The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-09-27
PAPEN HAS CUT
COMPENSATION
Washington March Got
Notice in Europe
BY HARRY RAYMOND

ttle ulOlGII Oh July, 1870 r1ISO vi dSA
and I were fighting against one an
other. Graef was machine gunner
in the Imperial German Army. I
was a machine gunner in the U. s..
Air Service. We were pitted against
each other in the second battle OF
the Marine.
But that was in 1918. Last Sunday
Fraef and I found ourselves in the
same trench. We met for the first
time at the National Rank and File
Veterans Conference in Cleveland.
Brings Greetings.
Comrade Graef, who is the secre-
tary of the International War Vet
Grams and War Victims, came here
to bring greetings of the war veter-
ans of Germany to the war veter-
ans in America in their struggle for
the bonus and to invite the Amer
lean veterans organizations to send
delegates to the International Con-
gress of Veterans which will be held
in Europe next spring.
Besides being a leader of the in
ternational revolutionary war veter-
ans movement and a disabled vet
eran himself, Comrade Graef has
also been Communist Deputy in
the German Reichstag from the
province of Saxony continuously
since 1928 and participated in the
last proceedings of the Reich which
was dissolved by the tyrannical Won
Papen.
What was the reaction of the
German masses to the recent bonus
Sarch of the American war veter-
hs?" I asked Comrade Graef.
s'The bourgeois press in Germany
wrote lot about the bonus march
and Hoover's Bloody Thursday" said
Comrade Graef. The newspapers
carried pictures of every phase Of
the gigantic struggle. This was done
to create the impression on the star
wing German masses that everything
was beautiful in Germany.
But Just at that time the Ger
man government under Bruening re-
duced the compensation Of the Ger
man war veterans.
Against Capitalist Government.
THE German government irnne-
diately grasped the idea that the
march to Washington was not a pa
triotic march; the veterans massed
at the capital were carrying on a
fight against the capitalist govern
ment.
1.-THE disabled veterans and veter-
ans throughout Germany at once
discussed the question Of the march;
they we're glad to see developments
1laich indicated that the American
tl-servicemen desire to fight against
lpitalism.
s'The workers and veterans studied
the workers press and in all mass
meetings discussed the question of
the bonus and stood behind the
marchers at all times. Sympathy
resolutions were adopted at all meet
ings and cables of protest were sent
to Herbert Hoover against his brutal
treatment of the veterans"
What is the chief struggle of the
German war veterans at the present
time?" was the next question that
! asked Conrade Graef.
The German war veterans are
fighting against a special decree is
sued by the. government which re-
duced their compensation and is an
attack on their standard of living,
declared Comrade Graef. 1.-THE vet
Grams in Germany are fighting along
with the workers against the whole
social reaction. That is the agenda
of the German war veterans. In
addition, they are involved in the
tremendous struggle against imperial
list war. The veterans are also closely
linked up with the workers in fights
against wage cuts and for unemploy-
mslit relief"
Given Great ovation.
Eomrade Graef was given a
mighty ovation when he got up to
address the conference. Through a
cheering crowd he was carried to the
platform on the shoulders of the
delegates where he greeted the
American veterans and urged them
to break down national barriers and
make, their fight an international
struggle.
'"The bonus is not national ques-
tion," said Comrade Graef. ut is in
ternational. Your next march to
Washington will be aided by veter-
ans in all lands"
Comrade Graef said he was pleased
to see the large number of Negro
veterans at the conference and urged
the vets to bring great masses of
women and gold star mothers into
the movement.