Our Economic Past
Death by Public Works
B Y B U R T O N W. F O L S O M , J R .
camp—and photos blanketed the country showing the
lmost all historians who write on the New Deal
fleeing vets under fire from their own government. It
praise Franklin Roosevelt for using government
was an election year, and when Roosevelt, then the
to “solve” economic problems. Often, however,
Democrat candidate, saw the pictures and news reports,
these historians only tell part of the story. One example
he reportedly told Felix Frankfurter, “Well, Felix, this
is Roosevelt’s vast public-works program. Here most
will elect me.”
historians wax eloquent on the dams built by TVA, the
Once in office, Roosevelt was determined not to
roads built by WPA, and the bridges built by FERA and
repeat Hoover’s mistake. Protesting veterans were not
CCC.
allowed to camp in Washington. They were directed to
What the historians omit are the high taxes levied for
Ft. Hunt,Virginia, where they received offers to work in
these projects, the sometimes inept construction, and the
CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) and FERA camps
behind-the-scenes politics where votes were traded to
for $1 day plus food and shelter. Thousands of veterans
bring projects to the districts of powerful congressmen.
accepted this offer, and Roosevelt
In some cases, New Deal prosent them far away from Washgrams not only failed, they also
ington to camps in South Carolihad death rates along the way.
na and Florida. In December
For example, there’s the story of
1934, over 400 veterans were
how Roosevelt sent World War I
specifically transferred to the
veterans to build bridges in the
Florida Keys, where they were
hurricane country of south
told to build bridges and roads
Florida.At least 256 of these vetthat would help connect the 90erans died in FERA (Federal
mile area from Miami to Key
Emergency Relief AdministraWest.
tion) camps in the Florida Keys,
Roosevelt’s plan to export the
where they were sent in hurri- FERA camp in the Florida Keys before the 1935 hurricane
contentious vets to Florida was clever, but Harry Hopcane season with poor provisions and no plan of retreat
kins and FERA officials in Washington tended to ignore
or rescue.
the veterans once they were out of the capital. In FloriThe hurricane tragedy had its origin in a seemingly
da, Fred Ghent, the director in charge of the three camps
shrewd political decision by FDR. Unemployed veterans
of 400 veterans, had trouble, first, getting supplies and,
had been difficult to deal with. Ever since World War I
second, enlisting help in preparing for hurricanes. The
they had campaigned in Congress for a special “bonus”
veterans were housed on low land, almost at sea level, in
for their service. In 1932 they put pressure on President
tents and flimsy barracks with poor food, inadequate
Hoover by traveling to Washington, camping near the
supplies, and no water for bathing.They had no serious
White House, and publicizing their demands for immeshelter to protect them from a hurricane or even high
diate payment for their wartime service. In a political
tides.
blunder, Hoover decided to restore order among the
rowdy veterans by sending Douglas MacArthur to conBurton Folsom, Jr. ([email protected]) is the Charles Kline
front them with cavalry, infantry, and six tanks.
Professor in History and Management at Hillsdale College. His book
MacArthur decided to fire on them and disperse their
The Myth of the Robber Barons is in its fourth edition.
A
THE FREEMAN: Ideas on Liberty
32
Death by Public Works
assembled the total count was 256 veterans dead. As
In April, three months before hurricane season, Ghent
became concerned about the possibility of storms.
Time magazine reported, “[I]t was slaughter worse than
He wrote FERA in Washington that “this area is subject
war.”
to hurricanes” and “it is our duty . . . to furnish a safe
Roosevelt Administration Takes Heat
refuge during a storm.” Specifically, he requested that a
solid two-story warehouse be built and arrangements be
hen the news of the deadly hurricane reached
made with the Florida East Coast Railway to transport
Washington, many newspapers began criticizing
the men out of the Keys if a hurricane warning should
the President and FERA. Hopkins denied responsibility,
occur. Ghent never received a response from Washington,
and his assistant, Aubrey Williams, called the tragedy an
and in the absence of instructions he took no action.
“act of God.” The Washington Post, however, disagreed.
Trouble began in late August with weather reports of
“In spite of Relief Administrator Hopkins’ denial that
possible hurricanes coming toward Florida. On Sunday,
his organization was negligent in failing to evacuate the
September 1, at 10 a. m. a weather bulletin reached Key
veterans on the Florida Keys, there is considerable eviWest warning of hurricane danger. Residents 20 miles
dence to support Governor [David] Sholtz’s conclusion
west boarded their houses. The owner of the Hotel
that ‘gross carelessness somewhere’ was responsible.”
Matecumbe, who was within one mile of the veterans’
D. W. Kennamer, whom the Veterans Administration
camps, boarded his hotel as well. Ghent was in Miami.
assigned to investigate the deaths, concluded that “the
The following day he finally sent a Florida East Coast
only extenuating circumstance” for the failure to evacuRailway train to the veterans’ camps.
ate the veterans was Ghent’s regret
The railroad was in receivership and
“that his letters to the National Emermany crewmen were unavailable
gency Relief Administration regarding
because of the holiday weekend. That
this matter were unanswered.”
day a severe hurricane hit the Keys and
In the search for responsibility, novknocked the train off the tracks before
elist Ernest Hemingway wrote an essay,
it ever made it to the FERA camps.
“Who Murdered the Vets?” “[W]ho
When the full force of the hurrisent nearly a thousand war veterans . . .
cane hit the camps the carnage began.
to live in frame shacks on the Florida
Destruction of the Florida East Coast RailFirst-hand accounts among the few way in the aftermath of the storm
Keys in hurricane months?” he asked.
survivors reveal part of the horror:
“Why were the men not evacuated on
“There was a big wall of water—15 feet high—20,
Sunday, or at latest, Monday morning, when . . . evacuamaybe,” reported one veteran. It swept over those shacks
tion was their only possible protection?”
and messed them up like they were match boxes.”
Neither President Roosevelt nor Harry Hopkins
Another reported,“I heard William Clark holler that the
answered these questions.
roof [of the canteen] was coming down. We all started
The tragic deaths of America’s hard-working veterans
away in the same direction and the roof came down on
have almost disappeared from historical memory. Gary
us. It must have hit every one of us.After the roof fell all
Dean Best’s FDR and the Bonus Marchers, 1933–1935, is
I could hear was the grunting and groaning of the boys.
an excellent book, but it is the only one ever written on
I never saw any of them after that.”
this tragedy. No U.S. history text I have ever seen even
After hours of the swirling hurricane one survivor
mentions the unnecessary deaths of these 256 men in a
said,“[B]odies were lying all over the roadway and lumNew Deal project.
ber piled on them and some of them had holes in their
This story needs to be remembered and retold. How
heads.” In the aftermath another said,“I saw bodies with
can students make sound judgments on the proper role
tree stumps smashed through their chests—heads blown
of government if they are sheltered from the negative
off—twisted arms and legs torn off by flying timber that
unintended consequences of so many failed government
cut like big knives.”When the body parts were finally reprograms?
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MARCH 2007