The Ely miner., 1921-10-28


than two decades as a member OF
the Congress of the United States
there has never been, to my know
ledge and belief, measure pre-
sented on the floor of either house
more definitely concerned with the
elemental principles of justice and
fair dealing than the Adjusted
Compensation Bill for veterans Of
the World War. 1t is with un-
affected pride that / look back
upon my part in the framing OF
the bill, with real qualification
that remember the connection of
my name with it and with conf
dent pleasure that / foresee in the
near future it's passage by both
branches of Congress and it's sig
nature by the President.
My faith in the justice, reason
ableness and patriotism of adjusted
compensation for the men of IT
and '18 is as simple and sincere
as that of the old darkey preacher
who compared his belief in baptism
by immersion with his belief in
heaven as place where ''water-
melons grow on every vine and
chickens roost low in every tree.''
/ believed that something should
be done for our soldiers and
believed it from the very start
but in the beginning it was with
me merely a feeling that sprang
from the heart, a feeling of graft
tude, pride and loyalty.
After months of painstaking and
exhaustive hearings on the subject
before the House Ways and Means
Committee l still believed that
something should be done for them
and this time from conviction
that sprang from the head, a con.
viction of the need, practcability
and urgent desirability of some
measure of relief. Both my feel
ings and convictions in the matter
have been strengthened rather thar
weakened by the recent course OF
events.
All of us, not only of this but
of many generations to come, owe
the men who stood between the
American democracy and an ag
gressive, imperialistic and ruthless
autocracy bent upon it's destruction
a debt of gratitude, admiration
and esteem which it is idle to tall
about ever repaying in dollars anc
cents. When think of the two
million men who were in France
of the more than two million who
were eagerly preparing to go tc
France, of the hardships, priva
tions, dangers and sacrifices in
volved in their service, of Chateau
Thierry, Cantigny, st. Mihiel anc
the Meuse-Argonne, of the thous
ands upon thousands of white
crosses on far-away hills, of the
thousands of sick and wounded
still suffering, and then of the
dominent, victorious position oul
country today occupies in worlc
affairs as the fruit of all that
struggle, / marvel at the effrontery
of those who dare suggest that
adjusted compensation would be 6
requital of the debt we owe fol
such service.
Such patriotism as our soldiers
sailors and marines showed in the
World War cannot, indeed, bt
bought at any price. Many Of
the hardships and injustices, how
ever, incident to and growing out
of that patriotic service can anc
should be lessened or as far a!
possible removed. This was anc
is the purpose of the Adjusted
Compensation Bill. To eradicat,
to some extent at least the unjus
discrimination made in remunerat
ing those who served in the mill
tary and naval forces of tn.
country and those who remained
in civilian pursuits, to compensat.
in measure our service men fol
a serious disturbance of from on,
to two years in their economic anc
social life, and to promote tn,