Evening star., 1936-04-09
JOb[ESS MARCH
ON CAPITOL HILL
Workers. Alliance Session
Breaks Up at Suggestion
of Colorado Delegate.

Refused assistance by the Works
Progress Administration for more
than 200 standing delegates. the
Workers Alliance of America shortly
after pm today started a sudden
march on Capitol Hill to ask imme-
diate help from Congress.
The delegates marched IN a group
to the foot of Capitol Hill. where
they were stopped by Capitol police.
march as unit through the Capitol
Grounds. they were broken up into
groups of five.
While the largest part of the crowd
was still waiting at the foot of the
Capitol they began to chant: Eve
want to eat. We want to eat"
A committee Of five was formed
and went to call on Vice President
Garner. 1t was met by the sergeant
at arms Of Senate, Chesley Jurney,
but up to 2:15 pm. had not seen the
Vice President. They prepared to draft
petition.
Members of the delegation dispersed
to find their own members of Con-
gress, with instructions to say, Il am
very hungry"
They were told to ask for help,
especially for the 200 delegates.
Decision to make the march came
as surprise when a delegate from
Colorado brought up the question Of
the emergency on the floor of the
convention in the Department of
Labor Auditorium.
The convention voted to go imme-
diately to Capitol Hill.
LASER Suggests March.
David LASER, national chairman of
the Workers Alliance, brushing aside
suggestions that they wait until after
lunch, declared:
Il think those of you who have
money to buy lunch ought to post
pone it to help out those who don't
have money for lunch and 60 imme-
diately to the Capitol.
You will march in groups Of four
or five and we will all 60 together
to the Capitol Building. The guards
there probably will stop you, but we
will disperse and divide up, then to go
to see your own Congressman.
Say to him: Here we are. More
than 200 of our delegates are strand
ed. Will you help us?'"
The housing and food situation for
stranded delegates has become an
emergency" it was learned a few
minutes before the Colorado delegate
leaped to his feet on the floor of
the convention.
The convention organization itself,
out of it's own fund, has had to pay
out cash to buy housing for many of
the stranded delegates. For some rea-
son not fully explained the tourist
camp took no more of the delegates
after 2 pm. yesterday and those who
were there left.
Problem of Housing.
Late last night after adjournment
at nearly midnight the Housing Com
mittee of the convention was seen to
be struggling with the problem of
housing, a large group of delegates
waiting to be taken care of. Many
of them had been at the tourist Camp,
but had to be placed elsewhere.
The Housing Committee was con-
fronted with an additional situation,
but the convention, through this COM
mittee, it was learned, paid for a
large number of lodgings last night.
The delegates have been eating al
ternately for the most part in the
two Government cafeterias nearby
one underneath the Department of
Labor Auditorium, the other in the
Department of Commerce.
Departure of the entire convention
from the auditorium for Capitol Hill
left the question of an afternoon gath
ering up in the air. The auditorium
hall itself is to be used for another
purpose this afternoon and tonight
and the Alliance had arranged for i'm
portant gatherings Of small groups in
various other small rooms about the
buildings.