Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-02-05
Many Returning Veterans Plan
Entry as Candidates Next
Year; Would Help Shape Flu
ture Military Legislature.
TO DEMAND PREPAREDNESS
However, Difficulties Forecast
ed in Fighters Controlling
Soldier Vote; Obligations to
Present Solons a Barrier.
Capital News Special servicc.)

Washington, Feb. 5. - Expressions
from returning soldiers indicate that
some Of them. If not many, are COM
ing back with ambitions to take an
ACTIVE hand in the management Of the
government, and there Is no question
that In large number of COMPRESSION
al districts In the United States there
will be soldier candidates next year.
Some say they wish to take seats in
congress in order TO help shape mill
tary legislation that will save this
Country from the helpless and humili-
ating predicament In which It found
itself on April 6, 1917, when war was
declared They demand preparedness
end they demand adequate provisions
for the men who went to the front and
fought in the war Just closed or who
showed Willingness to fight by en-
listing or accepting the draft without
objection The military affairs com
mittee Of the house will have to be
greatly enlarged II all the soldiers are
elected who arc now getting ready TO
run for congress, with the one idea In
view of planting themselves on that
committee.
Their success in the congressional
Gus interest, and an insight as to all
the service now being performed by
present members of congress for SOL
diers leads to the thought that it may
be difficult for any soldier candidate
to control all of the soldier vote.
OBLIGATED TO SoLoNS.
To begin with, many of the men who
saw service in the war are obligated
to their representatives in congress for
the opportunity. Many who were re-
jected for service were finally admit
ted through the personal influence of
their representatives in congress. and
1t is through the same influence that
thousands of them are obtaining their
early discharges. There is not single
member of congress from Oregon,
Idaho or Washington up to this time
who has handled less than 1000 appli-
cations for discharges, and in one or
two districts, for example the district
of Representative Sinnott of Oregon,
the number of these applications may
reach 1000 or 5000. Mr.. Sinnott has
given every one of these cases personal
attention, to the point that most of his
time is occupied with taking care of
lbOlultIS NdIlS REPRESENTATIVES, nav =
ley and Macarthur of Oregon and
French and Smith of Idaho are devot-
ing only little less of their time and
energies to the same work in behalf
of the boys in uniform, so the question
which naturally arises is: will not
most of the veterans of this war who
have asked and obtained such whole
hearted services feel too deeply in
debted to the present member of con-
grss to turn him down even for
comrade?
SEMI-LoYALISTS TO GO.
But there is one thing sure, and that
is that the member of congress who
cast any unsatisfactory votes on war
measures will have to give way to a
soldier next year. The boys are COM
Ing back loaded for these fellows. A
few representatives who failed to go
down the line for the war won out
last November. but it is safe to say
that their further tenure of office will
be brief when the boys get home.
which will be before the elections of
1920.
The first definite announcement OF
any soldier candidate is that of Cap
tain r. *. Brown of Ellensburg, Wash.
who arrived here from France n few
days ago and Immediately announced
his candidacy for congress newt year
in the Third Washington district, to
succeed DR.. ]. w. Summers of Walla
Walla. who takes office on March T.
The outcome OF that contest next year
depends to large extent on the manner
In which DR.. Summers makes good
with his constituents when he gets