The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-06-03
THE BONUS AND THE 5.5.
/. J. .:.., YOUNG SOLDIER

ii. I. .. YOUNG SOLDIER
| CONTINUED from Page One.) Y
Legion Eve are not come together
to get something out Of the govern.
ment, but to put ething into 1t. "
No matter. IA The smoke had hardly
blown away from Appomatox before
the first pension bill was enacted into
llaw-the first "easy money" went to
those ex-soldiers. Surely 1t was nice
and comfortable" and it had come
without half trying. Therefore, why
not do it again.? "The country owes
it to u.s. said they. ''The gov'm'nt is
rich---why. should we not be taken
care of-didn't we save the Union?
Can we be paid for that? No, sir;
not if we had all the money in the
U. s. treasury So they went after
it again, and yet again-under the
guidance and tutilage Of shrewd poll
ticians who made each additional
pension law means of securing
Office and Of feathering their own
nests through getting the soldier
vote" IT, IL 49,. .g5.... ~:
This sort of, thing went on continu-
ally, until even in the days Of Benny
Harrison, more than thirty years after
the war was won, private pension bills
absorbed more presidential energy
than any other class Of legislation. !.
Real patriots among the G. A. R.
and there were plenty of them-hung
their heads in shame as they came to
realize that the order, organized, 50
far as they were concerned, in 3
spirit of patriotic self-sacrifice, had
become by-word and a Kissing or
ganization which had degenerated
into a group Of mendicants and
grafters on the government.
The G. A: r. was grand and noble
organization in the main. Most Of
it's members were true Americans.
Many of those who, fell for the PEN
sion scandals were .misled and did not
sense the ultimate consequences not
only to the country, but to them
selves, Of the successive raids they
made on the treasury. But twas
themselves that suffered the dirsst,
most far.rsachins and disastrous com
sequences; for ON the altar Of easy
money they had inundated their own
fine character. ~. {. ~ ~ y
Glance, Now, Into the Future. e..
When those young members Of the
C. A.. r. asked, with seemingly un-
.answerable finality: "Can we be paid
for that?" and made the first raid
on. the treasury, they missed the cor
rect answer They should have said:
"No;,, money cannot repay us. We
are well repaid now in the : only
adequate currency, the consciousness
of priceless service rendered" Then
had they gone their way to carve out
their own futures by, force Of an un-
sullied record, they would have pre-
served intact their glorious tradi-
,tions.. Yet, even so, they had more
justification for their actions than
have the service boys Of 1920. For
in, 1865 there; was no liberal insur-
ance provision suchyas obtains today.
But the price they paid in character,
in becoming sniveling mendicants,
,bartering their, independence for a
few monthly dollars from their coun-
try, was, except in the cases OF dis
i5ility which always justifies the &C.
ceptance of the most liberal aid the
country can give man, too high a
price to pay. n H..
This thought is gaining lodgment
in the minds Of many members Of the
American Legion-young patriots
who have not yet forgotten the high
purpose with which they bound
themselves together Ito put some
thing into the government" The
thought is instructive in most cases
Just the straight-thinking impulse Of
the practical idealism of unspoiled
young Americans. May it not be
worth while to note in the light OF
history 50 recent as to be within the
memories of men still young that
the instinct is true and their repug-
nance to any idea Of payment for
their devotion to their country is
solidly founded on the immutable
laws Of humanity? J., .>z* =. y;
"a To provide the bonus would cost
the MISUNDERSTANDING the soldiers
themselves-an immense amount OF
money-money which can i'll be gath
cred and paid at this time or in the
immediate future, but It: would cost
~, = E,ac;n;o,fs S;yfinitolv more 20 Z. b. y