The Carlisle independent., 1920-03-25
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
lBy J. F. Jona ]
The E.x-Sddiers And Washin gton

Congress appears to be taking it's time with the proposals to grant addi- tional bounties to soldiers and sailors who served in the World War. Again and again the question is asked,
 Where are we going to get tre mon ey to pay out $2,0OO,0OO,OoO to these former soldiers?" Representative trear of Wisconsin, has answered the question by saying: "If it was a question of raising $2,000, ,000,00O to pay the expenses of a going war no one would stop to ask where the mon ey was coming from" Confronted by surdensome taxes and never-ending complaints about war extravagances Congress has reached the point where the advocates of economy and the watch dogs of the Treasury are popu- lar Every effort iS being made to prevent the bills providing soldier hounties from being adopted upon by Congress.
 When the war enthusiasm was at it's height the men who answered the
 
 on the back everywhere. Secretary of the Interior Lane proposed wor- thy plan to provide lands upon which returning soldiers might build homes for the future. The homestead law at the close of the Civil war had served as boon to the men who had been in that war, and at the same time it had performed miracles in de- yeloping the resources of the Nation. Whether there was too much laSSitude among cur young men Tn accepting the Lane proposal to give them farms we do net know, but at any event the scheme was abandoned.
 Other proposals of the Government to provide jobs for soldiers and to furnish vocational education for the wounded have met with gratifying success. There are no longer any un- employed soldiers-at least none who are willing to work. The wounded men have been very carefully taken in hand, and as they have qualified tor trade and work they have been supplied with employment. Still an other proposal gives Civil Service pre- ference in clerical and other positions in public employment, but this has fallen pretty fat, since the policy of Jnele Sam as m employer of persons m evil duty has been quite similar to that Of private institutions that have immense war plants and with no war in progress they have been com pelled to shut up shop. Many thou sands Of war workers who came to homes. At one time 1t was estimated that there were 10000 clerks em- ployed in Washington What the number now Is the writer does not know, but real friends of the United States Government who are familiar with Washington conditions believe that about 5 900 employees would be a sufflciency. The War Department is preparing to dispense with the ser vices of approximately 10000 clerks on July 1. The War Risk Bureau has already made big slash. Many of the special boards and divisions ere ated for the War, notably the Food Administration have practically pass ed out of existence. But in other lines the Government evinces 9 big natural growth, and among the most active in- stitutions at the present time are the Census Bureau, Federal Trade Com mission, Federal Reserve Bank and the Department of Justice. This latter in stitution had been given tremendous problems connected with tae war, and nearly everything that comes up is Ere ferred to MT. Palmer"