The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-11
The Fighting
Vet
By H. E. BRIGGS

political parties may rise and fall,
but the Bonus March of 1882 broke
the last barrier of individualism in
America. Here, $4,000 veterans set
a precedent for The working class
in their ten weeks siege of Congress
and their battle against the armed
forces of the United States. 1t is
not necessary to point out here that
the majority of these men did not
know that they were-staging a re-
volt. The main thing to remember
is, that they came, they learned
who their enemies were and they
shed their illusions.
These things are ably explained
by the author Of this book. 1 met
Douglas on the Second Bonus
March. He was on the inside of
every move, and tells the truth
about the various leaders, organ
izaticns and maneuverings in dram
attic fashion. From the first chap
ter to the last, we are constantly in
the thick of the fight for what is
today one of the major demands
perpleXing Congress. Chapter 2,
rips the halo off the Father of
Our Country" by showing that he
was not only First in Peace, First
in War" but also, first in the pock-
cts of his countrymen. From this
Chapter which deals with the pay
March" after the Revolutionary
War and the sell-out by the poll
ticians and misleaders of that pc
Rod, we march steadily forward to
our own time. The tale OF George
Allman's almost forced march from
Oregon and the split between him
and Waters is a revolutionary doc
ument. Another fine chapter is that
which tells the story of the Battle
in the Railroad Yards" 1t is here
that John Pace, ex-Marine, ex-Ku
KluX Klansman became one of the
outstanding rank and file leaders of
the workers and veterans. This
chapter and the one entitled "Tast-
ing Lead Again are history in the
making. The story Of John Pace
and his Ozark Mountain ancestors
who have been active in every war
from the Indian skirmishes to the
World slaughter is something every
one interested in the radical de-
yelopment of the American masses
should not miss. 1t is a story that
will be worth repeating to your
grandchildren after the Revolution.
The chapter on the Death
March" shows you how the splendid
courage of these men was wasted
on misleading issues by the swarm
of takers who infested the Bonus
March. 1t was this Death March"
which gave President Curtis
the filters, and made him in pan
icky moment order out the marines.
1t was here that the first show of
revolt in the armed forces came
about when a detachment of Mar
ines called by Curtis refused to
make a move against the veterans.
Needless to say, they were immedi-
ately rushed back to their barracks.
Those liberals who are led to be-
lieve by the vicious publicity of the
National Economy League in the
capitalist papers that the Bonus
is Racket" will think differently
after reading this book. Its as
founding facts and human interest
put Katherine Mayo, w. w. Waters
oOd oil tho o,,tbnrc IF fIooeo c,,oox-
ing books purporting to deal with
the veteran question, on the spot.
My only quarrel with this book
is the lack Of space allotted to the
Workers Ex-Seryicemen's League;
which though small and poorly
organized at that time, was still the
prime mover behind the march. And
at the time of the eviction of the
vets, the only group that had a
program and rallied the men for a
future Rank and File veterans
movement in America. To say that
this book is important would be
superhuous. 1t is the only book on
the market at present which por-
trays the veteran in his true eco
nomic role. 1t is a book that every
one who is even slightly interested
in the veteran question and its re-
lation to the rest of the working
class cannot afford to ignore. There
is an appropriate foreword by John
Dos Passos. All in all, it is a swell
book for anV conrade friend on.
buddy.
All Posts of the w. E. S. L. should
get copy of this book for their
reference library. There will be spe-
cial rates to Veteran organizations
for quantity orders. Read, discuss
and pass the good word along. "The
Veterans on the March" by Jack
Douglas. Foreword by John Dos
Passos. 1884 Pages, % illustrations.
Price SIPS. Published by Workers
Library Publishers. P O Rox 148