New-York tribune., 1920-02-02
Legislative Committee Pre-
parcs for Vigorous Cam
paign as D'Olier Names
Men to Formulate Plan
TO Meet on February 10
Bonus Idea in Disfavor;
Morgan Measure Would
Require 10 MillionDollars
Wew York Tribune
We hj,t1sou Pffrxuti

''i' i'S'slatlVe committee or the Amcrl-
can Legion said to-day that the hard
drive being made all along the line for
curta'ment Of Federal appropriations
would IN no way deter the Legion from
vigorously demanding from Congress
carly inauguration of a land develop
ment and home aid project for the
benefit OF ex-soldiers. At the same
tune announcement was made of the
appointment by Commander D'Olier OF
Tie Lcglon's committee on land and
nome aid, IN compliance with a rcsolu-
tlon adopted at the Minneapolis con-
vontlon. This committee includes Al
bert Spraguc. Chicago David p. Bar
rows, San Francisco; Galloway Harri-
son, Little Rock, and Gilbert Beetman,
Cincinnati
The committee will meet in Indian
apols on February l to formulate the
outlines Of scheme Of land settlement
and other aid that will be satisfactory
to former service men. When this is
done the Legislative committee, which
maintains permanent offices in Wash
irgton, will start q vigorous campaign
10 put it through Congress.
Bonus Plan in Disfavor
Although there is much sentiment
among Legion members in favor of
liberal cash bonus for al service men, in
Heu Of all other plans for their benefit
and reward, it is regarded as certain
That the newly appointed committee
will reject all cash payment sugges-
tions. Indeed the Minneapolis con
vertion ignored the bonus idea, bet did
declare in favor Of direct loans to- lor
mer service men for the purchase OF
both arm and city homes, as we'll as
N avor Of reclamation and development
pro iects by direct governmental action
and through "lOans Of government
credit"
Many Legion men think the require
ments of the Federal aid plank adopted
at Minneapolis are satisfactorily met
by the Morgan bill, and there is evi-
IDENTIFY widespread propaganda in its
behalf This bill makes it possible for
every one Of the 4 900 900 odd eX-serVicc
mon to borrow $1,000 from The govern
ment to buy 4 Cit or farm homestead,
and has no reclamation provision what
ever, though the government corpora
tion tha. is to administer the act is
empowered to purchase tracts of farm
land to subdivlde into farms and of
suburban land to subdivlde and i'm
prove.
If every service man were immed-
ately to avail himself Of the privileges
of the Morgan bill, in the event that it
became law, it would require the ex-
penditure Of SIG 5000 100000. which
would be paid off in the course of
sixty years, with interest at 3la per
cent per annum. The ball is to be
started rolling with an Appropriation
Of Sl00,000.000, and be kept rolling
through guaranteed bond issues, Sc
cured by the mortgages OF lands or
homes, and the Secretary of the Treas
ury Is required to purchase not more
than $50 100000 of such bonds yearly
When 90 per cent of the loan has been
repaid the beneficiary may sell hIs
property subject to the mortgage.
Morgan Bill Believed Doomed
The land settlement and home aid
committee probably will reject the
Morgan bill, but on the other hand it
also viii reject the Mondell bin. LONG
SINCE favorably reported by the House
Public Lands Committee, which is a
reclamation measure pure and simple.
and Will likely adopt COMPROMISED
1avorlng the reclamation scheme with
some llberalizing notifications for the
farm side and a city home aid scheme
that will be much more conservative
than the Morgan plan The committee
probably will ignore all suggestions
for promiscuous loans for individual
farm purchases and will require ser
vice men desiring farm homes to take
lands in the reclamation projects.
which will be distributed throughout
the country on tracts large enough to
create considerable communities.
In answer to the economy cry tho
legion will urge that the reclamation
projects are economically sound, in
that they are essentially productive
and will add vast wealth to the ma
TONS resources and that. therefore,
moneys spent on them Will not promote
imitation, and further that they can be
financed as the work progresses with
bond issues, so that the original appro-
priations will not be excessive The
man who wants q city home will re-
ceive limited opportunity under the
plan likely to be favored, but Will have
nothing like the assistance of the man
who pioneers and makes farm.