The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-02-16

membership ana present a SOllQ
front to maintain justice for the
disabled.
Prospects for major reductions in
veterans appropriations in the
present session had diminished al
most to the vanishing point as this
congress approached the home
stretch before the inauguration.
The special Joint Committee of
the Senate and House has just
completed two full months of hear
ings on the subject of veterans leg
islation.
Immediately after the last wit
ness completed his testimony, Rep
resentative John McDuffie, Demo-
crat, of Alabama, chairman of the
committee, announced publicly that
any results accruing from the
hearings must be obtained in an
other session.
1--WE hope to get our report in,
however, by the time this session
adjourns," Mr.. McDuffie said.
1t is known that Chairman Nc
Duffie looks to the impending spec
ial session, which is expected to be
called about April for any possible
changes in appropriations for the
benefit of veterans. Although Pres
ident-elect Roosevelt will convene
the session to consider specific leg
islation, Congress may take up any
subject it desires once it organizes.
It is probable, therefore, that an
other attempted raid on payments
to veterans will be opened by the
big interests lobby when the new
Congress meets.
Although Mr.. McDuffie's state
ment apparently removed the great
est immediate menace to veterans
there is still time
left in the present session for dam
aging sniping through the medium
OF riders to the regular appropria-
ton bills, although the important
ones have been defeated. The last
to be defeated was that of Senator
Hiram Bingham, Republican, of
Connecticut, who had offered an
amendment to the treasury and
post office department appropria-
ton bill, proposing to reduce by 10
per cent all veterans payments in
excess of $1,000 a year.
Despite the striking record made
by the veterans in defense of their
legislation, they probably will not
come out of this sessions battle I'M
scratched. The War Department
Appropriation Bill, already passed
by the House, today was reported
to the Senate, still carrying the
House provision forbidding drill
pay to National Guardsmen who
are receiving pensions, compen-
sation or disability allowance
from the federal government
1t appeared potable tonight
that the bill would reach final pas
sage with this provision remaining
in it.
The Senate Appropriations Com
mittee struck from the bill however
the amendments introduced in the
House by Representative William
P. Connery, Jr, Democrat of Mass
achusetts, and John Taber, Repub-
lican of New York, aimed at retir-
ed officers of the regular service.
The Connery amendment forbade
retired pay to officers having an
income in excess of $4,000 year. The
Taber amendment limited to the
period actually spent in active SER
vice the computation of pay on the
basis of length of service thus elm
mating the four years spent at
West Point.
Another Senate change in the
House bill was a reduction in the
appropriation for the promotion of
rifle practice. The house provided
$15O,OO0 for this purpose but the
Senate Committee cut it to $685.
600, for the fiscal year 1884, begin
ming July 1.
The hearings of the Joint Com
mittee on veterans legislation end
ed with spokesman for the Nation
al Economy League back on the
stand in a futile effort to answer
the American Legion's strong case
against unjust reductions in vet
Grams benefits. Stungg by the LIE
gion's charge that the Economy
League had used statisticians to
attack the present veterans legis-
lative structure without a single
word of medical authority to sup
port their claims, League officials
promised to bring prominent doc
tors to Washington to testify for
them. They produced no doctors,
merely submitting brief in re-
buttal of the Legion's case.
The motion by Representative
Clifton A. Woodrum, Democrat, of
Virginia, to give all veterans pay
ments a lateral 10 per cent cut was
so severely defeated in the House
Appropriations Committee that the
author and his supporters were dis
couraged from attempting to have
the slash written in on the floor.
Until the gavel falls on the closing
day, however, sniping such as the
Bingham Amendment will threaten
the vterans.
With the legislative mills jammed
by appropriation bills ana other
measures which literally have to
be passed before adjournment,
Congress will do well to get under
the wire with its mandatory pro-