Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-12
SOLDIER BONUS BILL
lis KILLED BY HOUSE
Measure 0verridden at An
napoIis Despite Plea
of Author.
By a Stan Correspondent Of The star.


ANNAPOLIS, Md, March 12-Un-
moved by nearly an hour Of pleading
by Delegate Andrew P. Szamski Of Bal
timore City, author Of the measure, the
House of Delegates yesterday killed the
State soldiers bonus bill, which would
have required a 100000 bond issue,
when 1t voted down a motion to SUBJ
stitute the bill for the unfavorable re-
port of the Ways and Means Com
mittee.
The motion was defeated, As to 81,
and the House then adopted the unfa-
vorable report by an oral vote.
A verbal tilt between Delegate Charles
| G. Marbury of Prince Georges County
and Mr.. Szamski and the seating Of j.
Enos Ray, chairman of the Democratic
State Central Committee and former
speaker Of the House, on the rostrum
interrupted the protracted debate.
Questions Author.
Delegate Marbury asked the author
of the bill If he joined the Army with
the idea of getting bonus.
mo, but others told me would, +"
Mr. Szamsh replied, and then wanted
to know If Mr.. Marbury was an officer
or served in the Quartermaster Corpse"
Answering that he was an enlisted man
in the 10th Field Artillery, Mr.. Mar
bury drew applause from the crowded
galleries by declaring, mot all OF US
had any idea OF getting ANYTHING out
of the service but our dollar-a-day pay
for defending our country" He then
drew from Mr.. Szamski an admission
that he was conScript.
Shortly thereafter Speaker Francis A.
Michel noticed Mr.. Ray seated with the
Prince Georges delegation and invited
him to share the rostrum. Prolonged
cheers greeted the gray-haired political
veteran as he mounted the steps ana
was handed the gavel.
A near-riotous stage was reached In
the debate few minutes later with a
threat to seat Delegate Szamski when
he assailed Delegate James j. Lindsay,
Baltimore County, chairman OF the
Ways and Means Committee.
"There is no doubt that the chief
| howls against the bonus ccme from the
gentlemen who rolled up millions while
the poor conscripted men were shivering
and wallowing in the mud Of the camps
and trenches" Delegate Szamski de-
clared.
"It is true that in 1922 Maryland
passed the bonus bill to redeem itself,
but today it is a different story, as the
floor leader delegate Lindsay seems to
rule that this bill is raid on the State
treasury" he said in seeking substiLu-
ton of the bill for the unfavorable re-
port.
We'll, the people have right to raid
the treasury or DO anything that is their
will in the matter of paying their debt
to the men and women who fought to
make the State part or a nation free
from the heel of trampling invader.
r.u. u Vu.1 nbI;oa t;o,,
Further, the State of Maryland can
not sit in the halls of justice with its
sister States until 1t has paid its just
obligation to these veterans. I want to
impress upon you that this is not a
matter of charity, but one of obligation.
1t is an honest debt, owned by the
State to its veterans-an obligation
which other States already have full
filled"
Delegate Lindsay attacked the meas
ure as unsound, and was interrupted
several times by Delegate Szannski, and
at one time was ordered seated when he
demanded the floor after Lindsay had
moved the previous question, calling for
a vote.
The vote polled for substitution of the
bill for the unfavorable report was re-
garded as a surprise, and had the Bal
timore City Delegate polled the entire
strength of the city delegation behind
his motion 1t would have carried.