The record. [volume] (St. Maries, Idaho) 1913-1918, 1917-08-21
THE WAR INSURANCE BILL
BY w. q. McAdoo
Secretary of the Treasury.

The number Of claims for ex-
emption from military duty un-
der the draft law has caused a
painful impression in many quar-
ters, but after all, does not the
fact that no provision has yet
been made by the Government
for the support Of the wives and
children, mothers or fathers. OF
the men who have been drafted
explain many OF these claims for
exemption?
Under the draft law the Gov
eminent has the power to re-
quire every able-bodied man be-
tween "a and 81 years Of age
to perform military duty. Thou
sands Of the drafted men are
wage-earners who married years
ago and are the sole support Of
their dependent families. So long
as the Government has made no
provision for the care of these
dependents, it is natural that
such drafted men should seek to
protect their loved ones by stay
ing at home. / am sure that if
Congress should promptly enact
the pending war Insurance bill,
which makes definite allowances
for the support Of the dependent
wives and children, fathers or
mothers, of our soldiers and
sailors, claims for exemption on
that score will cease. This is an
imperative duty Of the Govern
ment. We cannot deprive help
less women and children Of the
support of the wage-earner by
forcing him into the military SER
vice of the country unless the
Government substitutes itself as
their support.
The purpose of the war in
surance bill now pending i'm the
Congress is to secure the future
of Americas soldiers and sailors
by insuring their lives and pro
viding adequate compensations
and indemnities for loss of life
and total or partiel permanent
disability; also to protect their
families against poverty and
want by providing them with
sufficient means of support dur
ing the absence of the men at
the front.
Aside from the care and pro-
lection of their dependents while
the solder is alive, the proposed
war insurance act provides for
definite compensation for his de-
pendents in case Of death, for de-
finite and adequate indemnities
In case of total or partial disa-
biiity, and for re-education or
the manned and disabled man,
so that he may take up a new
occupation and make himself a
useful member Of society. We
must restire their efficiency and
adjust their still available facul-
ties and functions to suitable
trades and vOcations, which the
injuries of the battlefield have
not wholly Destroyed. The heavy
~ mail RQWCA ItHul
ing from this conflict, which is
without precedent in history or
imagination, will place new and
greater values upon all forms
and degrees of human energy.
and demand as a first duty of
intelligent government that every
remaining useful sense and limb
OF the blind and crippled shall
be reclaimed under the benevo-
lent processes of education and
reapplied to economic uses for
the benefit of society. The mil
lions we shall be called upon to
spend to support the dependents
of the soldiers while they are in
the fighting-line, for indemnities
and for re-educatiOn of the Grip
pied, are in the last analysis in
vestments of the best sort; they
are sums of capital advanced by
the Nation to promote utility,
self-respect and economic devel-
opment. More than all, they are