The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-09-21

| uiNAuuuA Revolutionary 6OlulcT6, 30
the American Legion today is BATH
ing for the adjusted compensation
for the ex-service man. It has not
become generally known, however,
that the following benefits were
awarded the Civil war veterans. But
they have been handsomely provided
for. We are paying quarter of q
billion dollars annually for pensions
incurred in the Civil war:
1. Six billion dollars have been
given them in pensions.
2. Their bounties, which had to-
tailed $673,802, by the year 1875,
besides eighteen states passed sup
Elementary bounty laws. These
! figures were prepared for congress
in 1875 by the adjutant general Of
the army.
3. Then there were the home
stead laws, under which Civil war
veterans settled thiekly in middle
western states on lands which be-
came immensely valuable later.
Originally entitled to eighty acres
within the twenty mile strips along
the Immigrant railroads, veterans
later were enabled to increase their
holdings to 100 acres. Many not
choosing to avail themselves of their
land rights were able to sell those
rights for cash. Land scrip, the
term given to assignments of home
stead rights, for many years cir
culated as money in the far west.
4. Last soldiers homes were pro-
vided for Civil war veterans. AS
considerable numbers of civil war
veterans found themselves unable to
support themselves, the country
established system of national
homes for disabled volunteer SOL
diers and today many Civil war vet
Grams are residents of these institu-
tions.
And many other laws favoring
them. have been passed increasing
their pensions from time to time, to
which they are justly entitled.
During the Civil war and the
Revolution the soldiers demanded
and received their bounties before
they went into the service. 1t is
an ironical paradox that the princi-
pal enemy of the adjusted compen-
sation bill is Andrew Mellon of
Pittsburg, secretary of the treasury,
one of the worlds greatest million
aires. His fortune is estimated at
five hundred million, enough to pay
the entire bonus bill himself if his /
fortune was confiscated, and yet he
has fought the bonus bill in every
form that has come up before con-
gress. He is one of the heaviest
stockholders in the steel trust, the
plate glass trust, the aluminium
trust, and the Gulf oil corporation.
He has profited most thru the OPP
portunities of this war-profiteering
most people call it. A man who has
always dealt in dollars, has too mar
row vision, to handle or be the
judge of what is coming to the world
war heroes. For shame to him and
the blatant demagogues in congress.
For shame to the penny-pinching
skin-fints thruout the land who be-
grudge this pitiful compensation to
the men who fought their war for
them. While they remained at
home in safety and waxed rich from
the sale of war supplies and in
fiated prices. For shame to the
bloated millionaires of postwar
vintage, who roll along in luxurious
limousines. They spend money
without stint for their own comfort
and pleasure, while they begrudge
this pitifully meagre compensation
to the ex-doughboy. For shame to
all the ingrates who have so soon
forgotten. Do they fiatter them
selves that they are getting by with
this? Do they think that the ex-
doughboys will forget? Retribu- |.
ton will overtake a nation that for
gets the sacrifices of it's patriots
and, places the hand of ingratitude
upon its defenders. 1t is with deep
humiliation that report that our
only woman congressman, Miss
Alice Robertson, of Oklahoma, an
old maid, voted against the soldier
bonus bill. She had NO boy buried
in Flanders Fields. The boys who
went abroad did not go for their
own defense. They went over there
to defend you and me from the
bullets and to prevent a
from ruling in Wash
ington. Can it be possible that
America has so soon forgotten?
Following is the text of the tele-
gram sent to Senator Borah Mon
day of this week at the request Of
The American Legion adjutant:
August 10, 1922
Senator Borah, U. S. Senate,
D. G..
American War Mothers of Idaho
request you use both your influence
md your vote in favor of the Ad-
justed Compensation Bill, as spon-
'ored by the American Legion and
Known as Soldiers Bonus Bill"
which is now pending before the
senate.
MRS. FRANK DeKAY,
State War Mother for Idaho.
His reply was pamphlet of his ]
Attest speech against the bill. II
Senator McCumber introduced the |
present bill in the senate and is
it. The cash feature was [
by the finance committee '
# the senate. Now the cash feature
vas for the benefit of disabled vet ]
'rans, who could not avail them ]
selves Of any of the other four fea-
ures of the bill, for some reason {
Wholly unexplainable. Pres. Harding !
las been one of the bitterest foes Of {
he bill. When the finance committee I
Al =