Evening star., 1922-04-09
Ask Soldiers Themselves
AS to Bonus, Urges Marshall
BY THOMAS r.. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President Of the
United States.

BY THOMAS n. MARSHALL.
Former Vice President Of the
United States.
these days of the heavenly
referendum. why not obtain
the view OF the soldiers on the
bonus: The Congress has
fretted over it. People every
where have discussed it, Politi-
clans have assumed they would be
punished II they did not grant 1t.
But no effort has been made to as
certain what percentage of the for
mer service men. who returned to
private life well In body and mind
are anxious. to receive the small
compensation that Is suggested.
1t Is true that the American Le-
Eion and other veterans organiza-
tions have spoken. All former
cluded In their memberships, and
1t 10 possible that the voice Of these
organizations Is not the voice Of
their rank and file. Why not a ma
tional referendum to determine ac-
curately and conclusively how
soldiers want the bonus. how. many
need 1t, how many prefer not to
barter their glorious records in the
nails OF Congress for a few paltry
make no complaint against the
soldier who wants his bonus. II
the young men who donned the
uniform of their country in the
hour Of her need are willing to
bring their pa :riotism down to tRe
yardstick of a dollar. they have a
right to do SO. No man can dis
pute that those who entered the
Army got by far the worst of the
war bargain. Men who furnished
supplies to the government lost no
money on their contracts. Men
who remained in civilian life got
unprecedented wages. Time and a
half for overtime and double time
for Sunday work enabled many
man to get in almost a full week
between Saturday noon and Mon
day morning. Even government
clerks at Washington and in the
and arc still getting it.
II our American life is to be re-
duced to tho terms Of dollars and
cents, the men who went into the
camps and across the sea. even
though they came back whole and
hearty, should be compensated by
the government whether they de-
sire compensation or not. 1t would
only be q question as to how much
the government could pay. There
Is no room for argument over the
conduct Of the government with
reference to the pay of the soldier
and the pay Of the stay-at-home
civilian. II that were the question
involved we would just have to dig
up money to meet bonus require
ments.
There is q vast deal of difference,
however. between equity and pa
triotism. We trusted these young
men to carry the banner of our
country across the sea. We had
confidence they would bear it hon.
orably in the forefront of battle.
They did not disappoint us. No
complaint came from them. Re-
duced to a mere business PROPOSE
ton, the claim for the bonus is
perfectly legitimate. But the
bonus reduces. patriotism to a
commodity in the market. That
makes me wonder whether all the
soldiers want 1t, whether they
have stopped to think how they
will feel when they take 1t, wheth-
er they have reached that point
where the only measure of happi-
ness is the dollar.
Most Of US. are like Nicodemus Of
old, who went to the Master Of
mankind by stealth. Told that he
must be born again, he understood
neither the process nor the neces-
sity for 1t. He judged he knew
what was the matter with Jewish
life, and he was quite certain that
all 1t needed was reformation and
L re.Allegiance to that theocrltic
system of government which had
made Of the Jew for centuries the
wonder Of the world.
\ + \ i
Human nature has not changed
to any appreciable extent since
those far-off days. The zealot in
religion and the man ahame with
patriotism today may proclaim
that what Is needed in both church
and state is regeneration. but those
of US who hear the cry are not
quite certain, that We understand
what 1t means. We cannot tell
how 1t is to be accomplished. and
its necessity is vague to US. 1t
seems as though, II anything be