Evening star., 1932-07-14

Grams were gong 10 geC anytnlng. %
the word was passed around. 1t was
entirely a word-of-mouth communica-
ton spread by the veterans at first The
when a great mass meeting convened
1t elected Robertson leader and decided
on an invasion of Washington. Then
the papers took 1t up. All over South
ern California the word spread. They
came into Los Angeles, on foot, in bat
tered cars, from the city vineyards,
from the oil fields, from the citrus
groves, from the farms and the mines.
Then they started their long trek
across the mountains and the desert.
Room was found for most Of them in
the long caravan of battered cars. The
cars broke down from place to place.
Accommodations could not be found for
all. Some-Robertson refers to them as
"the lost attalion"-reSorted to the old
B. E. F. trick of "soaping the rails" and
came in on freights There was one
magnificent job Of leadership-keeping
the Two contingents travelling at such
different speeds and In such different
conveyances together. Some Of the time
Robertson himself-he had his own car
along-rode on the roofs OF freightS
with the lost battalion.
It took the strange caravan a month
to cross the continent. A few were
lost on the way, but not many. Much
of the time while they were crossing
the desert it was so hot and dry that
they could travel only at night. Human
endurance was not great enough to
travel under that blazing sun. They
picked up gasoline and food anywhere
they could get it. Cities supplied them
to get rid of them. Long rests were
necessary. But they stuck to it and
now are at their goal.
Yes" says Robertson, I'VE had dis
cipline of a sort. We were organized
and I appointed men to have charge
Of the smaller groups. But there was
none Of this M. P. stuff and none OF
this rank. One man Is as good as an
other man in this outfit"
There is nothing Of the braggart
about Robertson. He doesn't plan far
ahead, he says, trying to keep his mind
open for the emergencies of the day.
Just now the most forceful policy seems
to be to keep up this endless chain
march of misery in front Of the Capitol.
Tomorrow it may be different. He
doesn't know how long the California
crowd will stay-it all depends on the
turn Of fate. They will do whatever
seems the most likely to bring results.
A New Argument for Bonus.
Robertson believes very enthusiast
tically in the payment of the bonus
and he has new sort of argument
for it.
THE way I look at it." he says, "the
Government can't afford not to pay 1t.
Here is how it is: Under the present
law, whenever a man gets disabled
whether or not that disability Is d.
rectiy due to war service-he Is en-
titled to some compensation. Let us set
this down at an average of Sl2 a month,
although 1t probably would run higher
Now, about the best thing know of
to make a man disabled-to make him
break down in health SO that he comes
under the meaning of the LAWS starva-
tion, worry, sleeping in the rain without
a roof over his head, going without
sleep altogether And that is what the
veterans are doing. They are doing 1t
all over the country. The Government
is going to have a frightful bill to pay
| under the law as 1t stands today. The
longer this thing goes on the bigger the
bill is going to be.
Now if the bonus. is paid, a stop will
be put to lot of this starvation and
exposure, which is operating to pile up
the bill. The bonus wouldn't amount
to a fraction of the compensation bill
that will come If it isn't paid. In one
case you pay lump sum to man at
once The other way you pay him a
good deal more, in monthly payments
for the rest Of his life. Just figure it
out for yourself"
Whether the argument Is valid OF
not. there can be no question but that
Robertson believes in it. His voice rises
ir anger when he mentions the order
barring the men from the Capitol
grounds. He is here to impress Con-
| gress.
Yes" he says, we've got a camp
| for all who stay In Washington. It's
right on the steps of the House and
Senate. We're here for business. If
| Just wanted to go camping out for the
Summer I'd 60 to the beach instead "
So on and on marches the strange
army in its endless revolving chain,
broken only occasionally to let auto
mobiles through or to give the men a
moments rest. Here and there a man
drops out, too utterly weary to take
another step. Another. who has beeu