The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-02-23
% M The Year TWek Abbeve Monday February g. 1920
ST a DAY BONUS
PLAN FAVORED
BY CONGRESS

Washington, Feb. 10. Members
of Congress are plainly disturbed by
the four-plank beneficial legislative
program put forward yesterday by
the American Legion. They all de-
sire to do everything within their
power to make the former service
men contented and convinced that
the country is not unmindful of its
obligations to them, but they shrink
from the financial consequences of
undertaking to carry out the legion's
program in any substantial degree.
The program determined upon by
the legion, with action by Congress
demanded within sixty days, is as
follows:
First-Land settlement projects
covering all states.
Second-Home aid to encourage
the purchase of either rural or city
homes by ex-sevice persons.
Vocational education for
Jail ex-service men.
Fourth-Adjustment of compensa-
ton of extra pay based on length OF
service.
While the former soldier will be
required to take his choice between
these four forms of aid, and most Of
them will favor the fourth, which is
commonly spoken of as bonus, it
was calculated today by a member OF
the House that it would take any
where from s2,OOO,OOO,OOo to $685.
900, 100000 to carry out the four
forms of aid. The concensus of opin-
ion was that fourplank plan was
therefore incapable of realization.
Members who are convinced that
something should be done for the
former service men expressed the
opinion that the outcome would be a
cash bonus at the rate of a dollar
day for each day of service.
Johnson Favors Cash Plan
"Opinion in Congress in solidify-
ing in favor of giving the boys a
cash bonus of a dollar for each day
of SERVICE" said Representative
Royal Johnson, of South Dakota,
who enlisted as a private during the
war and advanced to the rank of
first lieutenant. ''I rather expect to
see that plan adopted. The money
could be raised by bond issue. The
expert financial opinion is that it
would do better to make the conpen-
sation in the form of cash derived
from a bondissue than to give the
bonds directly to the beneficiaries, as
favored by the executive committee
of the Legion. Bonds directly issued
in small denominations would pass
from hand to hand so readily and
freely that such an issue would be
equivalent to Initiating the currency
by the required amount, which on the
dollar-a-day basis would be between
Isl ,4OO,OOO,OOO and $1,800,0O0,OOO.
"The condition of the Treasury
and the financial condition of the
country generally is such that the
present session of Congress at least
would not be justified in doing more
than acting on the fourth plank of
the Legion's program in the manner
l have Indicated"
Representative Frank W. Mondell,
of Wyoming, Republican floor leader
in the House, who believes that the
situation in such that nothing on a
large scale can be safely done in the
way of soldiers beneficial legislation
at present, discussed the problem
largely on the assumption that most
of the former soldiers would prefer
"adjusted compensation" if they
were to have their choice thus re-
ducing the financial load to minimum
and involving an outlay Of from ST.
up to $2,O00,00O,000,
according to the rates of compensa-
tic n most generally favored.