Evening star., 1932-04-18
BONUS FOES READY
AS ADVOCATESE END
PLEAS At HEARING
Administration and House
Leaders to Open Fire
Tomorrow.

Advocates of passing the 100000
900 soldiers bonus today closed their
case before the House Ways and Means
Committee and opposition testimony
| directed by administration and Demo-
cratic leaders against the plan will
begin tomorrow.
Advocates have spent more than q
week In presenting their contentious
! that imitation of the currency to pay
the remainder outstanding on the
bonus certificates would prove a spur to
business.
Numerous representatives, both Re-
publican and Democratic, have joined
veterans and leaders of some veterans
organizations in favoring it, although
Democratic and Republican leaders have
expressed opposition to it. Henry l..
Stevens, national commander of the
American Legion, has opposed it, also.
Describes Detroit Needs.
David V. Addy of Detroit, representa-
tive of the Wayne County Council of
the American Legion, including SO posts
was To-Day IlrSC WlCneSS.
Detroit has suffered greater injury
from bad economic conditions than any
other area" Addy said. In the last
three years. Detroit has spent s25 900 :
600 on welfare, and this does not in
clude the huge sums spent by private
charities"
Addy said 100000 persons in Detroit
are dependent. at least partly, on
charity
THE Legion is spending large sums
trying to find jobs for its members" he
testified. Our records show that
hundreds Of veterans have been out of
work for two years.
Under the circumstances, these men
look to the adjusted service certificates
as their last resort.
Sentiment for immediate payment
has grown rapidly in Michigan. The
delegation to the Detroit convention
last June voted % for and Is against
immediate payment. Just a month ago,
the Michigan Legion department voted
l6 to ! for immediate payment"
Addy estimated Is to 20 per cent Of
the Detroit unemployed are veterans.
Scores Other Measures.
w. D. Jackson. spokesman for the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, said
relief measures so far enacted by Con-
gresS have not helped business.
I'VE feel that the bonus should be
paid Immediately. If you pay this bonus,
you will do just. in part, what you
already have done for the railroads and
big corporations, Jackson said.
1T makes man feel pretty blue when
he reads in the daily press of the large
sums voted for the big interests and
voted to relieve foreign debtors.
This bonus will create new purchas-
ing power and be the greatest thing to
help conditions this Congress could do"
Representative Sweeney, Democrat, of
Ohio, said his constituents were for the
bonus payment and that Ohio would
receive s117.000,o00 If the payment
were made.
Better an unbalanced budget than
revolution" Sweeney said.
Representatives Patterson and Allgood,
| Alabama Democrats, also indorSed the
Patman bill.
Edward C. Mcconnell of New York
City said he was a chauffeur for the
general staff in France during the war.
Il was one of six assigned to Black
Jack Pershing after Eddie Rickenbacker
| left to go into the air service" he said
II was assigned 10 drive Herbert Hoover
when he directed Belgian food relief
and drove him for over year.
Unable to Find Place.
Il came down here trying to get a
| place; I had been a chauffeur in New
York for % years.
II saw Lawrence Richey. private sec
retary to the President and he advised
! me to take a civil service examination
| did and passed it with 81 per cent.
Il went to see Gen. Pershing. His
secretary emphasized that 1 should not
| ask for work or annoy him with my
troubles. 1 lived up to that promise.
II believe the only way to help the
country is to pay the bonus and let 1t
go to those that need it."
While Mcconnell testified, he passed
| to committee members copies of letters
recommending his services from former
employers and an autographed picture
of Gen. Pershing. He said Connecti-
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