-08-04
TIME TO END TT.
New York Times)

WhaC naQ long Deen feared mas now
come to pass in, Washington. The
Bonus Army" after weeks of defying
decency, has broken out into violent
defiance of the law and the public
authorities. Its settling down at the
capital was from the first scandal.
Today it has become national re-
proach in the streets of Washington
by the veterans so infamed and bloody
that the police could not keep order,
the President could do no other than
call upon the army to take the situa-
ton in hand. Mr.. Hoover's state
ment of his reasons for this action is
convincing. AS he says, some of the
veterans have resorted to violence
which no government can tolerate"
The misguided men have refused to
listen to persuasion. Now they must
submit to compulsion.
Till the present the authorities have
been most patient, tolerent and even
sympathetic in their treatment of the
encamped and militant veterans.
When efforts to induce bonus seekers
to go home failed, Congress passed a
bill, which the President signed, to
loan them the money to return where
they came from. But this led to only
a partial exit. Several thousand men
declared that they were resolved to
stay in Washington or its environs
until the Government either acceded
to their demands or removed them by
military force: Reluctance Of the Ad
ministration to make use of the lat
ter was obvious. President Hoover
has shown great forbearance. But in
the crisis something decisive had to be
done, if we were to be relieved of
what most Americans were coming to
feel to be national disgrace.
Attorney General Mitchell has stat
ed what the law is, and what the rem
edies are, in the matter of occupation
of Government property by the vet
Grams. They have not a particle of
right to it. Their title to be let alone
while upon it is no better than that of
ordinary trespassers. The Attorney
General points out that the veterans
can claim no exemption from the
equal operation Of the laws and ordi-
nances in the District of Columbia as
affects vagabondage and public beg
ging and violations of the Sanitary
Code. Unless the authorities were
prepared to submit to the humiliation
of open defiance, they had to proceed
to the execution of the orders of
eviction from Government property.
Since this move, however cautiously
and temporarily made, led to violent
outbreak, almost amounting to in
surrection, there was but one thing to
do. Those set for upholding the law
and maintaining the sovereignty of
the government had to act quickly and
resolutely. We are confident that the
decision OF the President Will be sus-
.sained by the great majority of our
citizens. They have for months been
made uneasy and ashamed by the I'M
precedented and disturbing spectacle
at Washington. A group has been at
tempting to overawe Congress and in
timidate the Administration. Now
that the latent spirit of insolent law
1essness has manifested itself in overt
acts, the country should demand that
the whole affair be thoroughly cleaned
up, the veterans dispersed as speedily
as may be and Americans be no
longer called upon to witness an in
subordinate body of men asserting at
the national capital that they are
above the people as whole and more
powerful than the Government itself.