The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-08-23
Is Demand of Justice and
Honor, Chairman Declares.
Equalize Pay to That Received
by the Stay at Homes.
DEFENDS BILL BEFORE SENATE
Bank Loan Provided in Lieu of
First Offer of Cash.
Cost of Legislation To Be
Spread Over Several Years.

Washington, Aug. 23.-Enactment
of soldiers bonus legislation at this
session of congress is demanded by
every precept of financial justice and
every principle of political honor,
Chairman McCumber of the finance
committee declared today in opening
senate debate on the amended house
bill. with it's bank loan certificate pro-
vision, in lieu of the original proposal
for a cash bonus.
Asserting that the term bonus" was
a misnomer, Senator McCumber said
the purpose was to equalize in
measure the pay of the men called to
who stayed at home and profited by
what he characterized as a wild,
drunken orgy of extravaganza, that
accompanied the war,
The finance committee chairman
told the senate the time had come for
congress to show that it was not at
tempting to play politics with the
American soldier, that it was acting in
good faith, when it passed the first
bonus just before the elections in 1920.
Referring to the position taken by
President Harding and Secretary Mellon
last year when the executive asked the
senate to deer action on the bonus
bill because of the then financial con-
! Cumber requested that they now
viewed the legislation lin the light of
present day conditions.
Senator McCumber argued that the
funds necessary for the financing of
the bonus legislation could be obtained
from the refunded foreign debt, and
that If the refunding were not COM
pleted when IT became effective the
interest from the British debt would
be sufficient.
Cost Is Explained.
AS to the cost of the legislation, Mr..
McCumber estimated this at a total
of s3,S45, 100000 spread over forty
years For thel next calendar year
he placed the cost at $77, ,44O, ,8S9, in
creased TO $92,177729 for 1924, and
cost would run into several hundred
millions in 1926 when the veterans
could call on the government for loans
on the adjusted service certificates
but the speaker said that by 1880,
the cost annually would drop to $21.-
100000 with only few millions there
after until 1943, when the certificates
would come due.
Explaining the provisions of the bill
as reported, he said the cash provision
had been eliminated except in the case
of veterans entitled to $50 or less.
with the total of these payments es
timated at s16,0O0,0OO to be paid next
year and that in its place had been
substituted a certificate plan with
loan privileges. He estimated that 10
per cent of the veterans would accept
the certificate option. The next
DIan he went on is vocational train
ing aid under which the government
would advance the amount due SOL
dier on the basis of 81 a day for do
mestic service and S1.25 a day for F.
eign service, to be applied toward his
vocation training. The final option is
the farm or home aid, by which the
sum due the veteran would be ad-
vanced to him as might be necessary
to be applied towards the purchase
price of a home or farm.
Is Satisfactory to Soldiers.
The bill as reported is satisfactory
to the soldiers, continued Mr.. Nc
Cumber. 1t ought not to be mater
tally changed.
Twenty millions given in charity to
Russia, $25, 900, 900 to Salve Colombian
sentiment, $20,OO0,000 for ship sub
sidy and not ripple of comment. We
talk of $125,0OO,000 for good roads
or two or three hundred millions to
assist railroads all in a single year.
as if they amounted to nothing. Why
on earth, then should we approach this
soldiers compensation bill as tho it
were an obligation requiring a special
tax levy or as one endangering the re
funding of short time obligations? ?"
The long deferred soldiers bonus
legislation was on the calendar today
for a second time, but its immediate
future as well as its ultimate te was
in doubt While passage of the bill
as a certainty, there was no assurance
of immediate action. Negotiations to
fix a definite date for vote with an
intervening recess were continued but
without lsuccess.
Await Harding Attitude.
Friends and foes of the bill alike
were in the dark regarding President
Harding's attitude. The last official
word from the executive just before
the house acted last March. was that
congress either find the means OF
financing the. legislation or postpone
it's enactment.
Some proponents of the legislation
were optimistic, contending that since
the bill would entail no heavy draft
on the treasury until after the refund
ing of short time public debt had been
completed, the basis of the presid
objection to a taxless bill had been
removed. They argued that the in
terest from the British debt would
take care of the payments for the
first three years at least Opponents
Of the legislation claimed strength of
: f5x-ea To