The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1921-06-23
IBONuS MEASURE
WILL Be PASSED
CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS HAVE
. so ASSURED sPokEsMEN OF
: SOLDIER ORGANIZATIONS.
WHY The LEGION URGED IT
Men Returned From Active Service to
Find Others Who Avoided It Hold
ina the Good Positions-Field Off.
GERS Don't Participate.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.

WIZ SS' - s'~'T~~s
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.
Washington. - Several spokesman
for the ex-service men have pleaded
the cause of bonus legislation before
the special committee Of the senate
appointed to give the subject consid-
Grafton. The meetings have been ex-
'ecutive and therefore secret.
: I'm a general way 1t is known THAI
congressional leaders, irrespective OF
party or of the sections of the country
which they represent, have given the
spokesman for the American Legion
and other soldier organizations an as
surance that the bonus legislation will
pass at this session.
Bonus legislation for former service
men has been the cause of controversy
in the ranks of the former soldiers.
and in the ranks of the congressman.
The people of the country generally
also have been interested in the SUBJ
ject, and have taken sides according
to their views. 1t is probable that Il
good many Americans have refrained
from saying what they really think
about the bonus proposition because
of the feeling that to oppose 1t might
bring to them the charge OF lack OF
sympathy with the men who fought
The American Legion itself has
been in part divided in sentiment on
the matter of the bonus. Finally the
Legion swung into line in behalf Of
the legislation and its leaders have
been earnest in their attempts to Sc
cure its passage. They are going to
succeed.
From everything that one hears on
the subject Of the bonus from any
point Of view, it can be known that
virtually all the American people al
ways have been in favor of bonus leg
islation provided the bonus was to be
given to the men who need it. There
never has seemed to be any urgent de-
mand anywhere that money should be
given to soldiers who served but who
are well-to-do in the world and have
no pinching need Of the money.
For All Below Rank of Major.
. There are thousands, and perhaps
hundreds Of thousands. Of ex-service
men who need the money and as it has
been found absolutely impossible to
determine definitely those who need it
and those who do not need 1t. the
bonus is to 60 to all alike with the ex-
ception that men who hold rank above
that Of captains in the service cannot
benefit by the bonus, or by any of the
alternative beneficial propositions
which will be included In the legisla-
ton.
The one thing which more than any
thing else determined the Legion to
stand for the bonus provision in the
former soldiers, and which has moved
congress to the same course, is that
so many young Americans avoided
service through one plea or another
and succeeded in securing jobs and
occupations which were supposed to
be vital to the prosecution of he war.
These men received big pay and were
not compelled to suffer any Of the
hardships of the camp life, or any Of
the perils of the fighting life. The
man who went into camp. or went to
the front, received his $50 or S35 a
month as the case might be, and when
he came back into civil life found the
SNUG experts" who had stald at home
with pockets we'll lined and with jobs
we'll In hand.
Unjust to Many officers.
Congress has seen fit to limit the
provisions of the act to aid the for
mer soldiers to the men whose rank
In the service was below that Of ma
jor. Therefore only captains, lieuten-
ants noncommissioned officers and
privates can benefit by any Of the pro-
visions of the law.
There are some members Of con-
gress and hundreds Of thousands Of
service men, If not all Of them, who
know that this limitation will work an
Injustice in many cases. 1t did not
follow because a man was major or
q lieutenant colonel, or a colonel, that
he came out Of the war any better Off
In q financial way than the men Of
the lower ranks.
If the truth be told there are hum
dreds If not thousands Of former field
officers Of the National army who are
in as sore need of the aid granted I'M
der the legislation as are any Of tAe
men whom they ranked while in the
army.
Mr.. Harding Visits Valley Forge.
President Harding has been u guest
over the weekend of Senator Knox
of Pennsylvania at his summer home
at Valley Forge. place known to
the heart of every American for the
sufferings which Washington and his
army underwent there during one
awful winter Of the Revolutionary
war.
The President seems to like the
senatorial society. He was associated
with the majority of the men now In
the upper house while he was repre-
senting Ohio in a senatorial capacity
He formed personal friendships during
the six. years of his holding of the
senatorial office and today he is keep
ing them up.
Almost Immediately after the cleo