San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-06
BACK TO THE PENSION

BALM ~ he ZEN SlOIN
In leaving his job as head of the war
veterans bureau, Col. Charles X. Forbes
gave newspaper interview in which
he prophesicd that within a few years
Congress will enact 4 pension measure
for the world war veterans similar to
the pension system iii vogue after other
wars. Colonel Forbes declared that the
present wastcful, unscicntiiic and Tin
equal method of dispensing aid to our
former soldiers could not go on for
long. He gave it as his opinion that
Congress eventually would deal directly
with the proposition and give to each
man, an individual stipend OF 50 much
i month for his personal use
1t will be recalled that Congress, when
we were about to launch an army for
the big fight in Europe took steps to
avoid the pension roll that resulted after
Our war between the states. Having
come into close contact with the pension
measure, most members OF Congress
were quite aware that it was more or
less abused. They knew that lot of
men who never got closer 10 gun powder
than rifle range in former wars were
included on the pension rolls after hay
ing their records amended i'll one man
ncr or another. Hence it was proposed
to give the army men in this war a
special sort of insurance and to pro-
vide in that way Tor the care OF their
dependents. The project might have
operated successfully had the depart
mcnts at Washington worked. But
everybody knows now that another case
of inefficient bungling and departmental
red tape was the only result. There
America were i'll absolute want and sub
sisting on the charity o. friends although
the government had obligated itself to
aid them. The checks never arrived.
Likewise the returned soldiers found
several millions of dollars appropriated
for their care and rehabilitation i'll one
way or another. hut about the only
person who could get any of it was
a salaried employee who may or may not
have been soldier. There were hos
pitals without patients and hospitals
with too many patients. There were
vocational projects that were practical
and some that were impracticable. There
were sick and dying soldiers appealing
for aid only to find that the grass could
grow green above them before the red
tape could be unravelled. There were
schemes proposed to settle soldiers on
the land. There was a bonus project
or two but throughout all, there was
inefficiency and an amazing disregard
of the men themselves or their feelings
in the matter.
Nobody, least of all a red-blooded,
fighting American soldier, wants to have
a federal bureau for nurse. Forbes
probably is right. The net result of
all that has been done eventually will
be to wipe the slate clean, appropriate
money annually, establish a gigantic
pension list which will consist of the
returned soldiers and their dependents.
The pension system is largely wrong
in that there are always individuals who
need a great deal more and are entitled
to a great deal more than a pension.
Likewise there are others who do not
need pension and in some cases, notably
after the civil war, declined to accept
pension.
That the former soldiers are entitled
to every consideration and every posi-
ble aid the government has at its COM
mand is not a point at issue. 1t is con.
coded by all patriotic men. But il
seems that government as well estab.
lshed and as efficient in most respects
as Our government, could make a better
job of it than it has done to date.