Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-26
PUBLIC OPINION
y M
SOLDIERS
EDITOR EVENING NEWS:

measure, that reply. hardly seems
necessary TO your editorial of the
goth unless to take exception 70
your inference that but little action
is being taken by ex-service men in
behalf of their wounded and dis
abled comrades. Either you are ig-
norant of the facts or have been mis-
Informed.
Are you aware that since the
founding of the American Legion
the first thought of every Post, every
state and National headquarters has
been to the men who returned home
broken in mind and in body? DO
you know that every law placed upon
the statute books of the land to en-
force the proper care and treat
ment of these men was conceived in
veterans organizations. by veterans
n without the help of any of those
bodice whose cry today is: Take
care of the wounded and disabled
first
Do you know that long before the
so-called bonus agitation began
the American Legion with other vet
eran organizations maintained,
through assessments or their mem
bers, headquarters in Washington for
the purpose of w%ringing from a half
hearted and indifferent congress
measures that would partially take
care of these wounded and disabled?
Do you know that the bonus agi-
tation" did not originate with the
e~x-service men themselves but with
those men in congress who recogniz-
ed that a debt to these ex-service
men existed and who felt it should
be paid?
Do you know that the American
Legion twice refused to consider
bonus legislation eve though re-
quested to do so by congress, until
laws for the care of the disabled had
been enacted?
There are two statements in your
editorial that are mighty pleasing
TO the ex-service man. The first is
that "as long as any of these men
are in want or not being properly
cared for. there is no ground for
the able-bodied ex-service mar to
press his claim on the government"
BY that, I presume, you admit that
the able-bodied e~x-service man r.al-
ly has a claim on the government
and that the only question is as to
the time for it's payment being OPP
perfume. That is the excuse the Ger
mans gave the Allies on Preparations
and which they (the Allies) in urn
hand to us in payment of their DEBTS.
The second is that "the public
would like to know"
1t is encouraging to feel that after
three years effort to convince the
public" or rather that part of ii
which is unwilling to be convinced.
that they now wonder il a real work
does not actually exist in the rehab-
ilitation of the disabled and in the
partial adjustment of the financial
handicap suffered by those who gave
their all in the service of their coun-
try.
One good suggestion you make IS
that sit should be possible to get
their (the wounded and ~disabled)
claims adjusted at Washington"
True. but by whose efforts? Do
you expect that the e~x-service men
should carry the burden alone IN
the future as in the past? Why not
some movement from the public"
showing that they know such a
state of affairs exists and are willing
to help remedy them? The truth is
that the public does know the facts
are just as willing now as in
war times to see that the ex-service
man is given justice. The real OPP
position to these movements comes
from the profiteers-the few who
having made their millions in the
var intend to hangon to them by
fair ways Or foul. They are the
men whose voices are heard through
the press today, but when the public
speaks-and they have spoken on
the issue before-no doubt will be
left in the minds of any politician
or statesman as to just what the
public wants. Nc disabled soldiers
league would have an excuse for ex-
istence if these men (the law-mak-
ers) could distinguish the voice of
their real master-the people-from
that of the profiteers and big bust
ness.
Does it occur to you that there
are a few things the ex-service men
would like to know?
They would like to know why the
United States Chamber Of Commerce
did not appropriate the millions it
spent in its campaign of lies and
Misrepresentation against the ad-
compensation bill. toward
having legislation enacted for the
benefit of the wounded and disabled
in whose welfare they are now so
deeply concerned?
They would like to know where
the pressure ONE from that makes
men elected to public office on a
platform acknowledging the nations
debt of honor to its soldiers and sail
ors, constantly forget their pledges
and vote against every in
tended to carry them out.
They would like to know why CIV
ilian employees of the government in
time of war were paid comfortable
salaries and given a bonus two
years after the termination of that
war, while ex-service men are call
ed robbers" and raiders of the
treasury" when they ask for a small
portion of what these civilians re-
They might even question the sin
cerity of Secretary Mellon, who
claims that a bonus would place a
heavy burden of taxation on the
backs of the people and at the same
time sets about to impose a tax ten |
times as burdensome through the
benefits accruing to his Aluminium
Corporation of America with the
help of the proposed tariff bill.
They would like to know how the
$4,000 millionaires produced by the
got their money and how long
they are to be allowed to keep it.
They would like to know why the
newspapers most. violent in their
opposition to the bonus bill r the
same ones who through keen bidding |
paid hundreds of thousands for the
privilege of printing the kaiser's
Memoirs" when men broken in
body and mind through their efforts
to hang the kaiser to a sour apple
tree" are allowed TO wander the