Evening star., 1936-12-26
Member Of the Associated Press.
Marching on Washington.

DdVlQ baSSeT, pTeSlCeilt Oh the WORK
ers' Alliance of America, having led
spectacular demonstrations at the State
capitols of New Jersey and Pennsylvania,
plans to lead march Of w. p. A. work
ers on Washington The date set is
January Is, soon after Congress meets
and shortly before the Inauguration of
President Roosevelt.
The demands Of Mr.. LASER and his
followers are that relief appropriations
be kept up. not cut down; that all of
the two million and half w. p. A.
workers on the rolls In November be
retained and that all those who have
been "unjustly" discharged be rein
stated. A further demand is that the
w. P. A. workers be given an increase
Of 20 per cent in their wages.
President Roosevelt has hazarded the
opinion that $50O,0OO,0OO would be suffi-
cient for relief demands to conclude
the present fiscal year. This is to be
added to the sums already appropriated
by Congress. Harry L. Hopkins, the
w. P. A. administrator, has suggested
s75o,O00000. Mr.. LASER raises the ante.
He demands an appropriation of ST.
260,000,00o for the remainder of the fiscal
year. and presumably much larger
amount for the following year.
In New Jersey the LASER marchers
invaded the State capitol, as they did
also in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
What his plans are with regard to the
Capitol in Washington are yet to be
revealed. LASER Is not entirely
stranger to the National Capital. He
and seven hundred of his followers came
here last April to see the President and
to hold convention. The President was
In the South. The marchers attacked
the Federal Governments relief policies
and finally went away.
In recent years washington has had
its ''marchers," who came here to stage
demonstrations and to make demands
upon the Federal Government and more
particularly upon the Federal Treasury.
The soldiers bonus army set the pace.
Armies of the jobless and of farmers
followed. The bonus has been paid--a
matter of more than $4,000. 600, 900. The
3obless and the farmers have received
huge sums from Congress. The excuse
given for these marches and the de-
mands of the marchers was that the
country was in great depression, with
many millions of persons unemployed.
The country has responded generously
to the demands of the unemployed. 1t
has poured billions of dollars into their
hands and has provided the farmers
with hundreds of millions Of dollars OF
benefits for curtailing crops and for
better care of the soil.
In the last year great strides have been
made toward industrial recovery. Many
Of the unemployed have gone back into
private industry. There has been reason
to expect that with improving condi-
tions the drain upon the Federal Treas
ury would be lightened. It was not
expected that all relief appropriations
could be halted. But at least 1t was
expected that they could be curtailed
This, apparently, Is far from the idea OF
David LASER and his followers.
There has grown up in this country
belief that the Government owes some
thing-in this case money-to the citi-
zens. David LASER insists that he is
opposed to the dole, that what he de-
nands is jobs. 1t amounts in the end
to the same thing, except that he is
demanding more in the way of money.
LASER maintains that he is not Com
munist but Socialist. Whatever he is,
whatever ism" he follows, there seems
no slightest doubt that he favors Gov
ernment-created Jobs 1t is an easy step
from that point to having the Govern
nent provide all jobs. II and when
that day comes the United States of
America will be on the decline.
Marches ON Washington In force,
whether military or non-military, are
not calculated to bring orderly govern
ment. There is no good reason why
Washington, which is the seat OF the
Federal Government, should tolerate
them. 1t is one thing for spokesmen
Of any group to come here TO voice
their demands. 1t is quite another for
an army to move on the Capital and
seek to enforce its demands.