The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-01-10

ties. but many of these measures are
the result of freak imagining and of
no set principle, while others of them
are for REIMBURSEMENT of pension claims
and q hundred and one other small
matters which do not rise to the dig
nifty Of policies of g-;ernment. or
party. or of faction.
The American Legion maintains a
legislative agent in the city Of Wash
ington, and the legion adopted in part
at it's New Orleans convention a leg
i~sIative program. The national COM
mander of the organization of former
service men, Alvin NJ. Owsley, has just
announced what is believed TO be the
complete budget of legislation affect
ing the service lei directly and in
directly and for which an effort is
being made to secure action before
the session ends in March.
Program of American Legion.
This program includes relief for dis
abled veterans, the fve-fold adjusted
compensation bill with a land recla-
nation feature, the Bursum bill for
the retirement of emergency army Of
ficers who were disabled during the
war. the ship subsidy bill. Muscle
Shoals legislation, suspension of i'm
migration for a period C. years. and
civil service legislation for veterans.
There has been some criticism of
the action of legion members in its
open advocacy of the pas age of the
ship subsidy bill. The criticism is
that the legion should take no part
as a body in forwarding legislation
which does no directly affect the for
mer soldier body and his welfare. rhe
same criticism to some extent is di-
rected at the position yhich the le-
gion has taken on the Muscle Shoals
legislation. There are reasons, how
ever. for the ex-soldiers' activity along
one of these lines which the veterans
at least say is all-sufiicient.
The former soldiers seem to think
that through subsidy only can the
American flag be kept on the seas.
Their argument is that subsidy is an
American proposition and that there
fore 1t deserves the support of the
men who fought for their country. II
is perhaps needless to say the oppo-
nents of the ship subsidy bill say the
veterans have taken a mistaken view
point and the subsidy will not do
what it is said that ii will do. Tit
fact remains. however, that the sub
sidy has the backing Of the soldier
organization.
Bursum Bill Likely to Pass.
The Bursum bill at the present writ
ing is in the keeping Of the military
affairs committee of the house of rep
resentatives. 1t provides, as has been
said, retirement for more than one
thousand emergency army officers
disabled in the World war. The SEN
ate has passed this bill and seemingly
the chances are the house will pass it
if the committee gives it into the keep
ing of the Representatives with a favor
able report.
This retirement measure for dis
abled emergency officers is an abso-
Lutte departure from precedent. As
things are today volunteer army Off
GERS disabled. in any OF on wars nave
been pensioned, the pension varying
according to the degree of disability.
If the Bursum bill should .heeeme a
I iaw emergency army officers would
virtually be on a footing with regular
army officers who were disabled in
warfare. and under existing law placed
on the retired list with three-fourths
of their active pay as a yearly sti-
pend
The chief argu-e nj against the Bur-
sum bill Is that the disabled regular
army officers are men who have given
their whole lives to the service of
their country and therefore deserve
special consideration. while the emer-
gency officers of ours are men who
volunteered for a short time and
therefore it is said TO put them on the
regular payrolls of the retired list
would constitute the establishment of
n bad precedent. The disabled emer-
gency army officers are supposed to
be cared. for under the army insur-
anee act and under the law covering
the cases of all disabled veterans.