Montana labor news., 1932-08-04

disgust they found h radical
group gone; only half a dozen grin
ming veterans, their bundles Of bed
ding beside them, were to be the
targets of their gas attack. Food
stores the soldiers did capture. At
least they could drive the veterans
away hungry.
Washington. Troops. except for a few
who were set to guard the captured
areas, withdrew for supper at the
base of Washington's monument.
But two miles away, across the An
~acostia river which flows into the
Potomac. the big camp OF two thou
sand shacks and tents was waiting.
Macarthur had made a statement
to the press, in the presence of
Hurley, that the bonus marchers
were in a dangerous mood-"ani-
mated by the essence of revolution"
Veterans carried the news to Com
mander Waters and Camp Com
mander Atwood. Waters had de-
4 tldit GU lAat IN UiOOu chCu uuliuk
the day. and all that might be shed
In days to come, must be laid ION
the threshold of the White House"
He said that all the weeks Of effort
at maintenance of order had been
offset, and a life sacrificed, to serve
the political interests OF the ad-
m~inistration." Atwood in a fiery
speech to the excited veterans, said
they might have to fight after all,
and promised to shoot the first
trooper who laid hands on any of
the women or children in the camp.
But soon the evacuation of these
wives and children began, and be-
fore midnight they were in refuge
along the highways leading away
from the city or were huddled in
groups upon the sidewalk, watch
ing the seas of red flames that
were consuming the only homes to
which they could lay claim"
For the troops had marched to
Anacostia. The gas-masked infantry
had begun burning the shacks near
est the river. Clouds Of white tear
gas rose slowly against the red
glare of the flames. Driven from
their shelters, step by step the ex-
service men retreated toward the
town. More troops moved in behind
the skirmish line. Then the glare of
the fire disclosed the menacing sill
houette of the big tanks. drawn up
in the middle of the bridge, their
guns pointing toward the near out
let of the camp. There they stayed,
with a cavalry guard, forbidding all
use of the bridge, until near day
light. Then they rolled back, and
the bridge was lifted to continue the
siege.
From the moment the tanks took
position on the bridge, a general ex-
odus from the camp city began.
What the veterans called a truce
was arranged; scores of trucks and
cars rolled out, loaded high with
and children. Soon they moved fast
er, for in every direction their city
was aflame. Soldiers were merely
driving the veterans and their fam
lilies out with gas, now. Veterans
who may or may not have been de-
tectives-ran in and out setting
fires. Cavalry advanced and sur
rounded the few tents loaned to the
camp by the National Guard. All
of the wooden and cardboard and
paper-walled huts and novels built
through the past two months by the
veterans were burning, over an area
of half a square mile. Men dashed
into the flames to rescue their few
belongings that had not already been
moved. Soldiers picked up small OBJ
jects here and there-their first adj
venture in looting. AS they played
this new game they could see the
dome of the Capitol in the distance,
bathed in its floodlights.
A freight siding on high ground
skirts the Anacostia camp site.
Thousands of citizens stood there
with the r%etreating veterans watch
ing the holocaust and cursing Hoov-
er, Hurley and the troops.
The German kaiser never did
nothing like that in Belgium" a
grizzled householder said to his
~womenfolk.
Brother, that amt the violation
of little Belgium" came the voice
of a veteran, dragging an old iron
bedstead up the slope. What you
see there is the biggest torchlight
parade that any - candidate
for president ever made for him
self"
"The fat stiff" cried a veteran
whose shirt was singed by the fire.
And he called himself the Great
Humanitarian"
Il hear they stuck a bayonet
through a kid down there" sug-
gested a Negro who sailed to the
war from New Orleans.
Probably they didn't, but that's
because we pulled them out in
time" a comrade corrected him.
Now let's get started for Johns
town. We want to get a few meals
before we come back here to repay
al -