The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1922-02-02
NJ CUMBER FAvORS
SOLDIERS BONUS
gill FOR SUCH COMPENSATION
IS ALMOST CERTAIN To'fBE
PASSED IN SPRING..
CONGRESS CHANGES ITS MIND
Where the Money for the Payments
10 to Come From No One Can Say
Yet-Many Service Men Don't Ask
IL
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

BY EDWARD q. CLARK
Washington. - Senator McCumber,
the new chairman of the finance com.
mittee of the senate, Is said to be In
favor Of soldiers bonus. A bonus
almost unquestionably will be passed
some time In the spring. Congress It.
self will be obliged by the very cir
cumstances In the case to provide the
means to pay the money.
Prior to the time that the late Sen
ator Penrose had recovered sufficient
ly from his earlier Illness to attend
the sessions of the senate, Senator
McCumber acted as chairman Of the
finance committee and II was he who
presided In the committee room at the
time that hearings We're held on ad-
justed compensation for the veterans
Of the great war. At that time the
senator perhaps was not particularly
keen for the bonus and other senators
were In more advanced state Of
opposition. Congress. however. finally
made up its mind that the cash bonus
must be provided, but the President
interposed a reluctant objection and
Uncle Sans cash register was not
called upon to ring.
Now things are different. There
was great activity on the part OF the
former soldiers representatives here In
Washington. They proved, or main
tanned they proved. that the great
ajority Of American citizens were In
favor of the bonus, and so bonus II Is
to be, although Just where the money
to make the payments Is to come from
not even Mr.. Mellon can suggest.
Congress must do the suggesting and
the providing, II II can provide.
Where to Get the Money!
II has been said definitely that
bonus payments cannot he made to
depend upon the debt payments made
by foreign nations, for nobody knows
when these payments are to begin,
or when they can begin. Some other
means must be found. What are they
to be-?
of course. but whether It will be a
satisfactory way or not from the view
point OF the real financlers Of the
land, II is Of course impossible to
say. The fact stands that the bonus
bill is TO be passed, and the former
soldiers will get their checks. This
perhaps is al-sufiicient unto the i'm
mediate occasion Of desire for the
money, but 1t Is not sufficient unto
the necessity Of the creation of fund
from which the motley may be drawn.
Former service men are split In
opinion on the wisdom, the justice
and the propriety Of asking Uncle
Sam TO pay the bonus. UnQuestion-
ably the majority of the men who
served think they deserve the money
and in -ay PROFESSIONALLY they dc
deserve It. but the fact remains that
some men who fought do not think
and cannot be made TO think that any
man should ask for a bonus In cash
because he was willing TO serve In the
time of his lands need.
The argument which has been ad
yanced and which still is being ad
vanced by the veterans who are pro
nonepts of the bonus is one hard tc
meet Everybody knows what II II
and EVERYDAY admits that human ma
ture seemingly iustifies the former sol
d,ers in asking TINT something be
dome 70 "eyen nm things" Hundred,
~ thousands of Americans of fichtin,
noe and of 6rbtinp physioue drew
| hic nov I'm civil ufe while their broth
ers we're drawing little nav I'm tn,
eoh,,n, life
Favored by onprepareoness "en'
There is one rather curious thing T.
be found in this whole bonus business
| pbosa mpmbers of congress who mos