Evening star., 1932-12-02
Warehouse Expected to Be
Used Is Leased to Post
Office Department.
BENJAMIN IN QUANDARY
WHERE TO FIND SHELTER
Leader Also Reveals Demonstration
Has Been Postponed Until
Tuesday.

The coming invasion of Washington
by the army of national hunger march
ers took new turn today when Her
bert Benjamin, generalissimo of the ex-
pedition, revealed that his last-minute
plans for housing the unemployed men
and women had collapsed.
Benjamin, "a hours previously, had
informed police officials that arrange
ments were being made to quarter the
marchers In a vacant warehouse near
First street and Florida avenue north
east. Since then, he said, he had been
advised that the building would not be
available, because the Post Office De-
partment had leased it for the month
of December.
Attempts to rent several other vacant
buildings to house the marchers also
have failed, Benjamin declared, leaving
him in a dilemma as more than 2,0OC
men and women move closer to Wash
ington without any assurance OF shell
ter during the three-day encampment
Demonstrations Tuesday.
I'm in a quandry," Benjamin said
Frankly, 1 don't know what can be
done now"
Benjamin also disclosed that plans
for staging a mass demonstration for
unemployment relief Monday at the
Capitol and White House had been al
tered, and that these events are now
scheduled to take place Tuesday. In
stead of demonstrations Monday, the
program calls for a mass meeting OF
the marchers at which the petitions
will be drawn up for presentation to
Congress and President Hoover.
Benjamin blamed the failure Of hun
ger march leaders to rent the ware
house or other buildings under consid-
Grafton on police interference. He
further charged that police had invaded
meetings in private homes where ar
rangements were being made for feeding
and housing the n,archers.
THE men and women in the march
have been advised in advance of the
hardships that must be anticipated and
will therefore accept situation that
would require them to be without shelter
other than their trucks during their
three-night stay" Benjamin said. I'VE,
however, hope still to be able to induce
eAAC PAoPCA duIilOAltlCo W dSolSJ LII SOlf-
ing this problem and especially will di-
rect ourselves to securing more housing
in private homes"
Following collapse of the housing ar
rangementS, Benjamin issued an appeal
to the churches of Washington to CO.
operate with the march leaders In solv-
ing the housing problem. Several
church organizations, he said, had
been approached, but they refused to
cooperate.
Cites Marchers' Needs.
"Our ability to carry out our plans
for conference of all delegates and to
leave Washington as scheduled on
Wednesday," Benjamin added, ode
pends on our ability to solve the prob
lem of securing a conference hall,
housing and adequate provisions for
feeding the marchers expeditiously. The
responsibility rests with the authorities
here and doubly so now that they have
placed difficulties in our way which
make solution by our own efforts al
most impossible"
Specifically, Benjamin said, the hun
ger marchers still need adequate hous-
ing facilities, additional food. the use of
the Washington Auditorium for con-
ference, the right to march unmolested,
freedom from interference as threatened
by immigration agents and the use of
the tourist camp or a similar place for
parking the trucks and other vehicles
bringing the marchers to Washington.
Housing and feeding of the marchers
had been regarded as the most puZZling
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