The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-09
BY n, HONIG

THE blistering cold, bleak night
l of Monday, December 5, 1882,
will always remain scared in the
minds of the 5000 Hunger March
ers who were imprisoned on the
short stretch of highway just out
side the city of Washington.
Only the finest discipline ever
displayed by any body Of American
workers prevented that night from
being bloodier than Bloody Thurs
day, July %, 1882, Hoover's grue-
some day of murderous attack upon
the bonus marchers.
The night began with the march
Of 1000 Hunger, Bonus and Farmer
Marchers, thrice around the cul-
de-sac into which the marchers
had been led by the police. The
march was full display Of the
strength Of an iron-Willed army of
starving workers. Right up to the
police lines on both ends of the
prison -encanlpment marched the
hunger fighters.
In perfect order, column by COL
unn, division by division, their
ranks stretched solid mile.
Rank and File Conference
Then began the big rank and file
conference of the Hunger March
ers, to decide ON the next steps.
Three thousand workers, men,
women. youngsters, encircled the
rude platform of benches, their
solid ranks nbroken.
Benjamin starts to speak: 1--WE
are surrounded by the biggest dis
play of armed force the U. S. gov
eminent has ever sent against the
workers." he begins. This is the
signal for the provocations to begin.
The police are itching for chance
to use their sub-machine guns,
their sawed-off shotguns, their tear
bombs.
The begin to throw stones into
the crowd. A low rumble of anger
sweeps through the Hunger March
ers. They have had to stand
for a lot from the police, in
their long march across the coun-
try They do not fear the police
and their terror equipment. But
they know it would be slaughter, a
blood-bath. And working-cl dis
cipline prevails.
The capitalist press men are
there. They know the police are
deliberately provoking the workers.
But if trouble comes, their papers
will say that 'the Communists
melted the rioting."
Benjamin points out for their
benefit what is happening. He
points out, too, the splendid disci-
pine Of the Hunger Marchers. And
the stone throwing continues. But
it doesn't work. The police are a
bitterly disappointed lot.
THE sun disappears. In the omi-
1 nous dark, the conference goes
on, out in the open, wind-swept
stretch of highway. The marchers
are tense.
From each column chosen
speaker mounts the platform and
speaks, telling of experiences on
the road, battles with police, SPLEEN
did receptions and demonstrations
of solidarity by workers and farm
ers..
The conference goes through
with clock-work efficiency. 1t must
be conducted rapidly, for trouble
might be brewing.
The conference ends, and the
workers march back, ranks still
solid, to their trucks
The police have failed to start
the trouble they had counted on.
The tear gas squads continue to
line the embankment above the
highway. They are cocky, conf
dent that they'll get a chance to
use their bombs before the night
is much older.
FOOD ARRIVES
Food trucks begin to roll in. The
police jeer the drivers, hold them
up. Tires are punctured. A cheer
goes up when the workers hear
that water is coming in. tThere
are no facilities for water in this
prison There are absolutely no
sanitary facilities at all. The
nsrchers themselves built toilet.
Chow is eaten in silence. Even
while they are eating the marchers
may be attacked. 1t takes one tiny
incident to start the police off, for
they finger their ga5-bonlb bags
expectantly.