The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-10-24
Veterans Side of Pension Pro.
bIem Is Presented BY Man
From Idaho

Editors Note: The following
letter, written to a Lewiston,
Idaho, newspaper. deals with the
''other" side of the veterans pen
sion question and has attracted
wide attention throughout the
country as being accurately rep
resentative of the veteran view.
The Tribune prints it here for
the information of its readers.
X X X
TO The Tribune: On the front
page of your paper of September Is
there appeared an article stating
that Admiral William s. Sims had
resigned his honorary membership in
the American Legion as protest
against the Legion's stand on the
bonus question. The same article
stated Sims denunciation Of Span
ish war pensions, declaring them to
be "steal Of the nastiest kind and
an outrage to American taxpayers"
There are two Numerically OPP
posed opinions as to whether the
bonus should be paid before maturity
or not, even in the ranks of the
American Legion; and it is quite pos
sible that. had not the government
through the Reconstruction Finance
corporation seen fit to borrow mil
lions of dollars to loan to the rail-
roads. banks, insurance and loan
companies, large majority would
have been opposed to paying the
bonus until maturity.
The argument quite prevalent to-
day is that If the government could
afford to loan such vast sums to
these corporations-sums which are
not getting into the hands Of the
needy-it could have paid the bonus,
and by paying it placed in immediate
circulation nearly two billions of dol
lars, and that directly in the hands
of those who were in need.
There need be no undue concern.
however, about the bonus. It will
be paid, and quite possibly long be-
fore maturity. Nor do we need to
put on sack cloth and ashes because
of Mr. Sims resignation from the
American Legion. Possibly his resig-
nation saved the American Legion
the unpleasant duty Of kicking him
out as an undesirable.
Let us now examine into the nasty
steal on the part of the Spanish
war veterans pensions. Let us call
to mind some of the blessings to the
nation, yes. to the world, brought
about the Spanish war. First, let us
remember that the Spanish Ameri-
can war was fought by young men
who volunteered their services. some
of them just starting upon their life
careers, some just starting or partly
through college. some leaving high
positions which were Immediately
filled by those who did not feel the
patriotic urge to offer themselves for
service
The Spanish American war brought
to this nation about eight billions in
wealth. It brought to this country
the greatest era of prosperity in the
history of the nation. It set free
millions of people who heretofore
had been held in bondage from time
immemorial.
Recalls War Horrors
When the call came in 98 for
volunteers more than 100000 young
men volunteered. CT this vast army
CT volunteers less than 100000 were
accepted. They. were the very cream
of young manhood of that day, men
who under normal conditions of liv-
ing should have attained an age of
from IS to 100 years; yet today, at
an average age of IS or Sc years, they
are dying at the rate of more than
5OC per month. These are the men
who fought war waged in the in
terest of humanity. the most altruis-
tic war in history. These are the
men who, with uniforms wholly un-
fit for tropical fields, were sent to
Cuba, to the Philippines, and to
those fever-infested camps of the
south, thousands of them dying from
sheer neglect. They were loaded on
transports entirely unfit for the seas,
packed in like sardines in box, and
the food they were given was little
better than hog food, with medical
attention worse, if possible, than
nothing. There were doctors, yes; bu:
they had no medicines, their stock
consisting of a box of compound
cathartics and a bottle of iodine.
And if you got sick, shot or other
wise injured, they gave you one or
BOTH so that if you kicked off they
could truthfully say. Poor boy, we
did all that we could for him."
wonder if Mr.. Sims and the
other members of the National Econ
omy league remember that when
these men reached the Philippines it
was raining all of the time. and hot
as Hades, and the first general order
that came out was, Keep your heads
cool and your feet dry" We had
nothing but heavy campaign hats
(Which regulations compelled us to
weaD to keep our heads cool with. We
were wearing ankle-high campaign
shoes, and the mud and water in
the rice paddles We were hiking
through was from knee to waist
deep. Wonderfully practical advise.
was it not? No, neither Mr.. Sims
nor the other members of that self
constituted body known as the Ma
tional Economy league remember this
for they were not there. And a.:
least one of the league, that "mav-
erick" Archie Roosevelt, who by the
way has lived off his uniform since
the World war, was in Swaddling
clothes when the Spanish war was
fought.
I wonder if Mr.. Sims. who has
recently said that the system Of
Spanish American war pensions was
a steal of the nastiest kind and an
outrage to American taxpayers" re-
members that when the United
States entered the World war prac-
tically every man Of the 100000
Spanish war veterans then living
again volunteered they could not be
drafted) to serve their country. and
something like 10000 men were &C.
cepted, most of whom held high Of
fices in the World war; the rest of
them. around 100000, being rejected
because of physical disabilities. And
again I wonder if he has ever given
a thought as to the reason for the
disabilities of those 100000 If not,