New-York tribune., 1920-02-12
Legion Asks
1000 Million
In Bonuses
Wants Direct Bond Issue,
10 Be Distributed on a
Basis of $50 for Each
Month of S ervice
Special Dispatch to The Tr;buu.

L
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. u.-Reversine
the posAion taken at the organization
caucus at st. Louis and refusing longer
to leave with confidence to the Con-
gress the discharge of this obligation"
as the Minneapolis convention put it,
the executive committee of the Ameri-
can Legion has come out fatfootcdly
for adjusted compensation" for SER
vice men in the iate war, amounting to
more than 81 ,0OO,00O,000. This amount
is to be distributed on the basis Of one
$50 bond OF new issue for every
month of service.
The Legion might have maintained
its confidence shat Congress would
eventually do the right thing without
the submission to it of a concrete de-
mand if it had not been for the action
of the Democratic caucus OF the House
and. certain Republican leaders in de-
clarlng against universal military
training, which the Legion emphati-
cally supports. This action, following
the long delay and alleged "side step
ping" in dealing with the soldiers land
settlement bills, brought matters to a
head, and at the meeting here Tuesday
afternoon the exc :utive committee -
having the day before sent the Demo
cratic caucus q futile protest against
declaration against universal train
lng-unanimousy voted to put the ad-
Justment of compensation, or bonus. AS
it was formerly called, up to Congress
in definite form.
To Force Decision by Congress
Action by the Legion was preceded
by report of Thomas w. Miller,
chairman of the legislative commit
tee, that it was useless for the Legion
to expect any action from the present
Congress. The answer to this report
was the decision to force Congress to q
ciear-cut decision on the bonus propo-
sition, and if it. is to be denied, to have
the denial made in: the opeAs with the
responsibility clearly fixed.
Commander Franklin D'Olier will be
in Washington Monday, when he is ex-
pected to announce the membership of
the committee charged with the task
of putting the adjusted compensation
demand through Congress. AS the
members of the committee dispersed
the talk was that the idea of keeping
the Legion out of politics was impos-
sible, and that the former service men
can get their deserts only by bringing
most direct form of pressure.
1t is intended to deal with Congress
on the compensation matter by state
delegations. Legion representatives
from each state will go to Washing
ton, whittier several of them went di-
rectly from indianapolis land will ask
their respective state delegations to
meet them and individually define their
positions. Members of Congress will
cepted and that the Legion must have
action before che national political con-
ventions meet-that under no circum-
stances will it agree to postponement
of action until next fall or after cleo
ton. Similar action will be taken in
regard to universal military training
and the soldiers land settlement pro-
jects.
Expect Strong Opposition
The Legion fully recognizes the op-
position it will encounter from finan-
ciers and economists in proposing that
the bonded Indebtedness of the country
be increased by the colossal sum of
,900,000,000, which is more than twice
war, but it is convinced that adjust
ment of compensation to that extent
is nothing more nor less than plain
justice.
According to members of the execu-
tive committee, there is deplorably
bitter feeling among ex-service men
everywhere that they were treated
meanly during the war and that al
ready the disposition in Congress is to
do nothing substantial to compensate
them for the economic sacrifice they
Owing to insurance and allotment
deductions from pay during the war,
the service men say that the nation
made them carry their own personal
and family war risks, left them penni-
less all the time they were in the army
while those at home were getting rich.
and then let them come home to shift
for themselves with only $50 to go on,
and set them back in the competition
of civil life by the time and equivalent
earnings of the months they were in
service. They have been consulting
banking statistics and find the average
States increased more than $40O during
the war They take this fact as conclu-
sive evidence that the men who stayed
at home bettered their position very
substantially during the war, while the
service men suffered setback.
The executive committee ascertained
that the Legion was more than $780,
900 in debt, the deficit being largely
attributed to the cost of publishing the
American Legion Weekly, and it was
voted to retire the whole management
and staff of the Weekly on February 13
and appoint committee of advertising
and EDITORIAL experts to decide the sort
Of publication with which to replace
the present one.
TJ.L p..:E C,,Aror