““« | 37 +Defeat esc | Of the Bonus Marchers ased very cat Native Ground “wenties (1955), Jong time to testify, he was not going to be put off. Without formally addressing the comitece or saying so much as a polite “Gentlemen,” he began: “My comrade and I hiked here from nine o'clock Sunday morning, when we left Camden, I done it all by my feet—shoe leather. I come to show ‘you people that we need our bonus. We wouldn't want it if we didn't need bt ‘The witness was Joseph T: Angelo, veteran of Warld War I. He was See sarpgina Weteet Ree ‘Congress in 1931. The committee was heating witnemer testify about 2 Eayasiearl Meee ne Bia as a Loge aroma! SR fat, be tae rent ol nce eer is! reese Sadan ali'oe te nesuiee eae a sours aaa ee officials reflected this opposition. A few congressmen and ore or two officials ee cieee aee e J) bered by a long string of bank vice presidents, insurance executives, and other Businessmen. The testimony was dull. It-was fall of statics designed to Be erieten ed Gui veatirar See nage ee cee T: witness shifted nervously but stood his ground. Having waited a ges fad cup the Bonus (combination of Wie haurace and 4 Paton) mn DA. Kewar nore Bid cnc 94, exp wo he his ot vans whe ded exesgq ho GR Q 750 SAXuvs Opals ING Defeat of the Bonus Marchers But now for the first time an ordinary veteran, with’no jobj'a hil lish, was testifying. Before Angelo had fini Thave gota litle home back there fin Camden, New Jersey) that 1 built with my pun hands after I came home from France, Now, I expect lose that lil pla Last week I_went to our town committee and they gave me $4 for sations inka, 55 to keep my wife and child and myself and clothe us; and also T cannot put an coal in my cella. Here, in the poor grammar and tired face of the wimess, was the whole meaning of the depression that had begun in 1929. Angelo said he spoke for hhundreds like himself in New Jersey. But he spoke, too, for millions all over the country who had not worked for a long time, who stood in bread lines, and who built the shacks in the shabby little towns they wryly called Hoo. vervilles. But Angelo was also a veteran, So he spoke from his experience of the {wo most important events in his time—the war that people still called the Great War and the depression they were beginning to call the Great Depres- sion. i tical philosophy in hig testimony ‘He was just a hungsy man who had fought in France. Al Task of you, brothers, is to help us. We helped you, now you help us, My partner here has a wife and five children, and he is just the same as Lam, Fe hiked down here atthe same time with me, and our feet are bistered. That all Those fo sty. And I hope you folks can help us and that we can go thtough with the onus. We don’ want charity; we don't need it. ll we ask for is what belongs to us, and that is all we want. Some of the congressmen were confused. Others were curious. Following the custom of congressional committees, they began to question the witness MMR. FREAK: What is your business? MR. aNGBLO: Nothing. I am nothing but a bum, MR. FREAR: You say you have not worked for two years? Mi ANGELO: have not worked for a year and half. But there is no werk in my home town, MR. RAINEY: You are wearing some medal. What is i? ‘My ANGELO: I cary the highest medal in America for enlisted men, the Distinguished Service Cross ‘Mk. RavEY: You have a Distinguished Service Cross? What is that for? MR, ANGELO: That is for saving Colonel Patton George 8. Patton was already a well-known army officer, (In World War The would become one of the most famous and controversial of Aare kenerals,) Congressman Rainey continued the questioning and pressed Aveo for deuals, Angelo responded with a startling tale. He hat beck eon of ag ‘man unit attacked by German machine guns in the Argonne Forest in 1918,put no whole ake for Mover 1 ines, 1 Hoo- of the led the depres mony. us. My hiked Ihave sith the tongs to lowing fitness: a my 1d War reriea’s Angelo 2.305- 21918) Defeat of the Bonus Marchers "751 When the battle was over, he said, most of the men were dead. Colonel Patton, yeas wounded, ant only he—Angelowas efi standing. Then Angelo showed the committee a tiepin made from a bullet he said was taken from Patton's leg in France. Neither the tiepin nor the medal had ever gone to “Uncle,” s ‘Angclo’s pet name for the pawnshop that had swallowed up most of his other possessions. ‘The afternoon was wearing on, but Angelo had roused the attention of she committee members and the audience as HORE Of the other witnesses had. ‘So the congressmen began fo ask about his life. As Angelo answered, the audience sometimes laughed, sometimes applauded. He told them of working ina DuPont plant, making munitions for the British before the United States centered the war. Whe once. But he was almost rejected i 4107 pounds, Only after ten doctors had examined him and a general had watched him do a handspring and jump a table was he accepted. Then, obviously agitated, Angelo wound up with another statement: Ln ke mony cn mat es of moti, Now oul go boating Ii i ‘dete op conve non oat oe Bs) Jy QA LOY ‘When this was put on me, brothers, I wasn’t worried when I went through. [ 7 doxthavencigte wory abot Lwin naiohadi gatwomeeeticeee | CAMARO nt wet ace Ny aedeagal [Laughter.] Joe Angelo was three things: a veteran, a bum, and a victim of the most pve & ge serious ecanamic depression in American history. In each of these roles he Was not just an individual grappling with purely personal problems. He © seprescnted over 414 million soldiers (about half of whom had ‘actually been Dies Eorop) sddealy dashupel ne cin ee oitaadoeeiace | 4 XY be hg A Yaron arunedike oie sans Sr asics pneu wae, th on onc th ew Anes Leon andthe Vecanr ttonsgn CON VIV KING. LS War They ough oftlver a's spt pe of cen, ik pe tn on th coma de Asa bum, Angelo also spoke for countless people, many of them veterans, Bp ba wort vnc x one os br tia be pny ae through the 1920s, Naturally, the depression added millions of new “bums.” igelo, who had not been able to find work for a year and a half, was only cof a great, restless mass of unemployed. When he appeared before the Ghenplyed Prob tothe Slr wee she hlDefeat of the Bonus Marchers ga ery mead eerie A Nine Se ee a the stock market crash of 1929. Few people could doubt in 1931 that ‘unem= floymene was one of th mos seus protcms the Uned Sue ad faced, Tease eta e eeceam from Camden, he had met other small groups of veterans with the same idea, re ene enna Ges Giese as al tae ee boking esr aul aes Oe Cone mitdythey ladions Gia good thai of ging tae oe ‘Congress and a stubborn president—payment of the bonus. This, in Angelo’s Sadar taraees ee ee ieee rated HOOD emia ie re near oe sieeaens Me no areen ee e Finca dette easel Medieecaiae one aie aes teece se So day inalali wend nie eer eee ee mal Wa widens ancl at aisle ents for the marchers in the Bonus Army, the problem was quite simple: When and how would they be able to collect their bonus in full? Venues eer eee ee ettley Ove omen ener eee, Es fal coe aap eae ee ETE ee timics more, the payment of the entire bonus. And they found some sympa- stl ces a Cup ea nemo NRE ree Seo ages ie ie ee calyie wabierad iatahsne Gane meee ee ee In November 1931 a group of veterans left Seat to ride fright trains to the capita. All over the country others were doing likewise. A’ movement began that would shake the Hoover administration For two years the president had been telling the nation that the depression was not so serious and would soon end. Administration officals had always played down unemployment statistics. They portrayed the crisis as 4 teins porary economic slump that would cure itseli. Meanwhile, Hoover kept to le that the fe -poorindividuals. The veterans who were hitchhiking and jumping freight trains headed toward the ‘capital ete not so suve-of ther primeiphec-Cciately they lacked the presidents political expesioneesixt-sillt- But they knew that they needed the bonus, Ti May 1935, 300 ica from Portland, Oregon, left for Washington in a group. They called themselves the Bonus Expeditionary Force—a play on the name of the American army in France, the American Expeditionary Force, ‘They lected a leader, Walter F. Waters, once an army sergeant, then foreman in a fruit cannery, now unemployed. They rode freight cars east and, by late May, reached East St, Louis, Illinois. There they tried to hop new trains goingses cut after that unem- es had ever 'm his walk same idea, ke Angelo, snment for a reluctant in Angelo’s 15 to collect > ereate the 1 of a “Bo- apiter to the ession. But aple: When fhe govern- 100 each— 5 or meet a ask for ten me sympa- introduced ney to pay bonus, not red. she trains t6 depression hhad always 5 asa tem- ver kept to xet relief to sing freight 5. Certainly » kenew that: ington in 4 play on the sary Force, cen foreman and, by late rains going) ‘STARTING FOR WASHINGTON In une 1932 this group of several hundred veterans from New York moved into the pes- senger yards of the Baltimore and Ohio Raliroad in jersey City, New Jersey. The men hoped {e take over 2 tain, which would cary them to Washington, where they could press ther demand that the government pay them the bonus it had promised they would receive. (Wie Wot Protos) farther east trains by uncoupliny ‘oaped the rails itémpossihle for engines to-move, : ‘The state called for its national guard to drive the veterans away. A scuffle occurred, but no one was hurt badly. The marchers were soon on their way again—in national guard trucks that Illinois had provided in return for their promise to leave the state peacefully. But, most important, for the first time, the Bonus Army had won the attention of the newspapers and the public. Other veterans soon followed suit, ‘The scene was repeated everywhere. Merchants and mayors, railroad officials and governors, found it easier to supply trucks or boxcats than to stop the veterans. Thus a steady stream of bonus marchers was pouring into Washington. Each group had a leader or two, and their purpose was the same. ‘They were in Washington to demand their bonus, even if they had to wait there until 1945 to ger it. Que man deeply interested in the weterans’cause-wae-PelhamD_Ghssford, — a West Point graduate and-the youngest American in the World War to become <2 brigadier general. In 1931, Hoover appointed Glassford superintendent of754 Defeat of the Bonus Marchers | Washington's police force. So he would have to des! with the Bonus Expa ditionary Force in the capital. Glissford hoped that the Bonus Army either would not come or would | | i ¢ bv C go home quickly. But, yiten-the marchers arrived, be became sympathet and helpful. He regarded them as "is Boys.” He assigned them quarters iq» abandoned buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue The location was at the hea A Ny Bt Syd of official Washington, between the White House and the Capitol | bn At Glassford’s suggestion, also, the marchers made a “muster.” or list of | | their oe feds" and radicales Gradually the marches formed, commas sal do regiments, They eleceed Walter Waters, Ider of the Pontand group, sp commandet ofthe Bonus Expeditionary Force He appointed onic, otfeees “ant divided the tier iio compdhice aamied after eee Son nee s Tuctire of command like che regula a Glatond saga ae eS tng Peal at ‘Avenue wat based on his hope that few would come, Soon k vas covont that the Bonus Army was much too large and dangerous (and embarrassing to the administration) to be in the center of things. Glassford sent most of the marchers to a new campsite a few miles southeisrof Capitol HIlE The Anacostia rivers. There, about 6,000 veterans built a shabby but orderly camp, swith shacks and dent rs | gga rests Pecan ee ee preke bepe eotuen aul iad ta ene eee ae iene rine eres Gis aspees eesap incor eine ees Seat ae (ie wives al huuies Tie Woman aba fees te eee GT Sele arnt coe Gee arian ee erect ey | fais ea pei Fe teres Go ah eased areca Meee cree poeta vate ee oe ara evel aecte Galart ors oaaeauaes eee eee aia ales a geeaas Wael eae ae ee aes cae By five 6a aguante merce Pa ghar dn uae ee 1,000 lt vie separate ca Sree Sion ene Nea eee ey moral alony Tes Paras GIN Hoe ar STs eee rand palace ue el nat ey eID ee pal Of saa peices es aaa tna Doar Aay eee ee credit, Best of all, their parade had drawn a crowd of about 100,000; mostly ‘Washington cletical workers. Every time another company with its American flag passed, the crowd applauded Shortly after dark the long line of march reached a circle near the Capital (They were forbidden to pass the White House or go to the Capitol itself) Orders were given to fall out, and the marchers broke ranks to walk quietly back to Anacostia. They had heard that in less than a week the House woulds Expe- would pathetic ae heart r list of ‘out thi ad then coup, as officers Bonus sylvania obvious rrassing most of ill. The nac and yeamp, e. They ofmen brought library, tens and 7 Wash- lassford £ bonus About. y in six pefil as Aas ifit nunists, a much mostly. merican. Capitol Titself) quietly would Defeat of the Bonus Marchers 755 vote on the bonus bill, IF it passed both the House and Senate and was signed by Hoover, most of the veterans could collect the thousand dollars needed to ket their hungry families through another depression year, ‘The parade was simply a beginning. Veterans kept coming to Washing- fon—the police estimated a hundred every hour. On June 15, when the House PasET We Dill Ehere were probably EO veterans, plus some of their wives -and children, scattered around Washington. Anacostia Flats was crowded, but new shacks kept going up. By now the ex-taldicrs-had-steipped half the city Be ery stray board or door, every spare piece nf tn or canvas. One man ‘moved a burial vaulf onto the flats and took up residence in it. The camp was about level with the river, and had to be protected by a levee. When it rained, ‘mud was a foot deep. But the Bonus Army kept building Obviously some kind of cris might soon develop. Heakh officals pre Bitcd x typhost epidemic Wares pe ry 100,08 more sess Ake Bonus Army andthe administration were both waiting forthe Senae Di ie cl ee ee we lected in 1930 was Democratic. Since it was the first body of politicians to BO tro acerca sew Gal or epic oscar a cd chee coustiuenes dicect scion. But only» isd ofthe Stace tea \VETERANS ON PARADE. In July 1932 the Bonus ‘Army eld thi shit sleeve parade from the Weshing- the background, tthe CCaplal. The marchers maintain thelr ranks and fles in good order and axe absolutely instep, in Spite of the lack ofa band. They are obviously tying to emphasize bath ‘hel mileary skis and thet patriotism. (Um)756 _ Defeat of the Bonus Marchers been cested in 1930, The majority were stl femly Republican and loyal the president. Both houses were striving for a July adjournment, (Iter gy election year, and everyone wanted to gee home © coonegn sou hoped tha he Boo Aan and C a On July 17 the Senate would debste and vote on the bonus, Wilh commanded his marches to go fo the Captel and fil he gllenes qn ad rounds. By noon, there were 10,000 marchers mand eend te Coan Inside, the Senate debated. Men would leave the galleries every fev min= utes to report to the marchers out onthe steps. Opponents of the bill argued Hoover's position on what should be done about the depression: the goverse ‘ment ought to cut spending, not spend more. Direct relief to individuals was not a federal sponsibility’ Besos ‘ ; and railroads regained their health. Then jobs would become available, and the economy would escape Trom radia Siete 25 Many scatoes sipereag tx bil srpurit sinc ds veeans OM hngey and would be ble o cll the bos in hieen yen sopeny, ee should have ie now. But one or two sensors gave a nee mete al Justification for the bonus. In a depression, they insisted, the government should spend money, not save it Ifthe government need oe dollars for the bonus, the money would swifily circulate. The veterans would Hi)! i Gols be only the first to gain. The stores where they spent their payments would get the money. These stores, in turn, would order more goods from whole, ewe a 8. Salers and manufacturers, So every bonus dalle would Lecone raat RON (i cece eee eee Naturally, when the depression was cued, the government would sie deioh weak ing—that i, spending more than ie raised in tana, The cosonae eat feturn to normal, The government would only “prime the pump” with its pape dol, Thy te | ‘Though the argument went one soon bechme cee shat only a poi | miracle could save the bonus, ‘The Senate suas auach tne nee pat experiment with such lgisltion. Even some of te Thea mene ake usually opposed Hoover questioned the bill What was needed, they said, was 2 general bill for relief of all the unemployed. Veterans should receive no joes Ec Finally, afer eight o'clock, somone ame fom the alles and whispered to Waters. The bil had los dessively, 62018, Wateg clined he ne it turned to face the largest body ever gathered in Washington to demonstrate fay = eae, The tsetheer bad tna Ouseee Soe ee i E if they might riot, Marines were satonad oar | eae nee fay mines ree persuaded them not to. Waters shouted: "Commis | ee bate us show them we can take it on the chin. Let us show them we are patriotic 2 Tis wasn ld em om he war ota comma geaing { i ki$$ Defeat of the Bonus Marchers 757 loyal to Americans.” There was 2 muttering from the crowd. Then a gigantic roar was an came from 10,000 throats. Waters pleaded for calm: admin- > Senate ‘We are not telling you to go home. Go back to your camps. We ate going to stay in Washington until we get the bonus, no matter how long it takes And we sre Waters ‘one hundred times as good Americans 2s those men in there who voted again pues Sat has wating ae ace ae vio, The situation was tensr than any inthe capt since the Civil Wa, Ten ee thousand disappointed people, who had kept good discipline for weeks, wore pee ready to break and mob the Senate, Waten ployed + fl cid ts hen on eae “Tall on you to sing ‘America, ” he shouted. After a few false starts, the s men obeyed. Gradually, che song gathered strength pes ‘The emergency wat over, at kse forthe mchaent. The siging died owt, a and bugles sounded assembly. The men milled about-looking far their outsts Bie in the White House andthe Capol could tke s deep besh The bores ont ea ead, at least until Congress reconvened in December, after the presidewl _slections. ment eer But the Bonus Army did not disappear. The government issued reports that themien were leaving. The Bonus Force and the police reported, however, would ee ee eee ae ee meee size of the force issued by the government, the police, the newspapers, and aturally, ee spend Reon ag ee a ee oobi eS wa severe aa aoe eee in ene avons dish of food for another. Ceres ee. eee, eriand eerers a lassford | iDefeat of the Bonus Marchers the Bonus Army itself varied widely. Atits largest, the Bonus Army probably ‘numbered just under 20,000 men. Membership shifted constantly; perhaps a many as 50,000 veterans were in Washington at one time or another during June and July of 1932. The government offered to lend the marchers ? nn Bie oc gus mon Tmembers. Thus a mom aNGF W-SENWE Ta deesed the Patras bal RE free hyena asi gf Cee. The peice eodeaeel 13,0 rre-ski OP nee ASG oes ino Ameoosed Rs By Jog ns ons oC Wat eer Congciay ie ice) a sopra THA at eae pub ed eT ae es ee began to allow the small group of about 150 communists to eat occasionally atthe Amacostia-mess, (He had always thrown them out before.) He even ei fo lc about permanent oegsaaaton of rico ic pales OM he would all “Khaki Shire” in iiation ofthe "Brown Shiga" tee Adolp Has haa onpant reeks Helse too. oticions wee eee cae fig geted fe vate, de pedo squatting on goverment land. He also decided they were not truly patriotic veterans asking for relief. Instead he believed th ey had been! WASHINGTON, D.C. IN 1932 all OE sesrobably cthaps 25 + during oney to veterans ‘uit new. ill, there people, sy mood Waters asionally He even 3, which at Adolf © Senate business patriotic (ON THE CAPITOL STEPS. The high point of the Bonus March was probably thls scene on the steps ofthe Capitol Inside, while the veterans wait the Senate fs debating the Patman bil which would have {ven them early payment af the bonus they bad come to ask for. The b's defeat nearly ftiggered an angry confrontation between the veterans and U.S. Marines, who had been called out to keep order Wise Wort Protos) organized and promoted by the communists, and included a large number of hhoodlums and ex-convicts determined to raise a public disturbance, They were frequently addressed by Democratic congressmen, secking to inflame them against The differences grew sharper, the summer hotter, and tempers shorter. On July 16, the most serious incident so far broke out at the Capitol. Congress was about to adjourn. Waters ordered his men to make one last symbolic demonstration. By midday, nearly 7.000 Banus Marchers were at the Capitol ‘Their mood was much uglier than a month before. Senators and congressmen. crowded near every Window t watch, Even Glissford lost his nerve. Glissford ordered Waters taken into custody and moved to the basement _ ‘of the Capitol. When the veterans saw what was happening, they stopped cheering Glassford and began to boo and jeer, “Waters! Waters!” they shouted. Glassford was forced to bring the Bonus Army's commander ont . fous. Afera short, harsh exchange with Glassford, Waters ted to cars his People. Then he ordered them to move to the middle: “Use che center steps want you to keep a lane open for the white-collared birds, so they won't Tub into us lousy rats, We're going to stay here until I see Hoover!”760 _ Defeat of the Bonus Marchers ‘The demonstration was clearly dangerous. Several congressmen came ou) of the Capitol to speak to the demonstrators, trying to cool them off Finally the Speaker of the House, John Nance Garner, agreed to meet with Waters and a committee of his aides inside the building. Garner handled the situation Well. He made a few empty promises of help and was photographed with ‘Waters. When the conference was over, Waters went back outside and ordered his followers to their camps. For a second time an extremely touchy and Potentially violent situation had been controlled In the White House, however, tempers were also growing shorter. Hoover had just been renominated by the Republicans to run for a second terme The Democrats would mect soon to nominate Franklin D. Roosevel, then gore emor of New York. Hoover knew the campaign would be rough. Bur he Knew he would win ifhe could overcome the widespread idea that he was responsible for the depression. A favorite tactie of Hoover's closest associates was to picture him as the firm opponent of all kinds of radicalism. Unforeunately, the Bonus Ara, was the most ¥i lism, always opposed the beans. Now he and his advisers decided to move firmly agaitot the veterans Some even hoped for an incident. Then it would appear that the government had to-defend its very life against a radical insurrection, THE PRESIDENTS CAMP Herbert Hoover opened a rest camp for himself in The Rata, Vigna, not far fiom Washington To, "meet his new neighbors, Hoover held a lawn par, ‘where he is shown chating with one ofthe guest, Behind him siancs another Virginia neighbor westing ting Jodhpurs. (Cuter Reures) lea br.Defeat of the Bonus Marchers 761 AA few days after Congress had adjourned, the administration decided to &. Finally move. ‘The tensest point in Washington was the two square blocks on the bh Waters ‘south side of Pennsylvania Avenue, just a block from the Capitol and a mile situation from the White House. The buildings here were part of triangle of structures aed with that had been condemned to make way for a government building program. lordered All over the triangle, SE ae tchy and demolished structures, eyesores that embarrassed the administration. On July I, on instructions from the Treasury Department, the commissioners who Hoover governed the District of Columbia (and were directly responsible to the am. The administration) ord¢ tt ‘ks. For various acn gov- reasons the order was not carried out at once. By his 1 But he be-ready-ro_leave. Glassford was locating another site farther away, where the was they could take their few possessions and settle again. Finally, at about 10:00 A.M. on July 28, Treasury officials accompanied by mas the Glassford and his police entered the arca. “The veterans began to evacuate the as Army buildings and their makeshift shanties, leaving behind everything that they osed the could not earty of push along in small carts or baby carriages. Everything. veterans. ‘went peacefully, though a few veterans had to be taken out under arrest. sernment Before noon the first building was empty. In the meantime, a large crowd of ‘Washington citizens had gathered to watch. Their sympathies were divided ‘between the police and the veterans. ‘Then, a little past noon, veterans from other camps filtered into the area, mixing with the crowd, One group came to stage a formal demonstration. Paul Anderson, a journalist, described what happened next Fee ee epee a ee ee ate ear ciateend alae ae Lee areata caer areas same eee ee ee es Gee eet ‘ Se eee any re ee \ ea a eee esintend saat ee Rel L400" Gunton et ote ba ofthe net sed when rk in wl Hee ae as cups wana ih mane ts sec ee eee Si du) For another half hour the police continued their work. The veterans were Teaving the buildings, but they stood around outside, many on big piles of bricks. No one is certain what happened next. Some witnesses said 2 police- meatite terans out of a building that had not even been ord | They resisted. Another observer sai that a policemen stated climb ng some makeshift stairs, lost his balance, and fell. Ina panic he pulled his Iver and began to fire wildly into-acrowd near him, General Glassford “Twas about twenty yards away from the building when I heard a commotion. I Went to the second floor. One officer had started up the steps, and near the rear, 1 “heard some say, “Let's get him!"| 762 Defeat of the Bonus Marchers VETERANS AND THE POLICE A group of Bonus Marchers try to defend thelr tents against the advancing poike, The H ‘Bonus Army was one of the few organizations in America that wes more sriless integated facial, and the group shown here Includes a least a couple of determined blacke the ost Intense struggle seems to concern whether the marches or the pole have better ight ie the ag. (Cuber Pctures) As he started up the steps, bricks started falling on him (Glassford was not certain whether the bricks were being thrown or were just falling), and as I leaned over the railing above, I saw him fall and draw his gua, fing tro show Other policemen also started shooting, Then veterans began to throw byieks at every policeman insight. Again Glassford acted quickly operas 4 Vicious riot He ran outside, shouting, "Stop that shoctng!" The here ended, and the bricks stopped fying. Ambulances rushed take teen he injured. One_policeman_w3s hut One Banus Mascher- The battle of the Bonus Army might have ended here. Glassford had the situation in hand. The veterans were moving out of the buildings as they had been ordered. On the whole they were reluctant but still willing to Waters had supported Glassford every step of the way. Within another howe oF two, evacuation of the two blocks would have been complete. But the administration also had decided to act. Hoover had ordered the chief of staff of the army, General MacArthur, to bring troops into the city to restore civil peace. cooperate,Defeat of the Bonus Marchers 763 } ‘The troops—about 500 at first, then later over 1,000—formed up behind the White House. They came armed with bayoneted riffes and heavy blue canisters of tear gas. There were cavalry with sabers, a machine-gun squadron, several infantry companies, and even a half-dozen tanks. MacArthur put the ‘troops under the command of General Perry L. Miles. But as he later wrote, “In accordance with the President's request, I accompanied General Miles." With MacArthur was his aide, Major Dwight David Eisenhower. And in the | cavalry was George S. Patton (who had no way of knowing that Joe Angelo | had come back to Washington and was out in the troubled city with about 12,000 of his buddies, waiting). At about four o'clock the cavalry led the way, the iron shoes of their horses clattering on the asphalt of Pennsylvania Avenue. Then came tanks, more cavalry, the infantry, and the mounted machine gunners. They rod walked, and rumbled up to the triangle, pushing the crowds back and sur~ rounding the buildings, Without any conference or hesitation the troops (who ‘wore gas masks and carried fixed bayonets) began to throw tear-gas bombs | MACARTHUR AND into the buildings. EISENHOWER ‘The veeer resist. A few hung back and had to be jabbed at with The command of the mil- Bayonet. Mosiy they stumbled out of the ars and toward Anacnis, ye tal ‘ MacArhwho als fa tars steaming ve is bee Se te ee, Seen Ordered most of his men to herd the veteran south, Another decchieee fe seat es Gove wes, tack he small separate camp of he communist group? Sogn Suddenly it beame ceartariie geusstinenidodariheuicbarne ena oRee Tn the triangle, smoke began to rise. There, the troops had set fi ie Davi! Eseoheioe ee fac red belongings ofthe Homie Army. er ea ae C Macho tcp pale TENGE ST tee hem win EMR Bayores and saber, The sun wat going down Wehind them: Abad lye, Sa’ un awbrige to Anaconia, The Bonus Amy's rearguard sed sere the roe Bridge a shout sunser. Waters had alkeady given te order to coscnne Aves se €ostia and had sent word to MacArthur asking for time to move women and 6 Children out of the camp. On the flats about 7,000 men were scurrying around, trying to keep order in a forced retreat. to throw, From the time the troops first appeared, the Bonus Marchers gave no 2 Bi. They boosd, they swore our they moval: Macatee cee we aad Beit ofthe sver and paused before Anaconta Hats for ta hour Woe aoay ft Seling the infancry. But when they went onto the flats the soldiers threw ail MOMs Facclers were teased vary senghly, The soles dene Wifesrothe camp. (Many of the veterans had already put matches to their ahad i Borrowed army tents.) Next chey moved out of the camp to the nearby area they had MMMMMMMIHCRS many of the s still stood watching their shacks burn. As the oop Boos ished up ce hil which was nor Rael eer ian, a i cine soviacs pbs Uy lat (sy fee tare ee ‘But dig BBonus/Army’s arcival, cold his story Hofstafl cS .. i Se eS or te eee Ee bie aracde quoting te fommunie “We apse Beaten Wesngion oreve, tn commie we oe ver the Bons Foc’ prime moversdriving the people ahead of them. ‘was staying), one of them threw a tear rd, The house was filled with gas, and w id put them over the faces of the childee half an hour later, my baby began to vomit. I took her outside in we vomited again. Nexe day, she began to turn black and blue the baby died—the third and last fatality of the sf the Bonus Army. [The day after the action was a time for summing up. The White House and other administration officials issued statements. MacArthur gave his ver sion in a press conference: ‘Fist mob was a bad-looking mob. It was animated by the essence of revolution, sey, had come 10 the conclusion, beyond the shadow ofa doubt, chat they ere Pout to take over ither the dzect control of the government, of eee tooneeg ened, To this version of the threat posed by the Bonus Force, MacArthur added tha twas the veterans who bad burned thet ow shacks Nahe enn Another kind of summing up came ffom Jas Ansel, he tet eg. Paper reporter his story. He was at Anacosia Flats, watching a giowp of infntrymenin gas inaks ovenrun thew he fad teen heme Tee “ged on by ato coment er Se eee ig che bee ‘tear gas out of his eyes and recognized George S. Patton. Then, like-the-rest my, he ran 'Soae me in Camden, fom where he had started his long hike to Washington a year an;Defeat of the Bonus Marchers What were the arguments in favor of the Bonus Marchers and what were the arguments against them? What could and should have been the outcome in your opinion?