Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1932-08-17
TELEPHONE NUMBER NINE


There has been a great deal of comment, naturally, and
some confusion of the facts of the expelling of the rem
nant of the army of so-called bonus marchers from the
District of Columbia recently. Most of the newspapers
Of the country presented the facts clearly and fairly. but
some confusion has resulted from the attempts of one or
two chain newspaper systems to make political capital
out OF the incident, and to distort the facts so as to give
the impression that there was bloodshed and undue sew
Gritty in the military operation.
AS a matter of fact the only casualties resulted from
the resisting of the attempt of police to remove the bonus
forces from property along Pennsylvania Avenue in
Washington on which the government was ready to com
mence building, and which the marchers refused to va
cate. President Hoover did not resort to the use of fed
eral troops until informed by the heads of the District
government that the situation was out Of the control of
the civil authorities and that rioting and further loss of
life might result if the situation was not controlled.
After the soldiers took charge not a single man was in
jured. Nobody was shot and nobody was hurt. The SOL
dlers did not set fire to the shacks of the marchers. This
was done by the men who were abandoning the camp.
And firing done afterward was to complete the work of
removing the half ruined shacks which remained.
There never has been and cannot now be any doubt
about the overwhelming sympathy of the American peo-
pie of all creeds and parties with the World war veterans
and their troubles. If it were possible for the government
to now complete the deferred payments to the soldiers
without running the entire credit of the nation and pro-
noting further economic s~tringency which would affect
al-including the veterans themselves there is little
doubt that this would be done and done promptly.
In the World war the losses of the American army,
while serious and deplorable, were but a fraction of the
losses of the other nations on both sides Of the struggle.
And yet this year the United States is perhaps paying
more annually in veteran relief than all of the other ma
tons which were in the war, combined. And Uncle Sam
will continue to take care of those who suffered as a result
OF the war so long as there is a dollar to be raised for the
purpose. The yellow and pink newspapers and the vel
lower and pinker politicians who try to give the impress
sion that Uncle Sam is not grateful and is not doing his
bit, are rendering no service either to the nation or to the
veterans themselves.
The great majority of the veterans who came to Wash
ington during the so-called bonus march were patriotic,
law abiding citizens. Many Of them left following the adj
journment of congress. The remnant became the prey Of
communist and radical leaders whose chief purpose was
not to help the veterans or their cause but to stir up
trouble for the people of the United States. That was
the real source Of the trouble in Washington recently.
Ii it would be possible to punish these radical leaders,,
none OF them war veterans themselves, and the demo-
goglc politicians who encouraged and inspired the ill
fated bonus march in disappearing the facts to the
marching veterans, ninety-eight per cent of the people of
the United States would throw their hats in the air and
give a shout of approval. 1t is a pity, however, that the
innocent must suffer to further the designs of those who
have as their object either selfish political aggrandize-
ment or the creation of revolution in the United States.