Republican farmer., 1919-12-19
NO ACTION HAS
 BEEN TAKEN ON
 VETS LAND BILL
Democrats Intend to Force Action With Bill Of
 Their Own

Washington. D. C., Dec. 18-Near-
 Iy seven months have passed since |, the extra session of Congress con
 vened and the prospect of practical
 recognition of the claims of the sol
 diers, sailors and marines for work
 done in the World War is still as ne
 bulous as ever, Secretary of the In
 terior Lanes soldier farm measure
 held back in the previous Congress
 by the Republicans and re-christened
 the Mondeu bill-is still in a state of
 coma, and all attempts of the Demo
 crats to inject the breath of life into
 it have been discouraged
 So the Democrats in the House of
 Representatives took the initiative
 and passed a soldiers land bill of
 their own, marking the first con
 Structive measure of the kind to be
 approved by either House of Con- gress. The bill, which was introduced by Representative Scott Ferris (Dem- ocrat) of Oklahoma, was fathered in his absence by Representative Ed ward T. Taylor (Democrat) of Colo rado. It provides that when any land is thrown open to settlement l within the next two years, soldiers, sailors and marines will be given preferential filing rights for the first 50 days.
 This practically means that ali the land described will be settled by the men who fought for Uncle Sam in the big conflict
 In the course of the debate pre- ceding the passage of the bill Rep resentative Taylor and W. B. Bank head (Democrat) of Alabama, goad- ed Republican leaders for their in ability disinclination to do some thing for the fighting men.
 ''I do not know, in the long run, whether this Congress is going to pass any affirmative legislation for | the benefit of the service men or not, but I do say in Justice to them, that 1 this Congress ought to exercise it's | power and its responsibility either i to pass some legislation of that char 1 acter or to announce to them and the l country that 1t proposes not to pass l it, said MT. Bankhead
 l In an effort to speed up legisIa Hon 1 affecting ex-service men, Democratic i leaders introduced into the House d l resolution providing for special l committee of IS members to pass
 upon all such proposed legislation. l As things now stand, the bills are 1 scattered among more than a half l dozen committees with no facilities l provided for the harmonizing of all ! the various ideas into a small num- 1 Der of comprehensive compact bills. | The sole measure in the interest of | ex-Serv1ce men, now ready for pass 1 age is the Lane or MondeH bill which 1 provides for the reclamation of arid
 cut-over or swamp lands by ex-sol- diers. It was introduced early in the 1 special session on recommendation of l the President in special message 1 and has been on the House calendar | awaiting action since August 1.
 The Mondell bill lies dormant, ii l not dead, upon the calendar" con- tinued Representative Bankhead q heard a distinguished member of the 1 Senate, high in authority inS that l body, a Republican, say casually ir l the Senate restaurant, when the l Presidents message came in, in con- nection with the renewed recommen- dation for the passage of the Mondel l bill, that it was idle for the President
 to make any recommendation in re- gard to that bill for 1t was as dead l as a red herring. It seems to be SO so far as any action here in this House or any effort of the majority
 to put 1t upon its passage is concern
 ed And, bear in mind that this is 1 the only bill ready for passage
 framed in the interest of the ex-ser- vice man."
 Representative Bankhead closed his expose with the flat demand thai
 the Republican majority quit mark ing time and take some sort of ac- l ton on the bills so the country may | knnU Whara sfo opdG