Evening star., 1924-03-30

During the past week considerable
out t-of-town support rallied to the
cause of the young women who served
in the United States Navy and the
United States Marine Corps who are
excluded from the benefits accruing
under the adjusted compensation
measure now pending before the SEN
ate finance committee This support
came as a consequence of a national
appeal to the American Legion gem
orally made in their behalf by Paul
J. McGahan, department commander
of the District of Columbia Depart
ment of the American Legion.
The national Legislative committee
of the American Legion, through John
Thomas Taylor, it's vice chairman, has
assured the members of the L. ). ).
Jacob Jones Post and the Belleau
Wood Post of Washington, two units
made up in membership entirely of
the young women affected, that IL
will wage an active fight in their be-
half and in behalf of the 1880
woman veterans who are discrimi-
mated against
Department Commander .McGahan
filed with Senator Smoot, chairman of
the Senate finance committee. a. for
NAL protest against the elimination
1usted compensation measure. This
brief contained a summary of the
service performed in the Navy and
the Marine Corps by the woman vet
Grams and a detailed account of the
pay and allowances given them.
The fact that male veterans SINH
larly employed are to receive the
benefits of the bill was stressed as
ahlishing the rank discrimination"
against which Commander McGahan
originally protested.
There are numerous phases of the
bill as it passed the House that need
revision" declared Commander Nc
Gahan in a statement issued from de-
partment headquarters last night.
Not only does the bill, il now
reads, establish an inequality in the
treatment of the woman veterans, but
another section of II seems to crate
an inequality that discriminates
against those veterans who have died
during and since the war
This comes about through the pro-
visions of the measure under title 6
relative to payments to veterans de-
rendents. 1t was the intention of the
House that the adjustment of com
pensation should be to all veterans of
the war. and provision was made that
the heirs of those veterans who were
killed in battle or died of wartime
injuries, or who have died since the
ending of the war, should receive
payments as though the veteran had
continued to live and was able to file
his or her application personally.
But there has apparently been in
serted a joker in title which
will eliminate approximately eco 900
claimants from those seeking to come
under the provisions of the adjusted
compensation measure bill. This til
tie. in effect. declares that no adjust
ment of compensation shall be made
in instances where the United States
has made or is obligated TO make
payments to persons either as com
pensation under the war risk insur-
ance act or as insurance under the
act.
Now. the simple effect of this sec
tion can be described best as follows:
Two veterans come out of the war.
Both have been carrying war risk
insurance a business contract with
the government paying the premiums
required. One continues payments on
his insurance The other does not.
simply allowing his policy TO drop.
The one carrying insurance dies and
his family is paid the insura nee
claim. And now, as the bill stands,
this mans dependents will not re-
ceive the adjustment of his compen-
sation that is being proposed, while
the man who let his insurance lapse,
leaving his family with no protec-
ton. will get the benefits of the
me easure.
This matter is being presented to
the members of the finance commit
tee, and an effort is being made to
have the necessary changes made
which will make the bill more eduit-
able in this direction. The American
| Legion can be counted on to follow
the course of the adjusted compensa-
/ tion measure carefully to the last
ditch and to safeguard the rights and
| interests of all veterans"
The cooperation of all posts of the
American Legion in the District of
Columbia in bringing to the atten-
ton of such of the $4,000 alien serv-
ice men of the world war who made
/ application for citizenship while in
camp the fact that they can and
should get their final citizenship pa
pers is being urged by national head
quarters.
Many of these men are under the
impression that the processes that
they went through in camp com
pleted their naturalization. This does
not happen to be the case. AS il now
stands. they can, upon written appli-
cation to the bureau of naturaliza- =
tion, here in this Department of La
| Dor. obtain their final citizenship pa
pers and become citizens of the
United States They must write
their name, state the outfit they
served with during the war and the
camp at which they made their ap-
plication for citizenship
The America ism officers of each
of the posts of the American Legion
7