Incidents from the Ohio Hunger March to the state capitol for unemployed insurance in May of 1931.

‘With the Ohio Hunger Marchers’ by Rose Clark from The Daily Worker. Vol. 8 No. 124. May 23, 1931.

On Sunday, May 10, the Ohio Hunger Marchers reached Columbus after a 10 days’ strenuous march. The group from Cleveland, Akron, Toledo, Youngstown, etc., came in on High Street and the Cincinnati-Dayton group came in on West Broad Street. The delegates from Cleveland, etc., numbered 150 and reached the Capitol steps about 15 minutes before the delegation coming from the opposite direction. Six abreast with the captains at the head of each company the marchers came in keeping time to the beat of the drummer and the song which carried them thru, “Solidarity.”

The Capitol steps were thickly packed with workers and the grounds around the building.

The Cincinnati-Dayton Delegation marching six abreast were a few blocks off. Then cheers for the Ohio Hunger Marchers were heard and then a burst from both delegations of “Solidarity” as the two delegations merged on the Capitol steps.

The 150 Cleveland, etc., delegation had spent the previous night in Delaware in coats at the Salvation Army Camping grounds. The Cincinnati-Dayton Delegation spent the night in London, Ohio, where they were given the fairgrounds to sleep in, minus any kind of a bed.

Enthusiasm ran high. In spite of the fact that the police arrested two of the Columbus comrades for collecting along the line of march as we were entering the State grounds; an appeal for collection was made at the Capitol steps. The response from the workers showed that they were with the hunger marchers in the right for unemployment insurance. The police did not dare arrest the collectors.

A Grilling March

The meeting in front of the State house steps lasted about forty-five minutes. The marchers were worn out. But they reluctantly admitted it. However a few of those from the Cincinnati-Dayton delegation dropped from fatigue. They had started from London at 6 a.m. At that time they were 26 miles from Columbus. The commissary truck broke down. When they got to West Jefferson, which is 13 miles from Columbus, the truck was still in London. At West Jefferson the mayor refused to let the marchers stop long enough to get a drink of water. Outside of West Jefferson the marchers stopped at a farmers house for water. They rested there for an hour and the truck was still out of sight. It began to rain and while the rain was just subsiding they began the march into Columbus. All the food was on the truck. They had not eaten since 6 in the morning.

In spite of the strain, in spite of marching 26 miles with approximately one hour rest and no food, the delegates came into the State house grounds cheering and singing. Those capitalist newspapers which made fun of the Hunger March and which scoffed at the marchers would have to use a lot of bold type to make the workers of Columbus believe that these marchers were not serious!

An appeal was made to all workers present who had cars to take some of the Cincinnati delegation to the Fairgrounds. Every delegate was taken. The majority of the delegates were Negro workers but it made no difference to those offering their machines.

The rest of the delegation, 150 strong, marched through the working class sections of the city and about a half hour later amidst tremendous cheering reached the fairgrounds where the delegates were to sleep and where a mass meeting was called for the evening.

After spending the night on the floor, in all parts on the Coliseum at the Fair grounds, the delegates got up, brushed the straw off their clothes, shaved, got their coffee and stew (furnished by the Ohio Penitentiary) and got ready for the two-day conference on Unemployment Insurance.

The conference started at 10:30 a.m. Monday. After the report of Comrade Triva, district secretary of the T.U.U.L. and a sub-report by Comrade Marshal on the Agrarian situation in the state, discussion took place from the floor. Every delegate who spoke told of the miserable conditions in the cities they represented, how the Charities were giving as little as possible; families on $2 and $3 a week, how the city gives workers jobs and pays them in groceries instead of cash. Then how the unemployed councils are fighting for immediate relief of families. Fighting against evictions. What methods they were using, the results they were getting, etc.

Every session of the conference began with the “Marching Because We Are Hungry,” and “solidarity” songs. The day’s conference ended with the elections of the various committees.

At 5:30 a committee of three, Newton, Miller and Marshall interviewed the Governor to see that our committee would get before the State Legislature.

More penitentiary stew and coffee (and by the way it was real jail house coffee) and another session of the Conference. It was decided here to take up the question of transportation with the State and see that they cover the expenses. The Unemployment Insurance Bill was gone over and one or two additions made. Then to bed again. Tomorrow, we march at 9 a.m. to the State Capitol!

Miller, Newton, Cowan, Marshal, Johnson were to be spokesman. We had no illusions that the Legislature or the Governor were so big-hearted that as soon as they saw us marching down they would immediately grant our demands. We were all aware of the fact that they represent the very ones who are starving us, the bosses and bankers of Ohio.

But when we came marching down to the State House, with workers gathered already waiting, and when the order and discipline of the workers was shown to them, they did not like it.

They Adjourn

While the committee was inside, cheering and speaking went on outside for a good two hours. Then the delegates came out to make their report.

They had presented the bill for Unemployment Insurance, each of the 5 spokesman had 15 minutes to speak, and when each had spoken, the chairman of the legislature arose and announced “Gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned!” Each of the spokesman told the legislature in no uncertain terms what they stood for. This action was the climax of all the experiences of the “kind gentlemen” in all the towns we passed through in Ohio. They adjourn the meeting when it comes time to give workers unemployment insurance! But we made them sit up and take notice and even if they tried to be nonchalant about it something will have to be done.

The conference continued after the marchers reached the Coliseum marching through a downpouring rain. Soaked through, they sat around the stoves for a while. Every delegate vowed that we would come back again–but thousands strong! We would force the fat bellied capitalists to recognize the force of the workers.

Concrete organizational proposals were made and actual pictures of the starvation of the workers shown. The conference ended at 6 p.m. At seven many of the delegates left in machines and trucks, on the gas furnished by the state government. The following morning the remaining delegates were taken home in the ONG trucks at the expense of the State.

The delegates are now home. Workers are still talking about the Hunger March. The Hunger Marchers are not finished. Our fight for immediate relief, for Unemployment Insurance must be intensified and particularly through our day-to-day activity.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1931/v08-n124-NY-may-23-1931-DW-LOC.pdf