Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-09-01

women and children, but no one
knows what burden these people
| were on the people Of Washington.
Imagine 10000 people coming into
any city penniless, without food,
etc., the unsanitary conditions, dan
ger of typhoid epidemic breaking
out on the people of Washington, in
, adequate sewerage system, the
wholesale begging that went on. [
know one manager of a store who
had on an average of SO beggars a
day
The construction companies have
been at work in Washington for
many months tearing down old
buildings to make room for the new
government buildings which are
in process of building now. The
bonus marchers took possession of
these buildings which were the
property of the United States gov
ernment. Contractors who had to
have their work done In a limited
time Or suffer great losses, had to
"
these old homes. They were repeat
edly asked to please get out of these
buildings and go elsewhere, so the
contractors could get their work
started This the bonus marchers
steadfastly refused to do, urged on
by the Reds. Police Chief Glass
ford of Washington was more than
kind to these men. He gave un-
stintingly of his own money to help
them. He asked them to get out
The answer was an emphatic No.
Finally, there was heard the sound
of marching footsteps coming down
Pennsylvania avenue, the U. S. reg
ulars from Fort Meyers, marching
with a grim, determined, yet sad,
unpleasant, look on their faces.
These were followed by the pranc-
ing steeds of the cavalry, with
drawn sabers, and then came those
menacing- looking, d t h-dealing
giants of 'No Mans Land" fame,
the tanks. General Douglas Nc
Arthur, l believe it was, went over
to the leaders of the bonus march
ers. and said a few words, which un-
doubtedly was the last and final re-
quest for them to get out of gov
ernment property. The request re-
fused. the officer gave the command
to charge, and then started the SOL
diers' charge with tear gas bombs
and riot sticks. The rioters gave
way and started to run, while the
army closed in and huddled them
all together, and then kept them on
the move until they were out of the
city. All stragglers who mixed in
the crowd of the thousands of on
lockers, were little by little picked
up by the police and told to get out
of Washington. 1t was soon evident
that law and order shall prevail,
and that people must obey the law
in the United States. 1t was found
out that many of the rioters who
were arrested were youths % years
old who were not old enough TO
have been in the war. Yes, there
was something rotten in Denmark,
somewhere.
President Hoover did everything
he could. He didn't want to call
out the army against those who
fought for this country, but be-
cause these people fought for their
country doesn't give them the right
to defy lawfully constituted an
thority. Congress heard their cause
and turned it down, and adjourned.
These men should have gone back
to where they came from. Some
will say, they had no homes to go
to; but still why should the people
of Washington have to feed ana
clothe 10000 outsiders These men
have the same right to lobby for
their cause as big corporations have,'
but they should have selected
committee, say of II men, and sent
them as plenipotentiaries to Wash
ington to call on the congressman
and senators and get their support,
and not swoop down on city with
out money and provisions, which
they did. While | have sympathy
TOR thelf cause, tnlnk many went
for the trip. The rioters mistook
kindness of the government for
weakness.
After a few days in Washington,
we gathered our party together ana
left on Wednesday, July 27 for New
York. We drove to Baltimore, then
on the way to Wilmington, my home
town, we stopped off at my Alma |
Mater College of st. Francis de
Sales, at Childs, Md. Here we ex-
changed greetings with my old
teachers, and young priests who |
were students with me. After a
rest, we continued on our way 20 |
Delaware. We ferried over the Del
aware at New Castle, Del, to New |
jersey, where we continued on to |