The New York herald., 1922-02-15
DR.. Seligman Urges Greater
Attention to the Dis
abled and JObless.
n. Y. SENATOR'S ADVISED
Hostility to Any General Cash
Relief Is Expressed in
kilograms.

Commercial organizations and econo.
mists expressed their opposition yeste--
day to a general bonus for former SOL
ders, whether it be by the issuance OF
bonds or by the proposed Eight poin.
plan" of taxation.
Darwin p. Kingsley president Of tho
Chamber of Commerce of the State o.
New York, sent kilograms to Senators
Calder and Wadsworth and all the Rep
resentatives from this State protesting
against the enactment of bonus legisla-
tion as "a cowardly surrender to dicta-
tion." Mr.. Kingsley said:
1.-THE Chamber of Commerce of the
State of New York reiterates it's oppo-
sition to the pending bonus bill as In
volving both grave danger to the credit
to dictation as brutal as mat which
produced the Adamson law. We warmly
indorse any rational provision for the
care of the injured and disabled soldiers
and sailors, but we protest against
this proposed prostitution of Legislative
power"
A resolution also was adopted by the
executive committee of the chamber
pointing out that ANY expression OF ap-
probation in the form OF money or tie
equivalent of money to those whose
earning power was not impaired Ga pro-
posal to which this body has repeatedly
expressed opposition) should be delayed
until such time as the nerves or coni-
merce have recovered from the shock
from which they are now sunering.
The chamber expressed its unquali1ed
approval of the stand taken by the Sec-
retary of the Treasury as set forth In
his recent letter to Representative Ford
ney.
DR.. SeIiGman's Views.
DR.. Edwin r. A. Seligman, professor
OF political economy at Columbia Uni
versity. said he was opposed to gen.
eral bonus plan. He said a substitute
should be found which would give great
err attention to disabled soldiers and
which called for increased expenditure
to provide employment for jobless SOL
Ciers.
"We ought to discriminate" said DR..
Sellgman, between the plan for giving
tens or hundreds of dollars to every SOL
dier and the plan for giving greater at
tention and care to disabled soldiers
with Senator Borah when he holds that
the nation will be called upon to spend
much more for the care Of disabled SOL
diers than is now generally believed.
Provision for these men should be the
first thought of the country.
"For those ex-service men who arc at
present out of employment some plan
must be devised to give them an occu-
patton. 1t. may be- advisable for the
Government to employ some OF its funds
in a great housing project which VIII
give employment to thousands OF vet
Grams.
mo good purpose Is served in giving
a bonus to able bodied veterans who do
not lack employment. These men do
not deserve a bonus any more than do
scores OF thousands of men who for
some reason or another remained be-
hind and did their bit Of service In civil
ian clothes"
DR.. Seligman said that in his opinion
the sympathy for disabled and unem-
ployed veterans served TO give impetus
to the general bonus plan. III any gen
eral bonus plan is adopted. he said, the
question will be how TO raise the neces-
sary funds. He said be believed any
plan for a general sales tax will fail. and
the money will have to be raised by
taxes on specific articles. from bond
issue or from increased taxes upon
wealth and business.