Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-06
PEPPER EXPLAINS &
\ STAND 0NBONUS
Declares Measure 10 Fdndamsn.
tally Unfair to DiaabIsd
Servics Men
VETERANS TO WAR ON HIM

IN The reasons why Senator George
\ wharton Pepper will vote against the
Soldiers Bonus Bill arc given by him
IN the following statement, issued at
Washington: W. ....,
II have decided to vote against the
bonus. In SO deciding I am Influenced
by three considerations. I think the
I pending measure Is, unjust TO disabled
service men. unfair to service men who
sre not disabled and unjustiaable be-
cause It wastes public money.
"Any measure 10 fundamentally un.
inst to the disabled man which gives
10 him no moro than the allowance
made to his unharmed and vigorous
cou,rade. There Ia something wrong In
A scheme which withholds money from
Z lie man who needs II in order to give II
to the man who do without it,. ]
am ready to vote millions for'the dis
shied soldier, but not one cent for
thc man whose earning capacity is un.
impaired: .,.. ,,o n,,.,r.;. -,
fair to the unharmed service man am
weighing my words carefully. 1t Is un-
fair 10 any healthy and self respecting
!, Young American TO make IL. easy and
popular for him to do something which
viii In the end tend to diminish his
self.respect. .
~ am aware of all that can be said
about lost chances 10 earn wartime
wages at home and lost opportunities
10 make wartime profits. This line Of
argument Is not convincing.
WARTIME wages enabled people to
nay wartime prices, but very few Of
those who received high wages have any
thing to show for Il now. Wartime
profits we're made by those who had
capital to invest; and IL IL manifestly
unreasonable to pay an arbitrary lump
sum Of money to man In 1922 on the
theory that he might have gone into
business and might have made hand
some profit in 1913.
MI, Sees Training AZ Priceless
Moreover. the thing that service
men gained from their training Is a
capitalize the energy. the spirit of
discipline and that courage in the face
Of obstacles which was the glory of
the American army, they will not need
a public collection taken up for their
benefit and will not consent to accept
II II 1t is''taken.
Nobody would advocate a bonus
payable 10 man on commencement
day to compensate him for the money
he might have earned II he had not
been getting his training.
This m ,asure proposes a waste of
public money. In n sense It is a wnstc
to make wholly inadequate allowance
to a disabled man for whose entire
care the Nation is responsible. but the
great and serious waste is that which
is involved In depicting treasury
which Is near the point of exhaustion
for the sake Of handing money over to
people who will be hurt rather than
helped By what they receive.
~ Veterans to Hit Back
"One way Of testing the viciousness
Of this legislation will be to take note Of
how quickly the recipients of a Fed
eral bonus will come back for more.
believe that the enactment of this meas.
ure will prove to be the foundation for
an enormous superstructure, alike bur.
densolne to the taxpayer and discreditn.
bic to American manhood.
II. for one, noted with profound re.
gret that virtually simultaneous adop-
tion by the American Legion of a policy
favorable to this legislation and of a
resolution condemning in scathing terms
the suggestion that the motives of our
fighting men were other fhan disintcr-
ested and noble. II an injustice was
done to our boys when thus their motives
were impugned. I am forced to conclude
that the injustice which Is being done
b. them today Is one which they them
selves are inflicting."
Ex-soldiets who are fighting for the
bonus, It is declared. will unite against
the candidacy Of Senator Pepper for the
nomination for full term because of his
opposition to tho hnnus measnra