The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-07-29
MELONS LOGIC
SOUNDS ROTTEN

humanity and democracy.
The men who in camp, on the
front, at sea and in dpots fought,
worked and suffered for a measley
wage have been expecting, as they
had right to expect, that the ma
ton would make some effort to
compensate them for loss of jobs,
business and time occasioned by
service in the army and navy. The
House of Representatives passed a
bill granting a bonus at the last
session which did not come up in
| the Senate and all veterans were
sure that, in answer to public SEN
timent, this session of Congress
would pass bill giving the men
at least partial payment.
A bill to give each man who saw
service small sum, to be paid in
installments of $50 and running
over a period of years, the first in
stallment to be paid in 1922. was
introduced in the Senate and re-
ferred to the proper committee
which committee reported favorably
and requested the passage of the
| bill.
Under the provisions of the bill
| the entire amount due to be paid
out in July of next year could
not exceed $200,000,000. Get that
amount settled in your mind and
remember it for comparison latter
on.
Ever since the bill has been be-
fore Congress the national Chamber
of Commerce, the Profitter Bund
| of Wall Street and the allied bank
ers who control the Federal Re.
| serve Board have been industriously
| knocking the bill and strenuously
| Directing to the payment of either
a bonus or adjusted compensation
| but so strong has been the public
demand for the relief of the men
/ who volunteered and were drafted
that the campaign carried on by
those elements failed to affect the
was sure to pass.
Thereupon a long line of million
| aires and business" men journeyed
from all parts of the country to
| Washington who visited the treas
ury and White House. Included
among them were representatives of
the packers, the steel trust, the
coal trust, the bankers trust and
the railroad trust.
Those gentlemen must have pre-
| scented some very strong arguments
as Secretary Mellon-juicy name
of the treasury, a banker and multi.
| millionaire, let out a squawk that
was heard round the country, which
| squawk was to the effect that the
country would go into bankruptcy
and the Ship of State be cast or
the rocks and left wreck if g
bonus was paid the men who saved
| the nation from utter humiliation
some two and a half years ago.
| Finding that Melons doleful pre-
diction did not have the effect OF
making the Senators handling the
bill quit in the effort to pass it
President Harding Jumped into the
fray. He appeared at a luncheon
in the Senate restaurant and begged
the leaders to sidetrack or kill the
bill and failing that to get the
Senate to go on vacation. APP.
parently his appeal was not sue
cessful and it was decided that he
should appear officially before the
Senate and advocate the withdraw,
al of the bill.
If you have read this far you're
wondering, perhaps, why tell about
| that, and what's it all about. Well
| here's the other side of the story
Remember that $2O0,OOO,OOO to be
paid to the soldiers divided among
100000 of them) next year. All
right, let's go.
/ Aiming to Give Railroads
$500,000,O00
On the same day that Millionaire
| Mellon told the world that if in
July, 1922, 100000 men were Civ
en- $50 a piece all Sheol would break
loose and the buzzards would be
picking the bones of the country
formerly known as the United
States; he tells the same world that
he is aiming to pay the railroads
out of the treasury, as soon as he
| could $5O0,OO0,O00, which brings up
the question: eff it will break the
country to pay out $780, 100000
why won't it break her to pay out
$500 OOO,O00?"
Contrast what the railroads got
with what the soldier got during the
war and then tell, if you can, why
the soldiers bonus would ruin the
country and the railroad graft will
| not. Take slant at these fig
ures.
During the rs months the gov
eminent had charge of the roads
| they were paid a rental of 5000, 000,-
900 per year, or over $1,000, 100000
| for the use of the roads with the
government paying all wages, salaries
and bills. In other words, the rail-
roads got nearly $2,000,000,000 vel
vet. To that add the amount paid
out by the government for mainten-
ance and equipment amounting to
over $1,125 100000 and that for the
first six months after return to
private control the government guar
anteed the roads profits above and
expenses equal to the rental sum
| paid during the period of federal
control, for which the treasury of
the United States has been COM
| PEELED to pay out some $3.50, 100000
and then know that the government
set aside $500 100000 as a "revolv-
ing fund" out of which loans to
roads could be made. The revolving
fund amt doing much revolving
these days as it is mostly all gone
into the NAV of the roads.
At a conservative estimate the
roads have taken out of the treas
ury, since Jan. 1, 1918, over $4,000
100000, and they claim the govern
ment still owes them over 81 ,200,-
100000, with more to come as soon
as they can Figure" some more
And don't forget the roads owe the
government over $500 100000.