The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1920-05-13

Corporation shows that $1,580,889,-
1861 was disbursed for the year
ending November 80, 1919.
In addition the Government ad-
vanced money to finance corporations
doing strictly war work. The War
Credits Board took care of this. The
total amount advanced comes to
1855, ,568.19. This money was
'lent at interest that averaged 5 " per
cent secured by adequate collateral.
Of course, the Navy Department
made other loans, and so did the
Shipping Board.
A fixed price on wheat was guar
anteed to the farmer, and wage in
creases were pledged to railroad
workers and miners. Civil Service
employees got $50 month bonus to
help meet the h. C. of !. Nor was such
help withdrawn when the war ended.
The work ofthe War Claims Board
since the Armistice has been to COM
promise contracts with manufacture
ers and clean up on war business. Up
to March 81 of this year, $2,528,625,-
900 in contracts were liquidated at
$32O,216,000. The manufacturers
have been compensated, in total, 13
per cent of what they would have re-
ceived if they had gone ahead and
filled their contracts.
Thus it will be seen that the war
was largely matter of dollars and
cents, and that in those cases where
the interests of patriotic war workers
had to be financially safeguarded, the
Government never hesitated to come
to their aid, to be waiting for them
in many cases with help, ready to ex-
tend the assistance when the war was
over in others.
Is it odd, then, that the service man
has asked if he, too, is entitled to
financial compensation? Or did it
happen that the fighter underwent
some strange metamorphosis that put
him beyond either share or interest
in financial rewards?
We have seen how others were
compensated and rewarded. 1t must
be admitted the service man suffered
real disadvantages that compensation |
can partly balance. There is no dan
ger that the compensation can be in
full; this would bankrupt the nation.
The service man who takes the stand |
that he will not sell his self-satisfac-
ton at having served need not fear;
it is not possible for the Government
to pay him for all he has done. But
this is no reason part of the debt
should not be paid.
1t has been shown that the service
man suffered a disadvantage while he
was in the service. Wages were at a
peak. In the professions and the
.rades, the demand far exceeded the
supply, with the natural happy con-
sequences for those who were at
home and able partly to meet the de-
nand. A new crop of millionaires-
some $4,000 of them-sprang up
while the war was on. Corporations,
we showed you last week profited as
hey never had before. The service
nan lost heavily by not being in a
position to participate in this spree
If money-making.
You must add to this loss the dis
advantages the service man suffered
after he got out of service to get the
sum total of his sacrifices. In some
cases the disadvantage was shortly
overcome. In some, it never can be
overcome. Perhaps one year is fair
average of the length of time, after
leaving service, in which the service
man was at a disadvantage.
Even the mental attitude of the
nan who went back to his old job
against him, at first. A
great many men found their old work
trivial after dealing with raw life and
leath on the battlefield. 1t took most