Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-29
VETERANS RELIEF
REMAINS AN ISSUE
"CommerCiaIized Racket"
Charges of Johnson Fail
to Kill Plan.
BY MARK SULLIVAN.

The proposal that the Government
shall pay, during this Congress- from
one to three and half billion dollars
as relief to veterans, is still matter OF
concern to responsible leaders in Con-
gress, in spite of the exposure by Repre-
sentative Royal C.. johnson of South
Dakota that some of the lobbying in
favor of it is, to use his words COM
mercialized racket" This is the only
proposal for large Federal appropria-
ton to relieve unemployment that has
taken on a new vitality
When Congress adjourned just be-
fore Christmas the atmosphere of both
chambers was to the effect that nothing
further would be done about any of the
priations which had caused President
Hoover to speak of playing politics at
the expense of human misery" The
agitation and comment from the
country following President Hoover's
declaration had resulted in quiet side
tracking of all the proposals. 1t was
believed, as Congress recessed, that the
relief program which President Hoover
had initiated and which Congress en-
acted would be all that this Congress
would do. It was even believed, and
may yet be trueSathat Senator La Fol-
lette's reSolutich censuring President
Hoover would be allowed to die quietly.
1t was in this atmosphere that Con-
gress recessed. The idea OF another
large appropriation was revived on Fri
day of last week when Democratic
House Leader Garner proposed that
Congress should in this session appro-
pirate upward of a billion dollars as
part payment on veterans endowment
Insurance certificates not due until 1945.
On the following day Representative
johnson denounced the organized lobby
ing for present payment of these certif1-
Gates as a case of "commerclaliZed
lobbying" in which the solicitors OF
signatures to petitions received 10 cents
for each name. johnson is one OF the
quite small number of Representatives
who would be willing to take stand
in opposition to anything proposed
from any source purporting to be in
the interest of veterans if he did not
regard it as sound. JohnSon's freedom
to resist unsound demands put forward
as in behalf, of veterans is in part due
to the fact that he is himself veteran
of the highest standing, with Disting-
uished Service Cross and Croix de
Guerre.
The outstanding fact, responsible for
the continued possibility of this Con-
gress making the appropriation in ques-
ton is that fully three to four out OF
five Representatives will vote for any
measure, however extreme. put forward
as being in behalf of veterans. If such
a measure comes to a roll call, MAORI
ties will vote for it. The variation of
the present proposal now put forward
by Democratic House Leader Garner is
the mildeSt of the several proposals
that the Government shall pay of the
veterans certificates in whole or in part.
Observers of veterans legislation un-
derstand, however, that when mild
proposal gets on the floor of the House,
the extreme proposal is Immediately put
forward as an amendment. 1t has been
demonstrated that the extreme proposal
can command a majority of members
fearful of resisting anything proposed in
behalf of veterans. In the present case
the extreme proposal would require an
appropriation of roughly three and a
half billion dollars to pay the full face
value of endowment insurance certifi-
Gates not due until 1945. This extreme
form of the proposal Is put forward in
the Senate by Democratic Senator Car
away of Arkansas and Republican Sem
ator Vandenberg. of Michigan.
The pressure for this measure is high
" organized and extremely energetic;
and it is the most obvious of facts that
most Representatives and Senators fear
to resist it openly. Privately it is freely
condemned. If the measure is averted
it will be due to parliamentary man
agement in the House. The measure is
in the Committee on Ways and Means.