Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-04-10
SOLDIERS BONUS
NOW BIC ITEM
congressman Trying to Justly
Their Position While Pension
Appropriation Debate is on
BY w. s. MANN.
(Copyl ght. 1920. by The Washing
ton Starr

gressmen who have been chatting un-
der the belief that they were not get
| ting n square deal In the public mind
due to snap judgement because the So
called soldiers bonus" has not been
passed are endeavoring to justify their
position while the annual pensions
appropriation bill is under debate in
the House.
Former Speaker Joseph G.. Cannon,
who is chairman of the subcommittee
IN charge of the pension bill. in re-
porting this measure for the first time
marshalled into one startling array
all the appropriations for the benefit
OF the veterans of all the wars. show
ing that Uncle Sam is already obli
gated to spend something like $751;
900, 900 during the next year in sol
der relief work. He emphasizes this
}by comparing 1t with the total of all
expenses of the government for the
fiscal year 1916. which was S724,492,-
999.
The pension bin carries an appro-
priation of S214,020 600. Represcn-
tative Cannon. in speaking on this
mea sure, pointed out that the Fuller
bill to increase Civil War pensions.
and the bill to pension Spanish war
and Philippine insurreetion veterans,
both of which have already passed the
House, would add respectively $685.
600.
| The maintenance of national SOL
diers' homes costs Uncle Sam $5,274,-
1000, and state and territorial soldiers
homes add another million dollars.
Representative Cannon and other
prominent members who have made
speeches on the pension bill seem to
think that pension legislation and
/ pension expenditures by any other
name are pension expenditures just
| the same, and so they have added TO
the pension total certain other large
items for the care of veterans from
the world war.
The bureau of war risk insurance
estimates that the amount -equired
for compensation for death aud dis
ability during the fiscal year 1921, in
cuding care of the insane, medical
: examinations, artificial limbs etc. will
tbe $197,S65.600. They point out that
the bureau of war risk insurance is
doing for the world war veterans the
/ same sort of service that the pension
! bureau has been doing for the sur
lvivors of ali other wars. 1t also costs
about s12,000,000 for administrative
lexpenses of this bureau.
Then the public health service has
estimaA that the sum of S10,000,0OO
will be Gequired for the care and
maintenance of war risk insurance
lD0llenIS IN lnc lOSPtlfliS OL liAt PuIAA-
health service during the fiscal year
I1921. The public health service has
estimated before another House. COM
mittee that $9O,000.000 will be re-
quired for building hospitals for sur
lvivors of the American participation
/ in the world war
The federal board of vocational
education has estimated that 1t will
cost fully 1926, 100000 during the
| fiscal year 1921 for the vocational re-
habilitation of soldiers. sailors and
marines who may apply for and re-
lceive such training.
so that congressman making
speeches on this legislation bring OUT
the fact that by laws already passed
lUncle Sam has obligated himself to
pay out next year for care of those
who won Americas wars a grand total
of $73200O,000, which is more than
| all the expenses of government In
1916.
Members of congress. who are anx-
ious that their constituents should
! see the whole picture of what con-
| gress has done for the soldiers, In
| order that congress may not be
blamed hastily for not having done
more, and sooner, point out that III
these figures for 1921 do not appear
two features of existing law which
have caused large expenditures dur
|
vision of the war risk insurance act
| granting family allowances to bene-
! fciaries of soldiers will cease to be
| oDeratiy four months after the termi-
nation of the war, so that the amount
which may be required for this pur-
pose during the fiscal year 1921 will
| he relatively small. The total dis
! bursements under this provision 10
! March 20, 1920, however. have been
las follows: Army s222,751, 1887;
navy $40. .562.07: marine corps So
ilG4,S23.9S, and coast guard S1.577,511.-
| 13-making a grand total of S26l ,ZO4,-
i022.45. 1t is estimated that any pay
ments under this head during the first
few months Of the coming fiscal year
may bring this up to $275,O0O.0oO to
, S280,000,000.
The other big expenditure has been
in carrying out the act approved Feb
ruary "a, 1919. authorizing the pay
mont of a bonus OF $50 to persons
serving in the world war,--which IL ~
estimated will total $256.239, 500.
Some amounts will have to be paih
during the fiscal year 1921 to persons
discharged from the army, navy, ma
rine corps and coast guard during
that year The disbursements by the
war department to November 30, 1919,
aggregate S211,797 900 and il is es-
Itimated that this sum viii be increased
to 1926, 900 by June 80, 1920. The
disbursements of the navy department
to date approximate $24,000.000 and
il is estimated that approximately
$1,SOO,0O0 will be required to COM
plete such payments TO the navy per-
sonnel The disbursements Of the
marine corps to date have been ap-
proximately S3,500,G0 and ii is es-
timated that approximately 100000
more will be required. The disburse-
ments of the coast guard have been
s24S.220 and 1t is estimated that SOL
$50 additional will have to be paid.
Severe criticism from some sections,
much of it inspired by propaganda,
against congress for not promptly pass
ing a big service bonus has gotten
under the skin" OF many members.
They now point out to the country
that the of record Of congress I'm caring
for all the wars who fell by the way
side is an earnest that congress can
be depended upon. Representative
Cannon in his report shows the amount
paid to pensioners from 1890 to 1918.
as follows: Revolution. $4,000, 600;
war of 1912, s'6.04926S: Indian wars,
$I6,7O5.750.41; war with Mexico. $52,-
9O6. .295: Civil war. s5.299. $50. .509.39:
war with Spain and Philippine insurrec
ton s65,2I1.665.71: regular estab-
lishment. S50.242. 1909: war of 1917
<a7 oTF 9Q and uncia S<tffad SIG 502