Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1920-07-30

If the nation did not care to COM
pensate us we never would unbend
enough to ask.
The Legion could have said: Yes
the nation does owe something to
the former service man, but the ma
ton is upset now. The service man
has proved he is patriotic and he
will not embarrass the country by
asking it to pay him.
Or: 1--WE love our country and
we can not ask it for anything. We
want to give, not take
Beautiful sentiments! How every
one would have applauded our de-
cision! The American Legion-ah,
yes, the boys who fought but scorned
to ask What wonderful idealists
they are!
That would have been the easier
way out. But there were too many
grim facts in the way to permit us
to take that path.
Weighing these facts and balanc-
ing them against the more delightful
fancies l have just enumerated, the
Legion could do nothing but decide
it must go after compensation; ask
for it and ask in no uncertain tone.
Congress made us ask; very we'll, we
have done so, believing the justice of
our claims will assure success.
AS I have said, this was not an
easy decision. 1t was made only
after the Legion leaders had looked
deep and considered carefully. They
got all the facts and weighed all the
evidence and then took what their
hearts and heads told them was the
right course.
Some of our fellow-citizens have
not so carefully decided They have
leaped at the easier solution They
think the Legion has erred in asking
for payment of the debt to the ex-
service man. Some of these citizens
are former service men and women
themselves and members of the
American Legion.
If they knew all the facts it seems
certain they would decide as the Lee
gion as a whole has decided-that
the country does owe something and
should pay it; and that, since the
necessity arose, the Legion did right
| to ask for payment. 1t is only fair
they should be given these facts.
What about the bonus?" you for
mer service men are asked.
Tell the inquirer, first, that this is
not bonus" you seek. it is Just
anG fair compensation Tell hi n
what you want and why you want K;
A great many former service men
do not even know what the proposed
plan of compensation is. Perhaps in
their hearts they believe loyal Amer
leans always should give and never
take. So the Legion leaders thought
until they heard all the evidence.
Arguments against compensation
have been spread broadcast The
real situation frequently has been
misrepresented, either through mali
ciousness or through ignorance Too
much stress has been laid on the
cash compensation feature AS a
matter of fact it is realized this is
the least desirable to the service
man and to the country. 1t is fairly
assumed that a majority of former
service men and women will choose
one of the other three forms of com
pensation. But opponents of COM
pensation have croaked at the raid
on the treasury as typified by the
issuance of bonds to former soldiers
They have conveniently forgotten
the benefits of land settlement, home
aid and vocational training, not on,u
to the service man but to the coun-
try as we'll
You have been told payment of
compensation would wreck the coun-
try? Have you ever heard the an
swer to this? Have you ever pom
dered that four months of the war
would have cost the country as much
as the whole compensation program
will cost and that the money would
have been raised, somehow, without
"wrecking" the country?
You have been told it was un-
patriotic to ask for compensation.
Have you questioner the motives and
the connections of the man who told
you this? Now patriotic was he?
The arguments advanced against
your interests have been legion, and
they have been wrought by shrewd
minds. They are all answerable, and
you should know the answers.