Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-07-15
HARD1NGs BONUS MESSAGE.

The great surgeons. william and Charles Mayo
of Rochester. Minnesota, have been known 10
charge twenty-five thousand dollars as a fee for
an operation which saved patients life. For the
identical kind of an operation they have been
known to give receipted BILL without any pay
ment with a check with which to buy COW for
the babies at home, thrown in for good measure
The man who paid the twenty-five thousand
dollars could afford to pay it. The amount did
not then represent what it was worth to him to
be well again. Had he been forced to barter for
his life he would have paid all he had to keep It,
The widow, whose died while she was con-
valescent leaving her babies mkless, was paying
more in loss of time than she could afford to pay
The point we are making is that there GER
tain kinds of services upon which an adequate
money value cannot be fixed The ability, to pay
and the surrounding circumstances must govern
the compensation.
There is adequate way to fix money price
which we owe to the men who hazarded their lives
for us in the Great War. Would one thousand or
two thousand or ten thousand dollars pay our debt
in full so that we would owe them nothing more
in money in gratitude? Certainly not.
Then we must consider ability to pay and
their need In any effort to adjust the commerc al
side of the transaction. President Harding ap-
peared before the senate and told its members
that the treasury could not meet the pending bonus
payments without disaster. The president doubt
less feels this to be true. Seven million men, he
tells us, are out of employment in the United
States, with their families inadequately fed. The
present demands on the treasury large fac
tor in the business stagnation which keeps these
men idle. We are told that burden of $1,000
O000 900 to $1,000 900 600 more required to meet
the demands created by the pending bill, would
mean added disaster and increased ideness. Our
officials tell us that cannot pay now. 1t is
important to know the truth on this point There
is of the great surgeon telling a poor man
that he should show his gratitude for having his
life saved, by paying a SIS 900 fee. He is CRATE
full all right but he cannot pay to prove it.
Many Of the service men are in independent cir
cumstances More are as we'll off now as when
they went to Neither of these classes is in
such dire need to require bonus at this time
If will add to the general distress to pay It. Pro-
vision should be made of course, to adequately
for the sick and disabled. This aid should be gen.
erous but sensible. That much all agree upon.
This war service transaction cannot be put on
money basis An attempt to do would make
the great services of sordd as that of
the Hessians Of revolutionary infamy
The plain truth is that this question is too
much political There are four million of
these ex-service men, Their group contains many
millions more The politicians are afraid of them
because they all vote. Therefore congress
hedges looking to the political effect until be-
comes necessary for the president to furnish them
with IAN alibi."
This disgusts the public. Every one hates q
coward Service men. most Of all, hate him, even
though some Of them would use him for their
purposes.
But it is all needless. Most service men are
not unreasonable. greedy DESTROYS of
raid on the treasury through political pressure. A
man elected to office and sworn to do his duty
should do that duty as he sees It, If, in the doing,
he Is retired to private life, 1t Is life and death
matter.
But he will not be punished II he will serve the
public faithfully Our service men generally have
not been converted into bad citizens seeking a
special privilege. Most of them want only what
they deem just. Upon the questions of what is
just and what is wise at the moment there is
bound to be wide difference of opinion. If the
matter Is dealt with honestly no great fear of re-
results need be felt either politically or economic
ally.
Some men stayed at home and prospered while
others sacrificed by going to war. Time is showing
that much of the presumed prosperity was only on
paper. These are losing the fall of the markets
what they made the rise. Nevertheless the
man who stayed at home had the best Of it,
economically speaking. An honest and intelligent
effort shohld be made to strike an economic hall
ance between these classes.
Most of US without the facts upon which m
know how much should be paid nor when II
would seem that there should be some fairly ex-
pert way to arrive at the facts with politics el,mi
mated.
Why not have nom political. expert commission
partially composed Of competent ex-seryice men
to investigate Immediately and scientifically ant
to report their conclusions based upon the premise
OF striking an economic equilibrium?