The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-02
MADE 6. Q. P. COME ACROSS FOR WOUNDED
Maj jority in House Had Al lowed Paltry Appropria- tions for Crippled
 Soldiers.

Washington, D. C., August D. President Wilson and Representa- lives Bankhead of Alabama, Sears of Florida. and Donovan of New York and other Democrats of the House won their fight for an increase in the appropriations for the rehabiliti- stion and retraining of disabled sol diers. The Republicans provided the paltry sum of s6,0OO.oOO for the teach ing, maintenance and pay of thous- Rnds of fighting men who were se- verely wounded in France and Bel gium.
 The Vocational Education Board, responsible for the retraining of the disabled soldiers asked for s1S,0OO,- oOo for this important work. Republi- can leaders whittled the estimate to ono-third.
 President Wilson vetoed the bill, saying the appropriation was not ade- quate, and the Democrats forced the House to make the sum S14,oo0,- 900.
 'sT-he disabled soldiers should know" said Representative Bankhead d that 1t was President Wilson and the Democrats of Congress who say ed them from disaster in their. voca- ttonaI re-education."
 Soldiers Debt to Wilson.
 Had it not been for the determfn- alton of the President that these brave fellows, who bore the brunt of the fighting, should not be stinted, thousands of them would be cooling their heels in the reception rooms of vocational education buildings wait ing to get the education due them, and promised them. Tre S14,oO0, 900 is not enough. but it is much better than the s6.0O0,O00 proposed by the Republicans.
 Tho Republicans made a hard fight to keep from being recorded on this proposition, but the Democrats would not let them escape. When compelled to vote for or against the disabled soldier rehabilitation program, many Republicans voted with the Demo crats.
 The original act, approved June 27, 1918. carried an appropriation of s2,OOO,0OO for all purposes, That amount was exhausted by July 1, this year. The Vocational Educational Board, which administers the law. in presenting to the appropriations conl- mittee an estimate of the money re- quired to take care of the expense of retraining the soldiers for the fis- cal year 1919-192O, stated that it was impossible to make an exact esti- mate or the amount required Deca use of the rapidly increasing number of men coming in for training. The com mittee gave s4.OOO,0OO in the Sundry Civil Bill. That was to cover the ex- perse of tuition, medical attention, travel expenses, only $35 being allow ed for subsistence to each man in training and to pay the salaries of the employees of the board.
 More Republican Economy.
 Secretary Glass of the Treasury De- partment had recommended a change in existing laws so that disabled men could be taken over at once by the Federal Board for training, regardless of compensation. Bills carrying that suggestion into effect were introduced and passed without delay. They con- tained a special appropriation of S6,- 900, ,OO0 to pay the support of soldiers while in training at the rate of $50 a month each if single and S10O if married. It was after this act was passed that the S4,000,0 amendment was added to the Sundry Civil Bill.
 By juggling the two propositions the Republican leaders of the House and Senate, in conference, increased tn S4,oOO, 900 appropriation to s6,- 100000 and knocked out the special appropriation of $6,0OO. 900. The net result was to provide the inadequate sum of s6,OOo.0OO for the training, support and full maintenance of 5000 disabled soldiers.
 The Republican majority had thus stranded for the ensuing fiscal year, the great work undertaken by the Federal Board for retraining in useful and productive pursuits many thous- ands of our disabled soldiers Representatives Bankhead, Sears, Donovan and other Democrats ear nestly opposed the adoption of the conference report. MT. Gankhead made a hard fight for the soldiers, but failed.
 The bill as passed contained sever al restrictions as to the salaries to be paid officers and other employees charged with the administration of the law.
 Democrats Secure Increase.
 sSVhis feature of the Republican op- position," said Representative Bank head, was as deadly as the reduc- ton of the appropriation"
 The President vetoed the bill for the very reasons that Representative Bankhad, Sears and Donovan oppos- ed 1t. He said the sum allowed was not large enough, and tue restrictions on officers destructive
 After the veto the Appropriations Committee had new hearings and it developed that the board would have nearly 14,000 disabled soldiers to re train and that it would require $1S,