CONGRESSIONAL RECORD - HOUSE'

am informed that this would be the first

case in which a World War II veteran

would, in effect, be placed on the compensation rolls by special legislation.

Since there are well over a half million

veterans of World War II alone whose

claims for disability compensation have

been denied in accordance with public

laws because the disabilities -for which

compensation is claimed were not incurred in or aggravated by their military

service, approval of this bill would con- stitute a far-reaching precedent, which

I cannot justify.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

The SPEAKER. The objections of the

President will be spread at large upon

the Journal.

Without objection, the bill and message will be referred to the Committee

on the Judiciary and ordered to be

printed.

There was no objection.

MRS. ANN ELIZABETH CAULKVETO MESSAGE (H. DOC. NO. 427)

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following veto message from the

President of the United States, which was read by the Clerk:

To the House of Representatives:

I am returning herewith without my

approval H. R. 4532, 83d Congress, "An

act for the relief of Mrs. Ann Elizabeth

Caulk."

The bill would authorize and direct

the Secretary of the Treasury to pay to

Mrs. Ann Elizabeth Caulk the sum of

$1,682.80 in full settlement of all her

claims against the United States for

non-service-connected death pension

she would have received if the claim she

filed on March 29, 1948, had been considered as having been filed on April 1, 1944.

David H. Caulk, a veteran of honorable service in the Spanish-American

War, married the claimant on November

7, 1931, and died of a non-service-connected cause 12 days later. Mrs. Caulk's

claim for death pension filed December

31, 1931, was denied for the reason that

she had not married the veteran prior to

the then applicable marriage delimiting

date, September 1, 1922. Effective April

1, 1944, the delimiting date was extended

by law to January 1, 1938, rendering Mrs.

Caulk potentially eligible for death pension benefits to which she was previously

not entitled. However, she did not file

a new claim for death pension until

March 29, 1948, and under the law, pension benefits were paid prospectively

from that date.

It appears that favorable action by the

committees which consider H. R. 4532

was based on the theory that the delay

in filing claim was due to ignorance of

the law on the part of Mrs. Caulk. This

reason applied with equal force to many

other claimants. Her case certainly

arouses one's sympathy, but to prefer it

for special treatment to the exclusion of

other similar cases would be unwarranted and discriminatory. Further, approval of the bill might serve as a precedent for similar legislation in other

cases.

I am opposed to setting aside the principles and rules of administration prescribed in the public laws governing veterans' benefit programs. Uniformity

and equality of treatment to all who are

similarly situated must be the steadfast

rule if the Federal programs for veterans

and their dependents are to be operated

successfully. Approval of H. R. 4532

would not be in keeping with these principles.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

The SPEAKER. The objections of

the President will be spread at large

upon the Journal.

Without objection, the bill and message will be referred to the Committee

on the Judiciary and ordered to be

printed.

There was no objection.

OFFICE OF ALIEN PROPERTY, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE-MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF

THE UNITED STATES

The SPEAKER laid before the House

the following message from the President of the United States, which was

read, and, together with accompanying

papers, referred to the Committee on

Interstate and Foreign Commerce:

To the Congress of the United States:

I transmit herewith, for the information of the Congress, the annual report

of the Office of Alien Property, Department of Justice, for the fiscal year ended

June 30, 1953.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER.

THE WHITE HOUSE, June 7, 1954.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE AND INDEPENDENT EXECUTIVE BUREAUS,

BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, CORPORATIONS, AGENCIES AND OFFICES

APPROPRIATION BILL, 1955

Mr. PHILLIPS. Mr. Speaker, I ask

unanimous consent to take from the

Spcaker's table the bill (H. R. 8583)

making appropriations for the Executive

Office and sundry independent executive

bureaus, boards, commissions, corporations, agencies, and offices, for the fiscal

year ending June 30, 1955, and for other

purposes, with the Senate amendments

thereto, disagree to the amendments,

and agree to the conference asked by the

Senate.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from California? [After a pause.] The Chair

hears none, and appoints the following

conferees: Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. COTTON, Mr.

JONAS of North Carolina, Mr. KRUEGER,

Mr. TABER, Mr. THOMAS, Mr. ANDREWS,

Mr. YATES, Mr. CANNON.

MENOMINEE TRIBE OF INDIANS

Mr. MILLER of Nebraska submitted

a conference report and statement on

the bill (H. R. 2828) to amend the act of

Congress of September 3, 1935 (49 Stat.

1085), as amended.

CONSENT CALENDAR

The SPEAKER. This is Consent Calendar day. The Clerk will call the first

bill on the Consent Calendar.

TAX REFUNDS ON CIGARETTES

LOST IN THE FLOODS OF 1951

The Clerk called the first bill, H. R.

4319, to authorize tax refunds on cigarettes lost in the floods of 1951.

Mr. BYRNES of Wisconsin. Mr.

Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

this bill be passed over without prejudice.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Wisconsin?

There was no objection.

CITY OF CHANDLER, OKLA.

The Clerk called the bill (H. R. 1081)

to amend the act of February 15, 1923,

to release certain rights and interests of

the United States in and to certain lands

conveyed to the city of Chandler, Okla.,

and for other purposes.

Mr. MILLER of Nebraska. Mr.

Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that

this bill be stricken from the Consent

Calendar.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Nebraska?

There was no objection.

EXTENDING EMERGENCY FOREIGN

MERCHANT VESSEL ACQUISITION

The Clerk called the bill (H. R. 6318)

to extend emergency foreign merchant

vessel acquisition and operating authority of Public Law 101, 77th Congress, and

for other purposes.

Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, on the basis

of the recommendation of the acting

chairman of the committee that had jurisdiction of this bill, I ask unanimous

consent that it be passed over without

prejudice.

The SPEAKER. Is there objection to

the request of the gentleman from Michigan?

There was no objection.

TRANSPORTATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF MAILS ON MOTOR-VEHI-

* CLE ROUTES

The Clerk called the bill (S. 2773) to

amend the act entitled "An act to provide for the transportation and distribution of mails on motor-vehicle routes,"

approved July 11, 1940 (54 Stat. 756).

There being no objection, the Clerk

read the bill, as follows:

Be it enacted, etc., That section 1 of the

act entitled "An act to provide for the transportation and distribution of mails on motorvehicle routes," approved July 11, 1940 (54

Stat. 756), is hereby amended by striking

out that part which precedes the first proviso and by inserting, in lieu thereof, the

following: "The Postmaster General is au- thorized to use Government-owned motor

vehicles or contract for carrying the mails

and postal transportation clerks on routes

between points where in his judgment, conditions Justify the operation of such service

7748 June 7