The border vidette., 1928-10-13
RECORD OF DEMOCRATIC PARTY
AND Al SMITH SHOWS WHO Il
WE'RE WAR VETS FRIENDS
(by Norman H. Landreau)

| 10y Norman II. Landreau)
Governor Smith very eloquent
| ~ told the world his stand on
the veterans and their problems
ia his acceptance speech August
| 20, when be said:
Il have a. full appreciation of
what this country owes to our.
veteran soldiers: I know that
when the country called, the
veteran came promptly. When
the veteran in distress calls to
the country the country should
be equally prompt. Red tape
and technica lities and, autocratic
bureaucracy should be brushed
aside when the time comes for
grateful American people to re
cognize it's debt to the men who
offered themselves in our hour
of need
! Has not his whole record as
Governor Of New York state for
eight years shown the people of
this country that in his heart
there has always burned that
deep conviction that the welfare
Of those Americans who offered
their lives for their country
should, when in distress, be the
first aid foremost effort of a
grateful people?
i Did he not advocate and ap
prove the state bonus bill for
4 World War veterans?
| DID he not demand and obtain
special recognition of veterans
under the New York State civil
/ service?
Did be not approve the grant
of $500 to every blind veteran
of any. American war living in
New York state?
4 Did be not put through the
state legislature of his state the
appropriation of $4,000, 900 for
| state disqualification of veterans,
so that today New York state
has the finest equipped hospi
tails for veterans in the country?
| Has he not at all times since
| be has been ia the executive
chair at Albany aided in the
passage of al legislature re.
|quested by the veterans organi
cations to aid their comrades?
| In contrast, what has Herbert
Hoover said to or about the vet
eran? Has be not ignored him
and his problems and followed
in the footsteps and advocated
the policies OF Harding and Cool
idge, which policies have been
an open opposition to the vet
erans, a ruthless disregard of
their welfare?
| In 1922 President Harding We
toed the first adjusted compen
sation bill. The Democratic
members of the senate forced
it's passage over his veto in that
body, but the overwhelming Re
ublican majority in the house
of representatives defeated it.
In 1924 when President Cool
idge vetoed the present adjust.
/ ment bill, was it not the Demo.
cratic party in Congress that
forced its passage over his veto?
The disabled emergency Off
GERS bill met the same veto re-.
ception at the hands of Presie
dent Coolidge, and was it not
again the Democratic party that
forced its passage over his veto?
President Coolidge struck q
vital blow to those gallant sur,
vivors of the Civil war when be
vetoed the pension measure that
was to give the veteran an in.
crease of pension to $72 a month
and their widows $50 per month.
At the outbreak of the World
war, under the leadership of
Woodrow Wilson. the Democra.
tic party established the bureau
of war risk insurance to care for
the disabled soldiers and their
dependents so that when the
veteran returned home he found
this great bureau ready to ad
minister to his wants.
The Democratic party and
Woodrow Wilson gave to the
veteran the vocational rehabili.
tation act, and Woodrow Wilson
signed the bill giving the ecivil wal
veteran an increase in pension.
1t was the Democratic party
under the leadership of Presi
dent Woodrow Wilson that, re
: cognizing the moral obligation
; the country owed the ex service
man, passed the act giving the
eX-SerVice man preference fOl