Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-10-06
A CHEAP CONCEPTION OF PAY
ING \ DEBT OF HONOR

The editor of the Spokane Spohcs-
man-Review gives another specimen
Of close figuring and loose thinktne
in a recent editorial under The cap
tion Our Debt of Honor to the EN-
Service Men in which he said:
The country does indeed owe "a
debt OF honor TO its eN-serNlce men.
but not in the poor sense i'm which
William Goodyear OF Pullman and
some other advocates of the bonus
Construe that debt of honor. We owe
that debt of high respect because
they served their country from a pa
triotic spirit We owe no debt OF
honor to slaCkers nor profiteers,
whether in business or in the ship
yards and ammunition factories
The advocates of the bonus, on.
as they themselves term it, adjusted
compensation are trying to put the
eX-seryice men on the same level
with those workers in the shipyards
and munition plants who struck for
higher wages or threatened TO
strike.
The men who Joined the colors
could never be placed on the same
plane with the slackers. regardless
Of the amount of pay they received.
The distinction between them is that
the former discharged their patriotic
duty and that the latter eyaded it.
a bonus given out of a sense of
gratitude TO in part recompense the
veterans for the financial losses they
sustained because of being in the
service of their country, would in no
degree lessen the debt of high respect
due them for the hardships and dan
gers which they so checrfully faced
The editor OF the Review seems
to think that the nation has dis
carged its full obligation to the men
who did not hesitate to offer their
lives in its defense by pattine them
upon their backs and telling them
what noble fellows they are. This
is cheap method Of expressing
gratitude,
Suppose that the editor of the
Spokesman-Reyiew had been living
on a cattle ranch, remote from other
neighbors, and suppose that band
of desperadoes had come along and
kidnapped one of his little children.
Suppose the sheriff had been mott
fled and when he arrived had called
upon the cowboy employees 10 Join
him in the pursuit Suppose several
of the cowboys had promptly re
sponded to his call but the others
had begged off on one excuse or an
other Suppose after the rescuers
had departed the remaining COWBOYS
had been given an increase in wages
because of their depleted number
Suppose that the sheriff and his
posse had followed the bandits
TO their mountain fastness and
for many days and nights had
endured all kinds of priyations and
dangers before they had rescued the
child after gun fight in which two
Of the cowboys had been wound
ed. Suppose when they returned to
the ranch with the child the cowboys
had found that their jobs had been
given to other persons and the ed
itor had greeted them rs follows.
Well. boys the county paid YOU
dollar day and provided
your keep. owe YOU a debt of
honor for your bravery and sell
sacrifice, but feel that it would lie
an insult to offer YOU any money to
IN part equalize the pay YOU received
with what YOU would have drawn
had you remained on your jobs
Goodbye, boys l shall always regard
YOU as heroes and wish you good
luck. l shall take care OF those of
YOU who were wounded but can 90
nothing for the rest of you because
times are so hard that I cant even
, spare the money to build new
barn"
II the editor had expressed such
sentiments would the COWBOYS have
placed much confidence in the sim
certify OF his protestations of graft
tude or would they have felt that he
was trying to pay a debt of honor
in very cheap way
WM GOODYEAR.