Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-11-11
aried mans, the wage-earners and the

aried mans. the wage-earners and the
farmers organization.
This peoples organization must be
above reproach in SO far as its princi-
Piles, ideals and tolerance are concern
ed. 1t must be non-partiSan, nom
Sectarian, non-personal. non-Self-Seek-
ing, and non-office- seeking in so far as
this league is concerned. We feel that
these ideals have been realized On the
Advisory Council is Calvin Coolidge,
chairman Newton D. Baker, Alfred E.
Smith. Elihu Root Gen. Pershing and
Admiral Sims. President Hoover and
Franklin D. Roosevelt have approved
the aims of the league and our wise
labor and farmer leaders are interested
in our success in cutting taxes, for they
know how heavily the tax falls upon
the laborers and the farmers
The league does not go into a State
or locality and tell the people what
to do. 1t allows the citizens to organ
ize themselves within the league, and
this we find they do enthusiastically.
We cooperate to the fullest with city
and State tax agencies, and in locali-
ties where careful tax surveys have not
been made the league encourages its
local members to make this survey. The
same is done with States
$2,75O, 0OO, 900 Cut Needed.
This survey in itself becomes very
valuable. In order to get back to a
normal condition the State and local
taxes must be cut about $2,750,0O0 600
Here Is where by far the biggest saw
ing can be made. In the Federal Gov
eminent we think that around hun
dred million dollars can be knocked off
by preventing duplication and extrava-
gance. 1t is not the object of this
league to attempt to reduce fair salaries
for Government employees, nor does the
league consider that any money can
be saved by cutting down military and
naval defenseS. 1t would not appear to
be wise to further cut down our war
ships military and naval aviation and
the Army strength. This. it is thought,
would be poor economy
AS 1 have said, the local and State
costs together make our biggest cost of
the Government, but there is one item
of the Federal cost that requires in
vestigation, and that is the veterans
legislation. Let me make our position
clear in regard to the veterans. AS
can be seen from what have said, this
| organization is a far bigger movement
than just fight on the veterans. We
are not fighting the veterans anyhow.
We are fighting a principle. 1t is in
conceivable that Calvin Coolidge, ex-
commanderin -chief of all of our forces
and our wartime Secretary of War. and
the commanders-in-chi of our Army
and Navy in Europe during the war.
could do anything unfair or unjust to
| veterans. l am veteran myself and
honorary commander of Legion post
I believe in the veteranS-that they
have served in peace as they served in
war. 1t is simply this: The majority
of the veterans are thinking straight.
but there is a minority that does not
understand the gravity of its demands.
If this minority of the veterans could
understand that the country has its
back against the wall fighting an enemy
more dangerous than it faced on the
fields of France, they would not now
make demands that would do much to
wreck the country that they once went
out to save.
Can't Stand Mounting Cost.
The situation is that this Govern
ment and the people of this country
cannot stand the mounting cost of vet
Grams. In so far as pensions are con-
cerned. our wars of the past century
are still going on. If veteran is in
| jured or gets disability from any
/ CduoC III IlNll lllS lIldG llGu llOJlllilS "
do with the war, he gets a pension just
as did his comrade who got his diSabil-
| ity facing the bullets of the enemy. He
can get this pension falling down the
| stairs, from old age, in an automobile
accident in which he is at fault, or from
any one of hundreds of causes. Is it a
right principle for any man who went
to war to serve his country, and per-
haps only wore the uniform for few
months and liked his adventure, as
most of them did. and then is dis
charged in good physical condition. is
it right principle, 1 repeat, for him
to be supported for the rest of his life
by the women, those too young to go to
war, or those too old, or those who
wanted to 60 but weren't physically fit?
Principle Wrong.
The principle OF this is wrong, but
what is just as serious, if the present
laws are not changed, Uncle Sam will
go bankrupt. The cost of the World