Evening star., 1933-10-05
The Political Mill
By C.. Could Lincoln

VIC A1ueIlCdu Legion at lCS naClOIldl
convention in Chicago the other day
and the legionnaires apparently liked
it. The Presidents address may be con-
sidered the first gun in the expected
struggle in the coming session Of Con-
gress over veterans compensation. He
told the members of the Legion that
everything possible should be done by
the Government to care for disabled
veterans whose injuries grew out of
service during the war. He told them,
too, that every citizen of the United
States owed military service to his
country in time of war; that it was a
duty. And finally he insisted that
merely because man had been in the
service during the war did not neces-
sarily entitle him to compensation for
injuries received in civil life after the
war, injuries that had no connection
with the war service. Right there the
President put his finger on the issue
which promises to rise and confront
the American people not only in the
coming session of Congress but also
in the years to come.
X II Il
President Roosevelt's own charming
personality and his great popularity
throughout the country were strongly
in evidence at the national convention
of the Legion. He received a great
ovation. But the Legion Committee
has taken the position that all vet
Grams are entitled to Government hos
pital care if they are disabled whether
their disabilities grew out of service
in the Army, Navy or Marine Corps,
or had no connection whatever with
such service. If that policy Is persisted
in 1t means showdown between the
administration and the veterans Or
ganization when the Congress meets
There are many Democratic members
of the House and the Senate who have
received strenuous protests against the
provisions Of the economy act of the
last session cutting thousands of vet
Grams of the compensation rolls pro-
vided their disabilities cannot be traced
directly to their war service. It re-
mains to be seen whether these men,
bers of Congress will be guided by
the President or by disgruntled voters
in their districts and States.
X
President Roosevelt, when he called
halt on veterans compensation de-
mands on the Federal Treasury and
insisted that the bill for compensation
year, startled the country last Spring.
He succeeded in forcing the economy
bill through and seemingly he had
strong backing in the country for the
measure. When he went out to Chi
cago to attend the American Legion
convention he had the same reasons
in mind which actuated him six m2nths
ago to demand cuts in the compensa-
ton. He contended that the country
did not owe to the veterans the duty
of caring for disabilities which devel-
oped after their war service had ended
and which had no service connection
He contended further that If there was
no curtallment of compensation to vet
Grams there would be small chance Ct
the country's ever getting out Of the
red and balancing its receipts against
its expenditures.
The American Legion made no de-
mand for an immediate payment of the
remainder Of the soldiers bonus at
their convention, but proposes to ask
Congress to relieve the veterans from
the payment of further interest on their
bonus loans, amounting to about $50
100000. The drive for immediate cash
payment of the remainder of the SOL
diers' bonus. amounting to about 81
000, 600 600, which came to head here
a couple Of years ago with the march
Of the bonus army on Washington, has
apparently subsided. The President
has made it quite clear that he does
not favor the payment of the bonus
until the Treasury is in condition to
meet such payments. However, it is
expected there will be advocates Of the
payment of the bonus without further
delay when Congress meets here next
January.
The first regular session of the pres
ent Congress, by the way, opens on
wednesday, January 8, under the opera
tion of the so-called lame duck amend
ment to the Constitution. The amend
ment provides that the Congress shall
assemble at least once in every year
and such meeting shall begin at noon
on the third day of January, unless
they shall by law appoint a different
day" Congress has passed no law
SO far relating to this change in the
date of the opening of the regular
sessions of Congress. However, it Is
not unlikely that at the coming session
law will be passed and provision
made for different day in the event
that January falls on Sunday Since
the new constitutional amendment pro-
vides specifically that the terms of
members of Congress shall expire at
noon on the third day of January of
years in which such terms would have
ended if the amendment had not been
ratified, it seems quite clear that no
date can be fixed for a meeting of a
new Congress prior to January 3, un-
less the Constitution should again be
amended. In other words, the first
meeting of the new Congress can not
be held until January 3, although
Congress might by law provide for a
later meeting of the Congress The
same lame duck amendment provides
that the terms of Office of the Presi-
dent and Vice President shall begin
on January 20, instead of March 4.
The newly-elected Congress will canvass
the electoral vote for President and
Vice President, instead of the old Con-
gress. and for that purpose the meet
ing OF the new Congress prior to the
Inauguration of the President and Vice
President was provided in the consti-
tutional amendment.
+ -
Virginia has left no doubt as to its
stand on the proposal to repeal the
eighteenth amendment, and further
more, the people have voted substan-
TALLY in favor of some controlled traffic
of liquor in the State itself, instead of
the present prohibition laws there. The
Old Dominion is the thirty-second
State for vote for repeal, leaving only
four more needed for the final ratifica-
ton of the twenty-first amendment. re-
pealing the eighteenth. The ratif1ca-
tion of repeal is now only a question
of weeks. The vote in Virginia was
practically 2 to l in favor of repeal
of the prohibition amendment. Yet it
was only few years ago that the drys
dominated the State politically with
an iron hand. and what Bishop James
Cannon, jr., had to say with respect to
prohibition was law.
X X X X
The House has a new woman men,
Der, Mrs. Isabella Selmes Greenway.
Mrs. Greenway has just been elected a
member from Arizona, to fill the va
coy,rry no,1coI bvy tho rocinn fipy, of