The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-04
AS Others See 1t
THE SOLDIER BONUS
(Tarpon Springs Leader.)

The bonus question is a real poser. What shall
we do about it? There are those who say the
soldiers ought to have a bonus-BUT-! And
there are those who say that the boys who served
our country in her time of need must have ad-
justed compensation, without any butts, ifs, or
ands. 1t is argued that while the boys were
fighting in Europe, many of them dying and many
more suffering much misery and inconvenience,
the folks at home were getting rich. That is true
in a measure-shamefully true. And the sad part
of it is that the rich who cheated not only the
soldiers but the government and the public, will
not pay the bonus nor will they, in the last
analysis, pay any part of it. The adrotness with
which they shift the burden of taxation to those
farther down in the scale of wealth is too well
known to need any lengthy explanation. They
can be made to pay heavy taxes, but there is no
way under our present system of government by
which they may be prevented from wringing that
much more out of the public. Nothing short of a
genuinely sociastc government could actually
take the wealth away from the rich and distribute
it among the ex-service men. And yet it is sug-
gested that this ought to be done in one way or
another. The editor of the Florida Bull, pub
lished at Haines City, suggests an acceptable but
quite difficult solution He says he would like to
take the wargrafters by the throat and choke
them until they came across The Bull discusses
the bonus question at some length and goes on
to say
Are we for it?-yes-and then some, and as
long as an automobile runs in this country and
people have money for all sorts of extravaganza,
while single soldier that in the war is in
want of health, work or money-we say take care
of them-no matter where the burden falls and
let those who have red blood still running in their
veins, ostracise the tightwad who cries out be-
cause of the taxes-for Heavens sake don't con-
trast sweating to pay taxes with the dead and
wounded-those living a living death-with men
whose whole future is wrecked that we might be
secure-wth widows all alone-mothers with sill
very locks robbed OF their support and the thous-
ands of fatherless children. We don't know how
it ought to be done, but if we had to make every
automobile stand still, every person go down
deep the when buying bonds when the
war on-or any old way-there is only one
right and just thing to do-and that is for the
United States to make it its first business to know
that every boy who served in the war has his
fair and just chance in life to earn a living if
abe-to secure aid to start over again if worthy
to have comfort and care if he is distressed in
mind body and not a matter of charity but
of national gratitude.
1u0 S6uIlueHL Is SOOuI anu prODdDly nOSL peO-
pie feel that way about it. The ex-soldiers them
selves have been reduced to the necessity of ask
ing for the bonus and making fight for it. They
didn't wish to do it. They came home from the
war full of enthusiasm and with desire only to
take up their affairs where they had left off.
But they were not permitted to do this. They
were given rousng welcome home, and that is
about all that many of them have been given to
! date. Disabled veterans have been neglected be-
cause Of red tape, and thousands of able-bodied
exservice men have been forced to go hungry
! because of the great wave Of unemployment
brought about by graft and politics.
Undr the circumstances it is not surprising
that they should begin to lose patience and to
demand that something be done for their relief.
The richest country in the world is under in
dictment for starving its defenders and it might
be well for the congress to lay aside all trivial
matters until some just and practicable plan
is found by which the situation may be remedied
One thing, however, might as well be recognized
in the beginning-and that is, the money, how
ever it may be raised, will be paid by the masses
But that is not a serious drawback The cause is
worthy, and the masses are good pay.