The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-16
LEGION COMMANDER ASKS FOR SQUARE DEAL
FOR ALL VETERANS, IN SOUTH BEND SPEECH

mer service men and women were
the guests of the city of South Bend |
at a general celebration today in hon
or the World war veterans, Hanford |
MacNider, national commander of the |
American Legion, was the guest OF |
honor at luncheon at noon and in an |
address appealed for a square deal for |
the disabled veteran and adjusted COM |
pension for eX-service men and wom- |
en-. The stand of the legion for ad- |
justed compensation as outlined by |
the national commander was support |
ed in an address by A. r. Erskine, |
president of the Studebaker company.
Mr.. MacNider said in part:
THE American Legion intends to
see that the disabled veteran gets a
square deal from the country he
fought for The American Legion has
achieved the passage of legislation
which We believe properly interpreted
and carried out will solve the problem.
The veterans bureau thus created has
a tremendous task before it and has
naturally perhaps made mistakes, cost
ly in time, health and results to the
men it was framed to benefit.
Anxious to Aid.
THE American Legion, unable to
! d
DDS and decrying it's too evident polit-
| ical appointments is, however, willing
and anxious to give it all its support
and cooperation because the disabled
veterans case must not be delayed.
| We feel that the veterans buseau
wants to achieve real results.
| It's director has assured the legion
that he will bring it out a high pow
cred organization fighting for the prop
er principles and along these lines:
! that the bureau will consider itself
, first as an agency for the disabled
veteran, not a haven for the political
job-Seeker and not an armed guard of
the treasury beating the disabled vet
eran away from the proper relief.
THE veteran is now asking for bed
side decisions instead of long agoniz-
ing weeks of uncertainty while pa
pers, and affidavits and claims wan
der back and forth between the hos
pital and the sick man who cannot be
expected to get well when his mind is
full of worry about his dependents to
whom he is only proving a burden. 1t
is reported there is some progress. We
intend to see that this veterans bu
reau is brought to the man and in a
measure, relief of the disgraceful suf-
fering and neglect.
Compensation Bill Opposed.
There has been certain opposition
ITO the Adjuster Compensation Bill
sponsored by the American Legion and
now before the congress of the United
States. We feel this opposition is IN
fair because we do not believe that
those who oppose it are in real touch
p with the situation or fully cognizant
Of the cause of the measure. The
United States Chamber of Commerce
has waged fight on the measure, but
despite this chambers of Comerce of
scores of large American cities have
repudiated the action of the national
body and adopted resolution support
ing the Legion's Adjusted Compensa-
ton Bill.
"All that the legion asks is that
those people who raise hue and cry
against a cash bonus TO the veterans
understand what our bill calls for.
Those citizens who oppose it become
.. its proponents when they are properly
informed about it, and I give you as
an example the board of directors of
the Federal Reserve bank of the Chi
cago district in which South Bend is
included
. A brief study of the bill appears in
l nearly every case very happy anti
. dOte for the hue and cry raised against
. the cash bonus principally by people
=, who have not taken the trouble to in
vestigate what they object to. There
e is cash payment option, it is true
4 but it is taken care of by small pay
s mentS several months apart.
z The other four features of the legior
e bill we believe are more advantageous
/ to the veteran if he can afford to take
d advantage of them. But with hundreds
|. of thousands of eX-service men walk
[. ing the streets of our big cities look
i ing for work, it i'll behooves anyone
= to say that they shall not have wha
e option they see fit to take"
d Endorses Principle.
) Mr.. Erskine in his address said:
d Il endorse the principles of adjust
ed compensation for World war vet
:. Grams, as sponsored by the American
n Legion because l fell, first, that TIL
n men who risked their lives in defens
of our country are richly entitled Il
the benefits offered under the legisla
= ton now pending in congress, and sec
| ond, because that legislation is eco
nomically sound.
THE benefits offered under the leg
l. ion bill are restricted in such man
N ner as to be of the utmost benefit no
d only to the veterans but to the entir
country. The government offers t