Evening star., 1923-06-09
CAPITAL KEYNOTES
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

A brand plan for discharging
the government obligations to the
soldiers of the world war is under
consideration by Senator Bursum OF
New Mexico, chairman of the pension
committee of the Senate. 1t Is not
only radical departure from the
McCumber bill. which was passed by
both branches Of Congress and vetoed
by the President, but the Bursum
measure is based on the argument
that certain acts of the government
during the war. in deducting the SOL
diers' premiums and allotments ar
bitrarily. were illegal. and created a
direct obligation to reimburse the
ton for service. but as final pay
ment on an open account
4 X r X
The bill. Furthermore. would put
the soldier on the same footing as
the cilivilian clerk who remained in
Washington or elsewhere in govern
ment employ and received a bonus
of $40 a month during and since the
war under the assumption that liv-
ing costs had increased, and that the
bonus was only in proportion to that
increase. No such bonus having been
given to the soldiers. Senator Bursum
now seeks to add the same amount
to their pay, in addition to repaying
whatever amounts were forcibly de-
Quoted from their regular $50 a
month pay Cor $33 if serving abroad)
He argues that IL was not fair to
treat the clerks more literally than
the men in the trenches.
x i; X X
The deduction of 81 a month from
the soldiers pay to cover his in
surance (Which was compulsory. he
argues. was not in line with the
practice in the industries Of peace,
and. therefore, especially unfair for
war.
In most states now there is legis-
fation requiring employers to sustain
ing the risks of the industry. He
asks why the government should not
do for its drafted and volunteer SOL
diers. in the risky occupation of war.
at least as much as civilian en-
ployers do toward carrying the in
the occupation. He wants that 81 a
month reimbursed.
4 II y
The SO which was required as
an allotment for dependents he also
wants reimbursed, for If the govern
ment forcibly took from the support
of any wife, or other dependent, the
means of support. and paid the SOL
dier only s33 a month. less deduc-
"A vi Iy- III Ior
the government should allow the
amount needed for the DEPENDENT 8
support thus forfeited.
**
There has been no official action
by the American Legion in the matter
of the new Bursum bill. No legisla-
tive policy Of the legion can be for
muiated except at the annual con-
ventions, or, in an emergency, by
the semi annual meetings of the ma
tional executive committee. Neither
of such opportunities to discuss the
bill has arisen since it was formu-
lated.
Up to the present date the govern
ment has not spent one cent out of
general funds for soldiers war risk
insurance. The premiums paid by the
soldiers, deducted arbitrarily from
their service pay, amounts to about
$40O, 600, 900. and the losses disbursed
up to date by the War Risk and Vet
erans' Bureau almost exactly bal
ance that s4oo,000,00
The obligations OF the government
under the terms of the policies are
not payable in a lump sum, but eX-
tend over a period of twenty years.
Even if all the losses had occurred
on or before Armistice day they would
be spread over the next fifteen years
for settlement. The Veterans Bu-
reau estimates that these obligations
PAYABLE In installments during the
next fifteen years amount to bill
lion dollars.