Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-22
SIGHTING THE SOLDIER

Failure Of the Republican congress to enact
any legislation providing substantial aid for
discharged soldiers was the subject OF crit
cism by Representative Scott Ferris of Okla
homa, chairman of the Democratic congress
sional committee and ranking Democratic
member of the house committee on public
lands, in a statement made today
Mr.. Ferris was particularly critical Of the
so-called Mondell bill because, as it is now
drawn, in his opinion, it will provide aid for
only comparatively small number of service
men, only those willing TO enter into the colo
nization scheme the MondeI measure is intend
ed to foster, and thus makes no provision for
soldiers in states where such colonization is
not feasible to acquire home or farm.
An alternative plan should be included in
the bill, in the opinion Of minority members
Of the committee, so that every soldier who
needs or desires governmental aid IN acqu1r-
ing home may obtain it.
The American people at the November
election entrusted the Republican party with
full control OF both branches Of congress. They
have been in session for three months. They
have signally failed to pass any legislation
beneficial to the four million discharged SOL
dfers," said Mr.. Ferris, who was chairman Of
the public lands committee in the last house.
1.-The house public lands committee has had
hearings on the MondeIl bill. and has reported
it to the house The bill in it's present form is
not sufficiently wide in scope to benefit the
major portion of the soldiers desiring and de-
serving relief.
The bill should contain a provision that
all money appropriated for homes for soldiers
should be equitably apportioned among the
states according to the number OF soldiers
making application and DESTROYS of availing
themselves of home under it. The bill as it
now stands does not do this.
THE Mondell bill it now stands is a
soldiers colonization bill. My contention is
that in states that are we'll settled, with roads,
school houses, churches, towns, rural routes
and all modern facilities, the proposed plan
is not at all feasible, and will be disappointing
to the administrative officers as well as those
who are to profit under it.
IAN alternative plan should certainly be
added to the bill, authorizing the secretary of
the interior when the soldier plan is not feas-
ible in any given state, or in a given section
of the country, to make loans direct to lndi-
vidual former service men who desire to pur-
chase homes in communities where they ME
wish to locate. This, of course, would add to
the difficulties of administration; it would wild
en- the scope OF the BILL but it would make it
at all times perfectly certain that there was
some relief to be offered the soldier who was
unwilling to go out to the sparsely settled
states of the west or the cut-over lands of the
south that he might have within reach some
relief in the requirement of a home"
Democratic members of the committee con-
tend that without this alternative, disappoint-
ment will result. Representative Ferris point
ed out that in sections of the country where
land ranges in price from $50 to $3.50 per
acre, plus the charges of administration which
the soldier will have to pay, the colonization
plan will not be a success.
at is not feasible" said Mr.. Ferris, land
the soldier will grow heartsick over the fact
that relief is being granted to a few and denied
to the many. 1 am not leaning on my Judg-
ment in making these suggested amendments.
They are already firmly entTenched in the
minds of leaders in the house of representa-
tiVes and in the minds of the soldiers well.
Secretary Lane has worked in season and
out to get some legislation that would enable
the country to do for the soldiers of this coun-
try what other countries are doing for theirs,
and as 1 converse with soldiers on the subject
and study the plan more and more, feel per-
fectIy sure the Mondell bill will, first, not be
acceptable to the soldier. will not as it stands
be acceptable to the house, and will, if enact
ed, benefit but few. and leave the very great
majority without any relief without any help
Or recognition of their services.
yet l am hopeful that the good things in
this bill may be preserved where susceptible
Of operation, but at the same time l am doubly
anxious that proper amendments be added to
make it acceptable and of sufficient scope to
assure some affirmative assistance and recog-
milton to the soldiers who served their country
during the time of greatest stress
81 want to make it perfectly clear that the
Mondell bill is not without virtue, and doubt
less will be of great value to the soldiers in
certain sections of the country But my fear
is that it will not take care of sufficiently
large number of soldiers to really make it a
soldiers bill at all, and also it is not sufficiently
wide in scope to do justice to all the soldiers
in all the states"