Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-02-21
MAJOR FORT REPLIES TO
COMMENTS ON BONUS

too much like gift or present from
the government tt merely asks the
government to assist the ex-service
man IN overcoming some of the finan-
cial disadvantages incident to his mil
itary or naval service. The American
Legion asks nothing in its selfish in
terest at the expense of the country
1t asks that these. features of the
| bill be only as liberal as is consist
ent with the welfare of the whole
country.
If legislation~is wisely framed COW
ering land settlement, home aid and
vocational training, every dollar in
| vested by the government will bring
| ultimate great returns to the country
by making the ex-service man bet
ter citizen and a greater producer
and will increase the wealth of the
nation.
Any assumption that the passage
of this bill will load an already
heavily taxed people with an addi-
tional burden is unwarranted. By
exercising reasonable economy this
bill could be financed without any
additional tax. The enemies of the
bill have been seeking to discredit it
by proposing the most unreasonable
and ridiculous means of raising the
revenue.
Why raise all this fuss over the
Adjusted Compensation Bill? Did
any great storm arise over the fol
lowing bills?
The appropriation by congress,
since the armistice, to the u. S. Ship
ping Board of three billion dollars, =
Settlements of contracts with man
ufacturers made during the war,
some of them only implied, amount
ing to upwards of 100000, 900.
To the War Finance Corporation
one billion dollars.
To relieve the. railroads $500,000,-
600.
To Russia, recently, $2O,OOO,0O0
Did they levy special taxes for
these?
Since the armistice the War De-
partment has returned in cash 10
the Treasury Department 100000
600. 1t has returned in unexpended
appropriations seven billion dollars.
Five and and one-half billion dol
lars worth of supplies are held by
the War Department as reserve
equipment for an army of 10000
men. This is at the rate Of $4,000
for each man in the army, In
few years all this equipment will be
obsolete and fiji merchandise for the
junk dealer.
Our former Allies owe us ten bill
lion dollars principal and about one
billion dollars interest. Interest is
lapsing at the rate of one billion
dollars day with no effort being
made to collect 1t is proposterous
that our government should deny the
valid claim Of the soldiers and make
no effort to collect this debt.
Only a short while. ago some of
the enemies of this bill were seeking
to have our government cancel the I
eleven billion dollar debt owed us by
our late Allies. For, what PURPOSE?
They were willing that the tax pay
ers lose all this money that they
might turn this golden. stream into
their Golfers, by the sale of their
manufactured products abroad, there
by maintaining an unreasonably high
price for necessities at home.
There is in this country today To-
per cent of the gold of the world.
Behind every Americas dollar Of ey-
cry kind, there is about 90 per cent
in gold. Notwithstanding that we
are the richest nation in the world we
are the only one that has failed to 4
compensate its veterans. With this
in mind sixteen states, such as Iii
nois, Ohio and Missouri have paid
their ex-seryice men cash bonus.
We are accustomed to the effort
on the part of The enemies of This
bill, to 'befog the issue by making
reference to the physically disabled.
1t is a device repeatedly used by
those who contributed least and prof
tied most by the war. A device zap
peallng to emotion and not to reason.
THE disabled first" was tbe crv of