Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
LEGION DELEGATES
TOVOTE FOR BONUS
D. C. Group viii Urge Immedi-
ate Payment of Balance
at Detroit.

ment in full or the amounts OF tIle
soldiers adjusted compensation certln-
Gates, Comdr F. G. Fraser OF the DIS
trict of Columbia department of the
American Legion, declared in state
ment issued last night
The District delegate to the Legion
convention in Detroit will vote for i'm
mediate payment in full of the balance
of the certificates, Comdr. Fraser said.
Congress could take no more direct &C
ton to relieve want and suffering this
Winter he said than by paying the
balance due the 1900, 900 veterans scat
tered throughout the country.
Text Of Statement.
Comdr. Fraser'S statement follows:
The demands C veterans are the
subject Of almost dolly comment on the
front pages, as we'll SIS in the editorials,
of some newspapers The effort now
being made through propaganda to
prejudice the people of the entire coun-
try is most unfair and deserving OF
scathing condemnation.
THE present demand for payment In
full of the amount of the adjusted
compensation certificates will continue
to grow until payment IS authorized.
The veterans, because OF the attacks
being made upon them, are ready to
fight and they will not Shirk any more
than they did in 1917 and 1918. The
payment of the full amounts due the
veterans has been Endorsed by this
department of the American Legion
This action was taken only after 1t be-
came obvious that the payments TO
veterans on their adjusted compenSa-
ton certificates in the past year was
one of the most direct means, taken by
the last Congress, toward relieving the
depression in the country. The billion
dollars which was distributed in every
State, city town and hamlet touched
the very depths of depression and In
such way that the political leaders
could not effectively make political
capital CT the expenditure.
Real Crisis Exists.
1.-THE coming Winter promises to ex-
coed in want and suffering among our
people that of any other Winter through
which this country has ever passed A
real crisis exists and what more direct
action could Congress take than to
make payment of the balance due the
100000 veterans scattered throughout
the entire United States. Their pur-
chasing power would be increased, debts
paid necessities of life made possible
and much suffering alleviated. In my
opinion, there is no justification for
the Congress to delay action as the
Of as proven by the action Of the Treas
ury Department during the last year.
This is now matter of history and
needs no comment.
The veterans have been accused false
ly of causing, by their demands, the
deficit which occurred during the fiscal
year 1881. This statement is untrue
when all facts are considered. Only
recently there appeared in local paper
a statement to the effect that the ma
tional debt has been reduced by more
than $4,000 600 900 since 1919 and that
S745, 900, 900 was applied to the further
reduction of this debt in 1880. and that
the fiscal year 1881 would likewise have
seen a reduction except for the great
falling off in taxes and other revenues.
If the public debt is reduced at the
same rate payments have been made to
date, there will be no public debt by
1947, which would be 80 years ahead
of the original plan, and the present
generation will have paid off more than
double its share.
Cites Prosperous Years.
with reference to the public debt,
I have but to call the attention of the
country to the fact that the greatest
era Of prosperity this country ever en-
joyed was during the period 1922 to
1927-an OF this prosperity with ma
tional debt much larger by several bill
lions of dollars than the debt of today.
The delegates from the District of
Columbia to the national convention in
Detroit will vote for the immediate pay
Eent in full of the balance of the ad-
justed compensation certificates, for
there is no more reason that the vet
Grams, as a group, should wait 20 years
Tor payment of what has been de-
termined justly due them than if the
industrial and financial groups had
been told by the Government We will
make payment to you in 1945 These
interests were paid and paid promptly
upon conclusion of the war and the
veterans. as group, have never pro-
tested this action"