Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-08-20
ableness of what we ask.

There are those who like to con-
cede that compensation is due aud
even that it should be demanded
but pull up short of admitting that
all service men should receive the
benefits by saying: Give it to the
man who needs it, by all means: but
not to everyone"
There are two fair objections 10
this procedure, the first being that
IT would be impossible to ascertain
who does and does not need compen-
sation. A vast machinery would
have to he set up if there were TO
be courts of inquiry into the Justice
of the claims of actual need of every
service man. Unless such courts
were established, it would be neces-
sary for the service man to come
forward and declare himself in need
and to beg his government to help
him
This brings us to the second OBJ
lection, that this thing is not a mat
ter of charity. 1t is just and fair
compensation, as fair as the compen-
sation paid to the workman who is
injured because of faulty factory
safety devices or to the citizen hurt
in railroad wreck. 1t is not dole,
to be sought like food in a soup-line.
Why put the burden on the service
man to go, hat in hand, and plead
his needs of assistance? We have
seen enough of government bureaus
passing on the service mans need of
help. We have had enough hard
boiled boards, like the one that
handled vocational training, that
looked on applicants as mendicants
"a poor spirited lot" as they
were called.
1t is contended that every man has
not received a setback because of
war service, Very we'll. Let the
man who is no worse off financially,
or who is even better off, forego
asking for compensation. After all,
he must apply for it to get it. Only
one and half million men out of
the four million have applied for the
$50 bonus.
1t is said, in effect, that the serv-
ice man has been asked if he will
take something if it is handed to
him and that, of course, he has said
he will. 1t is declared that we must
distinguish between need" and re
captivity. Again we will admit
there may be men who have not suf-
fered financial loss and who will not
need compensation. Here is the
chance fOr these men to prove them
selves patriots. Let them refuse to
avail themselves of the opportunity
to take compensation.
But some men will not need COM
pensation and will, nevertheless,
take it, says the opponents. This
can not be avoided Even if there
were courts of inquiry such men
probably would be able to satisfy the
judges that they needed help We
might go so far as to suggest here
that these opponents, who want
compensation given only to those
who need it, might do well to ascer-
tain, so far as they can, how many
actually are in need Perhaps they
would be surprised to find how many
service men there are, suffering un-
mplainingly, who are staggering
under the financial burden their war
service imposed.
1t is said that War Risk Insur-
Will take care of the needs of all
former service men. 1t can not but
be admitted that this insurance, as
changed by the government, is a
beneficial aid. 1t is an investment
that every service man should look
into. But It is simply a good invest
ment
What the former service man
needs is not a good investment that
will bring him an endowment 10 or
20 years from now, but present
compensation that will enable him
to get on his feet-to make such in
vestments as this War Risk Insur-
ance, among other things.
1t has been contended that per-
sons who favor compensation resort
TO the sentimental, pointing to the
service man and telling what he suf-
fered, and ranting about the nations
debt of gratitude. 1t is true that
gratitude ever will be a matter of
sentiment. You can not reduce it
to dollars and cents. But this gem
eral charge of sentimentality de-
serves a denial.
We have tried IN leave Out tho