Evening star., 1932-09-17
Public Opinion and Bonus.


public service when he described IN
STRAIGHTFORWARD, simple terms the real
nature of the obligation that the Amer
lean Legion and other organized veter-
ans are demanding that the Federal
Treasury assume in immediate payment
of the bonus. Some Of his statements, OF
course. may be debated. But those who
take the other side must at the outset
champion imitation of the currency
through the printing press. The weight
of the evidence, as shown by tragic con-
sequences wherever 1t has been tried,
is against them.
But it is not believed that what the
Legion spokesmen describe as this
peace time fight for immediate casn
payment Of the bonus" will be decided,
eventually, on purely economic grounds.
The question now is whether the Legion.
in asking for the bonus at this time,
has not placed itself in the position OF
Aesops dog, which, beguiled by Its
image, dropped the meat from its jaws
in order to get that which was so en-
ticingly reflected from the water This
was the line of attack chosen by those
few COURAGEOUS souls who braved the
misses and the tauntS Of the Portland
convention to speak against the bonus
resolution. Samuel w. Reynolds OF
Nebraska. who led the fight against the
bonus, said that the critical danger was
that the Legion's demand would pro-
woke what he called an "anti-veteran
campaign" and cause the breakdown OF
the legislation thus far built up to pro-
tect the veterans. adding:
We have got to be able to say to the
people of America, I'VE, the able
bodied, ask nothing for ourselves, but
these. our disabled comrades. must ana
should be cared for" How can we raise
our right hand in defense Of the dis
abled man, while at the same time
sticking out our left, palm up, begging
for gratuitieS for ourselves?
And Col. Henry D. Lindsey of Wyo-
ming, past national commander, as
serted that:
The real strength of the Legion lies
not in its million members, but in the
support of public opinion. Without that
support not a single piece OF veteran
legislation would hcyc been enacted
The coming year VII. see no important
veterans legislation. Every unself1sh
purpose OF the Legion will be measured
by the self-centered selishness Of the
bonus resolution this convention WILL
pass.
While some men may be enticed by
the golden dreams of imitation and the
erroneous belief that the country is
suffering from an actual shortage OF
cash. easily remedied by pressing the
button and starting the printing presses
the same men will also see the strength
of Senator Borah's argument:
When ten million men and women
face the Winter without work, when
homes are being lost and farms are
being abandoned because OF taxes anc
debts, when it is very serious queS-
ton of how the Government Is going
to get through the Winter with its ter
rife load to carry, it would have been
far better for the standing and repu'
tation of the Legion if it had post
poned action
There Is no getting away from the
fact that hard times have turned Ma
tional thought toward the heavy cost
Of Government as never before, and
that this heavy cost Of Government, re-
fected In increasing tax burdens that
make it a personal matter with large
section of the population, is throwing
new light on that part Of the cost rep
resented by veterans benefits.
The veterans may boo and hiss the
mention of the National Economy
League. But the league is representa-.
tive of a public opinion that is being
nodded by the strongest Of senti'
ments-sad reflection over the depleted
condition of pocketbooks. The league
Is quick to point out that the bonus
requiring immediate payment of abou
600,00o,O00 over the amount orig
inally voted by Congress-is only
part of the "vast and increasing ex
penSe OF veterans benentS, WIFI mor'
than five billion already having beer
paid to World War soldiers, and with
annual charges in their behalf nov
reaching about s7oo, 900 900, practicall!
a fourth of the yearly budget. Abou
half the amount now being appropri
ated for veterans can be cut, the league
points out, eff benefits are restricted
as they should be, to the dependent
of men who lost their lives in service
and to veterans who actually suffered
disability through the war;
1t should be matter of grave CON
cern to the organized veterans whethe
their bonus challenge will assume tn
hurtful aspects of a boomerang.