Evening star., 1932-04-08
Give Leaders Huge Petition
Asking for Full Cash
Payment.
MARCHERS GREETED
ON STEPS OF CAPITOL
Rainey, Smell and McNary Meet
Parade-2,240,03 ,030 Signatures
Claimed.

Marching behind band, several hun
dred veterans tramped across Capitol
Plaza today and presented congressional
leaders with huge petition demanding
full cash payment of the bonus.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars, spon-
sors of the demonstration, said there
were 2,24O,03O signatures on the petit
tions delivered in the 20 packing cases.
Leaders Receive Plea.
They were delivered to Representative
Rainey of Illinois, the Democratic
leader; Smell of New York, the Re
publican leader, and Senator McNary
of Oregon, the assistant Republican
leader, who were grouped on the Capt.
tol steps with other members from both
branches of Congress.
Surrounded by more than one hun
dred banners, including the American
flag, and colors of American Legion
and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts,
Representative Rainey and Senator Nc
Nary received the petitions from Paul
c. Wolman, past commander in chief
of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
I'VE wish to present to you these
petitions bearing 2,240,O3O signatures
from every State in the Union," VOL
man said.
ION behalf of the United States, I
am happy to receive the petitions, ="
McNary said
Then Rainey spoke, standing next to
Representative Smell, the Republican
House leader.
LAS ranking member of the Ways and
Means Committee and as majority lead
er of the House" Rainey said, sit gives
me a great pleasure to accept these
petitions for full cash payment of the
soldiers bonus.
Consideration Promised.
These represent the right Of petition
that is granted the people by the funda-
mental law of the land, and these petit
tions, I take pleasure to say, will be
considered by the Ways and Means
Committee at its initial meeting on the
bonus next Monday"
Several times during the ceremony
shouts Of ITO the White House" and
PAY US the bonus" rang out from the
crowd Of veterans.
Capt Raymond A. Burke, who led
the Victory Post Band of the Legion
1000 Legion posts.
Several women marched at the head
of the parade. which formed at the
foot of Capitol Hill
Included in the group which received
the petition were Representative Haw-
ley Of Oregon, ranking Republican on
the Ways and Means Committee: Sena-
tors Brookhart, Republican, Iowa. and
Thomas, Democrat, Oklahoma. ana
Representatives Patman of Texas,
Rankin of. Mississippi. Connery OF
Massachusetts,, Mccormack of MaSsa-
chusetts, and Sanders of Texas, Demo-
Gratis, and Murphy of Ohio and Bow
man of West Virginia, Republicans.
President Hoover a few days ago
urged that legislation for payment Of
the bonus be not passed at this time,
and E<nry L. Stevens, national COM
mazder of the American Legion, also
Gas recorded himself as opposed to it.
Two hours before the time set for the
parade, groups of the ex-service men
collected at the Peace Monument at the
foot of Pennsylvania avenue, starting
point Wednesday for the huge military
parade reviewed by President Hoover.
In a statement on March 29 Presi-
dent Hoover said informal polls of the
House have created apprehension in
the country that further bonus bill OF
$4,000 900 900 or thereabcuts for World
War veterans will be passed" He
added:
IT wish to state again that I am
absolutely opposed to any such legisla-
ton. do not believe any such
legislation can become law.
Such action would undo every effort
that is being made to reduce Govern
,ment expenditures and balance the
budget"
Veto Overridden.
Slightly more than a year ago Presi-
dent Hoover vetoed legislation to allow
veterans to borrow up to half the face
value of their compensation certificates,
which were allowed by Congress eight
years ago over the veto of President
Coolidge. Congress, however, overrode
the Hoover veto, the House, 328 to 70,
and the Senate, rs to IT.
Today, as Is customary during such
events, half hundred special police
men were marshaled before the Capitol
steps to keep order during the march.
Some veteran with a fog-horn voice
attracted attention during a lull in the
ceremonies by yelling, When do we
eat?'
Delegations were present from nu-
merous Atlantic Seaboard States. Lead
ers said the petitions bore names of
residents of every State in the Union
They claimed that with requests and
petitions sent direct to members of
Congress names presented today in
creased to at least 5,000,0 900 the num-
Der of persons demanding immediate
payment.
Charles S. Pemburn was head of the
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