Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-04-14
Observation-Disclosures

cember recommended TO COnSfeIS tnat
| $50. 600. 900 be appropriated for caring
| for the men who had been disabled In
the World War. He placed that sum
rs a minimum. and marshaled a grim
set of statistics to enforce his asser-
tions.
The Surgeon General pointed ont that
then there We're IL 900 men incapaci-
tated by wounds and disease incurred
in war time. and showed that this NUM-
ber was increasing at the rate of 1000
men n month. He predicted that this
number would continue TO increase, as
men who believed that they had been
healed were returning to hospitals for
! further treatment
Congrcss--the Republican Congress
which with crash of publicity cymbals
and blare of self righteousness horns
is now weeping over those lads-Hatiy
refused 10 grant the Surgeon Generals
request. The sum which no specified
was pared down until il was SIS. .00O. 900
only s3.OOO.O 900 more than half of
what WAS absolutely necessary.
When that pairing down was done
Woodrow Wilson. most hated of men ~
tho Republicans. was in the White
House. Anything which delayed the
care given those disabled men would
Of course reflect back on Wilson 1t
could be said that in Wilson's admin
istration little was done for them" and
the public would possibly forget that
Congress was Republican. and not
Democratic.
Now President Harding advocates
that proper caro- be given the men who
sufTcred-and are stil sufrering-for
America We give Mr. Harding fuIl
credit for his good Intentions But we
believe that he is only performing his
duty when he speaks for those lads.
That is expected OF him. No man
should receive halo Of glory for do
ing his duty. Tho highest honors in
life so to those men who do something
extraordinary. over and beyond the calls
of mere duty.
One sentence in Mr.. Harding's ad-
dress TO Congress should not be passed
unchallenged by all who know tho
spirit OF the wounded men who have
not been properly cared for. Said the
President, speaking Of the assistance
which should be given 70 them: we
must strengthen rather than weaken
the moral fibre Of the benefciaries and
humanize all efforts so that rehabilita-
ton shall be attended by respiritualiza-
ton"
We believe that Mr Harding made a
grave error when he implied that those
mon need "respiritualization' Ii is
significant that neither individually. nor
in a group, have they asked for any
thing from the Government for which
they suffer. All efforts in their behalf
have been made by others-by their
comrades in arms VINO were not dis
abled. and by that large group Of the
public. composed of men and women
of all political beliefs who wish those
men 70 have an opportunity to get on
their feet
The conduct OF Americas disabled
men has been heroic They do not need
''respiritualizadon" The same manly
ardor which carried them into deaths
jaws. and which left them there. man
gled and broken. has attended them
since their hospital ships brought them
back TO 'bhghty" They have kent
their mouths tightly. shut They have
not complained
If there is to be any "respirituaIiza-
ton" we suggest that it begin in Con-
gress-especiaily among certain Repub-
ican members who were so callous-
souled that at the last session they
would not supply enough money with
which to adequately care for those lads.
The Republican party needs ''respirit-
ualization'-not Americas broken lads.