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. ii 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 it's 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 $500,00O,000
To the War Finance Corporation
one billion dollars.
To relieve the railroads $500, 000,-
600.
To Russia, recently, $4,000, 900.
Did they levy special taxes for
these?
since the armistice the War De-
partment has returned in cash to
the Treasury Department 100000
GOO 1t has returned in unexpended
appropriations seven billion dollars
Five and and one-haH 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 fit 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 short while ago some of !
the enemies of this bill were seeking
to have our government cancel the
eleven billion dollar debt owed us by
our late Allies. For what purpose? |
They were willing that the tax pay
'ers use all this money that they
might stirn this golden stream into |
theis, Golfers, by the sale of their
manufactured products abroad, there
by maintaining an unreasonabTy high |
price for necessities at home.
There is in this country today rs |
per cent of the gold of the world. |
Behind every American dollar of eH-
cry kind, there is about 80 per cent
in gold. Notwithstanding that we
are the richest nation in the world we |
are the only one that has failed to |
compensate its veterans. With this |
in mind sixteen states, such as Illi- |
nois, Ohio and Missouri have paid
their ex-sewice 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 ap-
pealing to emotion and not to reason. I
The disabled first" was the cry of !