The Washington times., 1922-03-18
Why This Congress
Should Promptly Pass
the Soldiers Bonus


FIRST, the Republican party which controls the pres
ent Congress- declared in its national platform in favo,
OF the soldier bonus and before the country with
that as one of its main issues
the elected Congress fails to carry out its formal
platform pledge, the Senators and Representatives will
be in the contemplate position of having professed pa
trotc sentiment which they did not feel in order to
cure votes and then having repudiated their pledges
upon which they have been elected.
SECOND because is the established principle of the
country to give soldiers bonuses.
After the civil bonuses given to the soldiers
and even some of the Congressional opponents of the
bonus like Senator Knue Nelson of Minnesota received
their bonuses after the civil war without protest
Even SO distinguished soldier and patriot as Gen
George Washington received large bonus of public
lands for his services during the Revolutionary war; and
did not hesitate to accept it. .....,.....
THIRD, because England and France and most of the
Allies engaged in the great have paid their soldiers
bonuses and have paid these bonuses of OUR money
And there seems to be good reason why we should
not use some Of our money to pay own soldiers
bonus instead of providing it literally to other nations
to pay THEIR soldiers bonuses
FOURTH, because the average wage before the war
at least five dollars day. But during the war the
soldiers who went abroad and fought in the trenches re-
ceived only one dollar day, while the workers who
stayed at home and worked in the factories under high
war wages received approximately ten dollars day.
The men who did the fighting got onefth the average
wage, while the who did not do the fighting got
twice the average wage
1t is but poor and inadequate compensation to give
those men who fought bravey who ran so much risk
and endured much hardship and prvation, a very
small part of what they deprived of during the war
which they won.
FIFTH, because the will Of the people of the United
States should be the guiding principle in legislation and
In nearly every State where the question Of soldier
bonus has come before the people in referendum the
people have voted by large maores in favor of the SOL
dier bonus.
SIXTH because the classes who are opposed to the SOL
dier bonus largely the big business interests and the
privileged financial and social classes who afraid that
they will have to pay taxes for the soldier bonus
These big financial leaders and social leaders are the
people who wanted the and clamored for the war
and finally succeeded in projecting the United States into
the largely account of their sypathies with
eign countries with which they had connections
Now they have had their way and they do not want to
pay for it. They profeered during the and made
millions and hundreds of millions of dollars but they do
not want to give any part of their profteerng to the
men who went abroad and lived in the trenches and
sacrificed their health, their youth, their opportunities
in order to uphold the honor of their country and win the
war that these profteers and paroeers deeply
interested in, sentimentaly and financially.
The position of the Hearst papers has been simple and
straightforward from first to last with regard to the war
and the soldiers that won it.
In the first place. did not believe that this European
war was necessarily our American war; and endeav-
Ored to keep America out of the long in honor
it could keep out of it, realizing what in blood
and treasure in the sacrifice of splendid American
~ %bo a.,
pendture and subsequent taxation. '...,.'.''.'.
In the second place, when the country was once COM
mtted to the war; the attitude of the Hearst papers
to prosecute the to the utmost with every