ound in front of the capitol, and held demonstrations on the streets. The bill that would have given them their bonuses was defeated in the senate, and congress adjourned. The vets, thought, refused to leave. They continued to hold their demonstrations until Hoover offered to buy all of them train tickets back to their homes. The police chief, whom most of the marchers considered to be their ally, supported the plan. They refused though, and soon Hoover ordered the police chief to remove the demonstrators from downtown. When he tried to do so, the vets resisted, and Hoover called in General Douglas Macarthur, who had positioned the army near the city in case help was needed in removing the vets. Douglas violated the orders of Hoover, and not only moved the vets out of downtown, but also undertook to clear the city of them. Using tear gas, sabers, and bayonets, the Army drove the protestors back to the outskirts of town, where they were separated from the Army by a bridge. Hoover twice ordered Macarthur not to cross the bridge, but again Macarthur ignored him and crossed the bridge. He then proceeded to burn the vet’s shantytown to the ground. The marchers, faced with no other options, retreat back to wherever they had come from.Hoover’s policies, while well meaning, were not enough to stop the terrible Depression, and resulted in much chaos and suffering for the poor and homeless unemployed....
