Evening star., 1932-06-23
HOPE GONE, BONUS
FORCE DEPARTING
Defeat of TrammelI Proposal
ExhauStS Chances of
Legislation.

Their last hope for bonus legislation
at this session of Congress gone with
the defeat of the Trammell amend
ment to pay one-half Of the remaining
s2,4o0, 900 900 outstanding in adjusted
service certificates, veterans of the
Bonus Expeditionary Force continued
today to pull out for home in large
numbers.
Police have reported that several
thousand men have left since the Pat
man bonus payment bill was defeated
in the Senate last week. Leaders of
the bonus army. however, say camp
commanders are permitting veterans to
'leave on furlough."
Hundreds left the city this morning,
some in District refuse trucks, others
in their own automobile and trucks,
the hitch-hike system.
Veterans leaders charged police had
been financing the return of the bonus
soldiers" out of the B. E. F. mess fund.
As a result, the police obtained from
an unknown benefactor all the money
thus far spent for gas and oil and $500
more.
Offers Cent-a Mile Fare.
The lure of a ride home ION the
cushions" was dangled temptingly be-
fore the 19,000-odd veterans camped
here late yesterday as Gen. Glassford
announced the Baltimore g. Ohio and
Pennsylvania Railroads had agreed to
carry the men at ! cent a mile, less
than one-third the regular fare.
The announcement came as Com
mander in Chief Walter w. Waters
characterized the food situation as
"acute" AS a result of this. Gen.
Glassford expects many thousands OF
bonus soldiers" to leap at the chance
of going home comfortably.
To finance the return of the veter-
ans. the police superintendent suggest
for the fare and subsistence of its own
men, the money to be collected by vet
erans' organizations. Representative
Baldridge, Republican, of Nebraska,
who first put forward the railroad plan,
Endorsed Glassfords financing sugges-
tion in a speech to the House yester-
day afternoon.
He said he thought the men would
soon be in the frame of mind to go
back home, and expressed the opinion
his own home city, Omaha, would raise
the funds necessary to pay the return
passage of the 81 men who came here
from there.
Although only enough money and
food were on hand today to feed the
men through the rest of this week, re-
plenishment of the B. E. F. treasury
through sale of the famous McClelland
Barclay Statuette now on exhibition at
the Corcoran Gallery of Art. appeared
likely. Mai. j. M. Roe, 1900 Pennsyl-
vania avenue, who offered the figure
for sale for the benefit of the veterans,
announced this morning he had re-
ceived an offer of $500 from Fred
erick L. Spillman of New York, con-
tingent upon the contribution from
"any one else of s2,500
Resale Contemplated.
Under Spillman's plan, the $4,000
would then be turned over to the vet
Grams. the statuette resold at public
auction and the resale price also turned
over to the B. E. F. mess fund. Mai
Roe. himself veteran of the World
War. expressed confidence today the
S2500 would be forthcoming before Sat-
urday, when the statuette is removed
from the Corcoran exhibition.
Meanwhile plans went ahead today
for the three-day convention" of the
B. E. F.. at which matters of policy
will be threshed out and efforts made
to preserve harmony within the ranks.
Decision to hold the meeting was at
trlbuted by the Workers EX-Service-
mems League to pressure of the rank
and file against the arbitrary action
OF the self-appointed committee in the
B. E. F."
The veterans must be very careful
that this conference will not turn out
to be hand-picked and steam-roller
affair" statement from the league
warned This conference must not be
limited to the question of the third
party or reward your friends and
punish your enemies It must be de-
voted to the full and free discussion
of the immediate payment in cash of
the bonus, other problems of the vet
Grams and the form of organization to
be adopted by the rank and file. This
conference should be representative of
the opinions of the rank and file"
The statement also urged the aboli-
ton Of spying, terror, the red scare"
and warned the veterans not to sign
membership cards being distributed by
Commander in Chief Waters, which
the league termed part of the scheme
to turn the B. E. F. into part of the
army