Omaha daily bee., 1920-03-16
The Soldier and the Bonus.

| The Soldier ana the Bonus.
Neigh. Neb., March Ito the
Editor of The Bee: notice in The
Bee of today that tho bonus bill for
soldiers is considered dead by the
powers that be.
/ wonder just how w. p. G., Hard,
ing and the rest of the objectors
think that the American people take
such stun with salt, most likely.
They speak of the great army Of
volunteers it would take to sell these
bonds. And the "rekindling of the
same sort of patriotism" etc. What
/ would say Is, why rekindle this pa
| triotism? Oh, no, let's don't re-
kindle patriotism in the Ameri-
can people. The place to do
that is in those who oppose the
bonus plan, the American people do
not.
But what really meant to say. is
| why Is 1t necessary for them to sell
these bonds? Why not give them
| direct to the soldiers they were in
tended for? j will warrant you that
they will sell then-nuick enough. I
don't think the American bond has
| lost its value yet.
Another thing that will not be
fully understood Is why the Ameri.
| can government is to be endangered
by this issue, when it is richer than
ever in history. Every nation on
earth is the debtor. They talk Of the
Liberty bonds. ] wonder just how
many Of those bonds you would find
where they were sold. Why, most
OF them were sold back to the money
powers before the war was over.
Very few will be found in the Amer
lean home. And why. il the bonds
are so hard to sell, were there such
demand? Every inducement was
offered by banks and business
houses to get them, and they did get
them. The banks and big moneyed
powers would have handled all Of
the Liberty bonds had they been al
lowed. The only reason they were
ever sold to the people was to bring
the war home to them, and as before
said kindle patriotism. And, it's my
belief that these bonds would be in
demand, not hard to sell.
You know before the war the
American soldier was not consid.
cred just the best of the American
citizen. I remember back in 1912
l happened to be on the border. A
lillIO IOWA was dlLdChGu at 4 y CLOCK
in the morning by the Mexicans
Mexican side, and one side was try.
ing to capture it from the other. I
have just forgotten the factions en-
gagged at that time, but when the
firing began the soldiers on the
American side were lined up on the
side of hill; q few bullets came
our way, but that is not the story.
We lay there all day long until late
in the afternoon. While we were
laying there between the Greasers
and the American homes there was
nothing that was too good for u.s.
The women made coffee for us ard
threw their arms around our necks
mot objected toy and begged us not
to let them cross the border. Yes,
they knew the American soldier was
there that day, But when things
had quieted down and everything
was peaceful again and the sentry
again began to pace back and forth
from one telephone post to another,
one eye on the Mexican side, looking
for the Mex. and the other on the
American side, locking for some
more of that coffee. and arms, too,
but, sorry to say, nothing came. No,
the kind people OF that town had
again forgotten the American SOL
dier only when they spoke of him
as 'those damned soldiers" or
crossed the street to keep from pass
ing them. Is this the same express
sion Of gratitude that we have to-
day? Why, the American people
should rise UP i'll body and de-
mand the returned soldier be given
some token of appreciation.
Gnnh q thing would ho on CT
monument to the American govern
ment. For with this bonus most
of them would build homes. In
these homes they would build up a
spirit Of Americanism; their chill
dren and their children's children
would benefit by it. and the story
would be told for years to come. and
the spirit for America, the greatest
country on earth, would be raised by
this little bonus.
There was no haggling or inter-