All through the fall of 1934 and the winter of 1935, this group made protests and brought requests to government. Each time, the government gave in to some small demand, but changed nothing else. For example, the group organized a march in February, 1935. They wanted a 50% increase in the dole, and coal and clothing. About 1000 people marched. The government gave its answer to their demands after a few days. It would add cabbage and turnips to the dole order.

By giving little things, the government tried to prevent a large riot. It would not give in to demands, but it would give enough to quiet things down.

The large riot happened anyway. On May 10, 1935 a parade of 1000 marched to the Colonial Building. The police moved to stop the leaders from going in. Then people threw rocks, and the police charged. The peaceful march changed to a violent clash. Several people were injured.

That night the unemployed met again. There was a lot of anger. A crowd formed and moved down Water Street, breaking windows. Some were arrested. The next day, Pierce Power and three other leaders of the unemployed were arrested.

In court, the leaders were found not guilty, but the group cut back its activities. Perhaps they knew they were being too closely watched. Perhaps they had lost hope. Despite all their efforts, the government never accepted their right to speak for the unemployed.

Plans, Programs and Schemes

There were many ideas about what to do about the unemployed. People in business and in politics, and also community leaders, all came up with ideas. Many people talked about getting the unemployed back to work. This would help people be more independent. It would also keep them from meeting and taking part in protests.

One idea was to provide people with land if they had none. Out of this idea came plans for land settlement projects. People at the time often referred to such plans as "schemes." The idea of land settlement was to help people set up farms and build communities. They would get plots of land, build houses, grow crops, raise animals. This would provide food, improve health, raise people's spirits and get them off the dole.