New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1921-06-24
AMERICAN LEGION CORES
PONDENT DISCUSSES THE
BURSUM RETIREMENT BILL
Special to State Record.

tBy Ool. Wln1leld jones'
Washington, June b. Senator
Holm o. Bursum, of New Mexico,
has taken up the cause of the vol
unteer officers in the world war, and
is pushing a bill introduced by him
self to place these officers, who are
disabled, on the retirement rolls of
the United States Army, on the same
basis as regular army officers.
The measure is mertorious and de-
serves the support of all citizeEs who
do rot believe in discrimination against
any class of the gallant officers who.
backed by our invincible doughboys,
made possible our great victory in
France.
A hearing was recently held on the
Bursum bill by the Senate Military al
fairs committee, and it is hoped a
favorable report will soon be made
by this committee, to be followed
by favorable action by congress.
Certainly it seems that the volun-
teer officers of the world war should
receive exactly the same treatment
as the oegular army officers, no more
and noA less. They are not asking
single advantage that the regular
army officers do not already have.
A similar effort was made for many
years and is still being made, by the
volunteer officers OF the civil war,
to be placed on the retired list OF the
u. S. army, on the same status as
retired regular army officers.
The Spanish war disabled officers
and those who participated in the Phil
ippine insurrectlon and the China
Relief Expedition have made no eff
fort along these lines. These offic-
ers probably feel if the privilege of
being placed on the army retired list
is given to the civil war and world
war officers they will be included.
The American Legion is backing
the Bursum bill and some of the mem
bers, disabled officers of the world
war. made convincing and eloquent
arguments for the bill at the hear
ing before the senate committee.
The arguments advanced by advoc-
ates OF the Bursum bill are unanswer-
able and convincing. These may be
summed up as follows:
When the volunteer officers enter
ed the armies for service in the world
war they bore the same risks carried
the same responsibilities and perform
ed the same services, under identical
conditions. as the officers of the re-
galar army.
National Guard, National Army, and
National Reserve Corps officers, who
are disabled, have been discharged
from the service and receive only
from So to $50 per month, in proper
tion to the degree of their injuries.
The disabled regular army officers
have been retired on three-fourths ac-
tive pay and in addition get comut-
alton for heat, light, and quarters.
which amounts in every case TO a
considerable sum.
1t is a rank injustice to retire a
wounded and disabled volunteer OF
ficer on $50 per month pay, the high
est disability pay he can obtain, while
a regular army officer, similarly dis
ab'ed, is drawing three-fourths pay
plus allowances, which give the re-
gular a comfortable salary The in
justice lies in the fact that both vol
unteer and regular performed the
same mertorious service, suffered the
same disabilities. and in many instanc-
eS the volunteer has a better army
record than the regular.
1t cannot be denied, despite claims
OF the regular army to the contrary
that most of the actual fighting on
the front lines was directly under DIR
ection of emergency officers, except
in the case of brigadiers or major
generals who were nearly all regulars.
The volunteer officers particularly
the lieutenants, captains and battalion
commanders, were the boys who led
the men "over the top" when the
Germans were smashed These Of
iicers were National Guardsmen. Ma
tional Army men, or from the offic-
ers training camps, with some dir
ect from civil life without any tram
ing. In the mass they more than
made good IN contact with the enemy.
Why, after performing these brace
and satisfactory services for the Re-
public and the people OF this coun-
try. should they not have the status
of any other officers who are dis
abled' Any other treatment is not
fair and is not satisfactory to the
people.
The regular army, except in the
highest commands, did not win any
particular glory in the world war. Ii
was the men from the ranks of the
people. not West Point pets" who
whipped the foe.
The average retired pay of these
brace disabled volunteer officers
would only be 81 ,562 per year. Surely
the people would not grudge that.