[分享]2006/01/03 善導寺托善導寺的福 (補充閱讀背景)

由 **nohitchhiker** » 2006-01-05 18:56

補充
提供我考到的一個閱讀考題的背景資料
胡佛村與酬恤金進軍事件Bonus Army
考試時原文題目和下文有多處雷同
FYI

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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The Bonus Army or Bonus March or Bonus Expeditionary Force was an assemblage of about 20,000 World War I veterans, their families, and other affiliated groups, who demonstrated in Washington, D.C. during the spring and summer of 1932 seeking immediate payment of a "bonus" granted by the Adjusted Service Certificate Law of 1924 for payment in 1945. They were led by Walter W. Waters, a former Army sergeant, and encouraged by an appearance from retired Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler, one of the most popular military figures of the time.

Arrival in Washington

The Bonus Army massed at the United States Capitol on June 17 as the U.S. Senate considered the Patman Bonus Bill, which would give World War I veterans certain benefits. Most of the Bonus Army camped in makeshift camps (similar to Hoovervilles) on the Anacostia Flats, a swampy, muddy area across the Anacostia River from the federal core of Washington. The protesters had hoped that they could pressure Congress to change the law and make immediate payments, which would have provided relief for the marchers, many of whom were unemployed due to the Great Depression. The bill had passed the House of Representatives on June 15, but was blocked in the Senate.

After the defeat of the bill, Congress appropriated funds to pay for the marchers' return home, which some marchers accepted. On July 28, Washington police attempted to remove some remaining Bonus Army protesters from a federal site where construction was scheduled to proceed under the government's public works program. After a police officer accidentally fatally shot two veterans, the protesters assaulted the police with blunt weapons, wounding several of them. After the police retreated, the District of Columbia commissioners informed President Herbert Hoover that they could no longer maintain the peace, whereupon Hoover ordered federal troops to remove the marchers from the general area.

Intervention of the military

The marchers were cleared and their camps were destroyed by federal cavalry troops under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, in a probable violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878. Dwight D. Eisenhower, as a member of MacArthur's staff, had strong reservations about the operation, and George Patton was also ordered to take part in the operation. Troops with rifles and tear gas were sent into the Bonus Army's camps. President Hoover did not want the army to march across the Anacostia River into the protesters' largest encampment, but Douglas MacArthur felt this was a communist attempt to overthrow the government. Hundreds of veterans were injured, several were killed, including William Hushka and Eric Carlson, a wife of a veteran miscarried, and other such casualties were inflicted.

By the end of the route:

* Two veterans had been shot and killed.
* An 11 week old baby was in critical condition resulting from shock by gas exposure.
* Two infants had died from gas asphyxiation.
* An 11 year old boy was partially blinded by the gas.
* One bystander was shot in the shoulder.
* One veteran's ear severed by a Cavalry saber.
* One veteran was stabbed in the hip with a bayonet.
* At least twelve police were injured by the veterans.
* Over 1,000 men, women, and children were exposed to the tear gas, including police, reporters, residents of Washington DC, and ambulance drivers.

The army burned down the Bonus Army's tents and shacks, although some reports claim that to spite the government, which had provided much of the shelter in the camp, some veterans torched their own camp dwellings before the troops could set upon the camp. Reports of U.S. soldiers marching against their peers did not help Hoover's re-election efforts; neither did his open opposition to the Bonus Bill due to financial concerns. After the inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, some of the Bonus Army regrouped in Washington to restate its claims to the new president. Ironically, Roosevelt also rejected the Bonus Army's claims until near the end of his presidency. At the end of World War II, the government avoided a similar conflict with veterans by enacting the G.I. Bill of Rights.

1932年，美國約二萬名第一次世界大戰退伍軍人、其家屬與其他相關團體，由春季開始持續至秋季向美國政府要求即時得到在戰時服役的薪金。補償金事件、補助金進軍事件或酬恤金進軍事件指由於美國政府拒絕此項要求後，集會人群逗留請願最後導致軍方介入而造成的流血事件。補助金大軍則指當時集會人群。

起因

在第一次大戰中，參戰的美國軍人在每人每日1美元的薪金之外，還另加25分做為海外生活補助金。但在戰時，這筆薪金並沒有發放給參戰的美國軍人。戰後，由於美國政府無法負擔這筆費用，因此在1924年訂定並通過Adjusted Service Certificate Law（服役證明修正法）。在法案中，美國政府先發給一戰老兵一張補助金證書，承諾所欠薪金在二十年後依當兵日數以每日1美元的比率以現金償付。美國在1930年代發生經濟大蕭條。1932年, 全美有將近三分之一的就業人口找不到工作而急需救濟。於是這些退伍軍人就要求美國政府立刻支付應在1945年才支付的薪金。美國海外退伍軍人協會更認爲對一個餓肚子的人承諾二十年後才支付買食物的錢是不合理的。

到達華盛頓

6月17日，來自美國各地約一萬二千至二萬名的群眾，其中包括大批失業的退伍軍人，在前陸軍中士Walter W. Waters（華德•W•瓦特斯）的帶領下，於美國國會大廈前集會。當時美國國會正在考慮德薩斯州的約翰•萊特•帕特曼議員所提出的對一戰老兵支付某種福利補助金的議案(該議案已於6月15日在美國眾議院通過)。這些請願群眾後來在與聯邦政府所在地只隔了Anacostia River（阿那卡斯提亞河、安那柯斯提河、安納寇夏河）的安那柯斯提區濕地，搭起類似胡佛村的簡陋小屋或帳棚以做為集結場所。這些請願者希望能對國會施加壓力，使其修改服役證明法並立刻支付所欠的薪金。

但是，該議案最後在國會中被否決。不過，國會表示願意支付請願者回家的路費。這個補助決定只被部分請願者接受。據紐約時報的報道，在7500名的請願人群裏，只有802人不懼其它請願者的威脅，向退役軍人管理局索取火車票。7月19日晚上，一位以左翼言論著名的軍方人物—退休海軍陸戰隊少將斯曼得利•巴特勒向請願群眾演說並鼓勵他們的行為、他表示那些曾穿軍服服役但又不能團結一致的人是差勁的。同日，有部分人群得到汽油，配給資助，或火車票，但仍然不肯離開。

7月28日，請願群眾依然逗留在一處聯邦政府計劃動工的土地上。當華府警方試圖驅趕他們時，一位警察開槍誤殺了兩名退伍軍人。憤怒的請願者於是開始以鈍器攻擊警方，打傷了數名警察。在警方撤退之後，哥倫比亞特區政府當局向赫伯特·胡佛總統報告他們無法維持秩序；於是胡佛總統下令聯邦軍隊進駐華府。

軍方介入

同日，在可能違反1878年的Posse Comitatus Act下，由道格拉斯·麥克阿瑟將軍指揮，並擁有步槍和催淚瓦斯的聯邦部隊開進了請願群眾所在的營地，部隊驅散了請願群眾並焚毀他們的營帳。當時為麥克阿瑟部下的德懷特·艾森豪並不認同這次行動，採取了強烈保留的態度，而當時是上校的喬治·巴頓則是最先抵達華盛頓特區的聯邦政府官員之一。在事件中，胡佛總統並沒有同意軍隊越過安那柯斯提河進入請願者的主營地。在事後他認爲這次事件是由犯罪分子和國外紅色勢力所造成。麥克阿瑟將軍則認爲這次事件是共產主義意圖推翻美國政府的行為。巴頓的裝甲部隊與步兵在白宮附近的橢圓草坪集合後，巴頓率領佩有瓦斯面罩、刺刀及軍刀的聯邦軍隊沿賓夕法尼亞大道前進，投擲催淚手榴彈來驅散這批請願者。當晚稍後，巴頓及聯邦部隊開始清理安那柯斯提區內的帳篷，有些帳棚或小屋在清除過程中被焚毀。到了第二天早上，大部分請願者都離開了特區。

事件發展到最後，有數名退伍軍人被殺，數百人受傷。被槍殺的退伍軍人為William Hushka（威廉·Hushka）和Eric Carlson（埃里克·卡爾森），有一名退伍軍人的妻子流產。一名十一週大的嬰兒由於暴露於催淚瓦斯中，受到驚駭而有性命危險。兩名兒童因催淚瓦斯窒息而死。一名十一嵗的男孩因催淚瓦斯傷害導致部分失明。一名旁觀者被射傷肩膊。一名退伍軍人的耳朵被騎兵軍刀傷害。一名退伍軍人的臀部被刺刀插入。至少十二名警察被退伍軍人傷害。超過一千名男女，兒童，警察，記者，華盛頓哥倫比亞特區居民和救護車司機暴露於催淚瓦斯中。

雖然聯邦部隊燒毀了請願者的帳棚及小屋，有一些報告則表示一些退伍軍人在軍隊到達前，在營地縱火以分散軍隊的注意力。

事後影響和評價

胡佛總統以財政理由對帕特曼所提出議案的公開反對和參與對同行清場的士兵的報告對胡佛日後競選連任並無幫助：他下令驅散和甚少資助請願者已經加強了他冷漠對待大蕭條苦況的負面形象。1933年富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福就任總統以後，一些補助金大軍成員再次在華盛頓集結並向新總統舊時重提。羅斯福一直至其總統任期尾段同樣否決要求。第二次世界大戰完結時，美國政府最終訂立軍人權益法案來避免類似衝突。

作者Paul Dickson認爲集會其後的暴力時常被忽略，事件對1932年美國總統競選的影響亦被低估。他認爲事件導致政客對二戰歸國老兵時用心考慮，促成軍人權益法案的訂立。法案促使百萬人成爲中產階級而改變了美國的狀態。