Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-03-16
COL.T.W. MILLER
OUTLINES POLICYOF
AMERICAN LEGION
Opposed State Bonus Plan. But
Asked That Service Men
&c t Fair Treatment.
MUNICIPAL. AUDITORIUM
UNDER CONSIDERATION

The first anniversary of the American
Legion was celebrated last night at ths
meeting of Delaware Post, No |, in the
Armory, by bringing up two importan,
measures relative to tho proposed uni
versal military training and a proposed
bonus to exservice men. Col. Thomas w
Miller, chairman of the legislative com
rnittce at Washington, upon invitation
addressed the members ON the two
subjects.
There has been so much discus
eion of late on the subject of soldier
legislation that he went into the question
at length to show that tho legion is for
much constructive legislation, such rs
care of the wounded and disabled, at
rtention to the families of the fallen, uni
rersal training, and the deportation OF
|blien slackers, Us we'll as for beneficial
HeN opposed the idea of n
bonus from the State for the ex-service
men.
On the first subject, the efforts of the
national committee to have passed suit
able compensation for men totally or
partially injured in the war, MIR. Miller
told of the difficulties incurred In trying
TO have the Sweet bill passed. This bill
provided for compensation ranging from
N.fV 10 sou fsI tuti Nilt Nttt thStbftd.
When the bill was first presented it did
not pass.
MIR. Miller then told how he called
conference lunch of some of the Senator'S,
one of whom was Senator Smoot. About
the dining table were 20 vacant chairs,
Mr.. Miller said. Later, in the course
"a the meal, these chairs we're filled by
twenty men from the Walter Reed Hos
pital. men who had been disabled in the
war, and who were representatives OF
the 1000 men who were in the hospital
from the same cause.
These men gave testimony as to how
their monthly pay, while in the hospital,
was spent and told of the remunerative
positions they had held before going into
the army The lack of attention by the
! War Risk Insurance Bureau and the No-
beational Board was shown when repre-
sentatves of the organizations stated
that they had never been TO the hospital,
which is only twenty minutes ride from the
heart of Washington.
Mr. Miller said that thirty-six hours
after the dinner. the SweetIbill was passed.
He also told of the work of the committee
in requesting" undesirable aliens, who
had given up their first papers to avoid
having to serve during the war, to leave
the country.
There were 10, 200, 900 mon in the draft.
Col. Miller said. Sixty-three per cent
of these men claimed exemption; 4 SOC. 900
of these claimants were married. Those
who went into the service left Jobs paying
500 or more month, besides their wife
and families, TO take Job paying $50
q month. Money for their allotment and
probably Liberty Bonds was deducted,
leaving about $40 q month for themselves.
Their neiphbor continued to stay at
home with his job paying 1925 to $3.50
month and lived well. To the first man
there was an average lots of 5000 a year,
while the man who was not in the service
managed to save an average of Sio0 8 year.
The ex-servicc men are not asking for the
bonus to sec the government spend money,
Mr.. Miller said. During the is months of
war the government Of this country spent
billions and now it does not seem fair
that they should economize on the ex-
service man.
During the war the man who was in
the service knows that his brother or sister
who was In civil service received a bonus of
$50 a month. Col. Miller said that the
service mans family needed that bonus
just as badly, if not worse, than the civil
sefvice empioye.
MILITARY POLICY.
Col Miller emphasized the demand of
the Legion throughout the country for
permanent military policy that will
enable the country to .facd any possible
emergency In the future fully prepared
to act and avoid the losses and suffefings
that resulted from the lack of prepared
ness in 1917.
In outlining the attitude Of the Ameri- |
can egion on the bonus proposition. |
Col. Miller said: This matter affects /
the pocketbooks AMI meets with opposi- /
tion. That is natural even though the /
sacrifices of the men who made possible
the victory in this war are forgotten.
But were it not for the American forces
who stemmed the tide of the war and
brought about the conclusion in November
instead Of the following spring the war
would have cost the country billions of
dollars more than they are asked to give
in this bonus. > BE told Of the privations
that the families OF those in service suffer
ed.
UNIVERSAL TRAINING URGED
''France, which is badly disrupted as
the result OF the war, appreciates now
what war is Col Miller said. eve |
who basked in Ignorance before the war
still continue to bask In the. same bower
of ignorance, The Legion, which approved
OF the compulsory training bin at the
convention, feels that even
tually this country will realize the need
of such law that viii make the young
men during the ages of IS, 10 and 20
wears spend four months each year in
training or enlist In the National Guard
for three years. The members of the
Legion know the folly Of national unpre-
paredness for war for there were men sent
10 the front who could hot even put
clip IN their rife. These men were really
and the American people were
the ultimate murderers just because of
insufficient preparedness, If this coun-