STARTLING EVIDENCE

Northern Advocate, 31 December 1934, Page 5

STARTLING EVIDENCE

U.S.A. CONGRESS INQUIRY UNCONFIRMED CONSPIRACY (Received 9 a.m.) WASHINGTON, December 29. The committee set up by Congress to investigate “Un-American activities” listened to unconfirmed evidence today of an anti-Goveimment plot more sensational than that outlined by General Smedley Douglas on December 20, An unidentified ax'my captain declared that another Wall Street group had suggested that ample money would be available if witness carried out a suggestion it made. It was that the officer should recruit 500,000 young men from the Government Civilian Conservation Corps and prepare them to overthrow the Gcvex-nment. The sum of 700,000,000 dollars was mentioned as the financial backing available. The sources of evidence were so vague that official circles placed little credence in the alleged plans. However, the committee showed interest in it and said it would investigate the matter further. IMPREGNABLE WASHINGTON’S LAY-OUT WAR DEPARTMENT RECEPTION COMMITTEE [From Our Own Correspondent. ] SAN FRANCISCO, December 28. All America has been startled by the disclosures of a threatened marclx on Washington by an army of former soldiex’s to form a Fascist regime, but a statement sent out fx-om Washington says if anybody in the audience feels like marching on Washington to set up a dictatorship the War Department will be happy to act as a reception committee, with poison gas, bullets and machine guns. Military experts, commenting on the alleged Fascist plot to capture the capital, pointed out that Washington is probably the one city in the world which is completely mob-proof. Major L’Enfant, who laid out the city yeax*s ago, saw to that. Fresh in the Major’s mind was the rioting in the streets of Paris. Mobs built barricades, seized guns and took control of the city before troops could get into action. He decided he would make Washington impregnable against mobs, and he did it witjxout building any forts or laying concrete foundations for canons. Some of Paris after these riots was rebuilt along similar lines. Tourists have wasted many minutes sweaxnng at the - intricate system of circles that dog Washington streets. Drive down any street, and about every six blocks, there will be noticed a circle which apparently serves no pux-pose except to tie up traffic. Those circles were L’Enfant’s idea.

Every main thoroughfare ’ empties into four circles and every circle is a potential machine gun nest. Thirty men, with half a dozen machine guns, could hold one of those circles indefinitely against a mob and before long the kerbstone would be stacked high with the bodies of the late members of the dictator’s army. Nothing but heavy artillery could dislodge the machine guns from the circles, and by that time the regular army would be rushing to the defence of Washington from Fort Meyer, Fort Washington and Fort Meade, all within 25 miles of the capital. At the time' of this despatch the War Department was demonstrating another device, which would be brought against any army marching on White House. It is an eight-ton tank with a speed of 55 miles an hour. It is protected by armour plate, three-quarters of an inch thick, and carries three machine guns, two of them mounted on a revolving turret.