The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-03-14

are battling to retain many of them. He admitted that some of the claims of the national economy league, one of the principal or- ganlzed groups operating against the awarding of benefits, were Just. Veterans admit that some of the claims are not without founda- lion, but the injustice develops Tn the governments wholesale dismiss sal of legitimate petitions.
 MT Blrt remarked in the course Of his address: If federal aid is de- nled disabled World war veterans local communities will have to care for them either through taxes or by charity.
 In addition to this burden, the merchant and others of the entire community will be deprived of the money now coming into it as aid to these veterans" he said.
 The speaker asserted that rep sresentatives of interest that now pay large federal income taxes are seeking congress in the name of economy to transfer a large DOT tfon of the veterans cost from large interests to the distressed To- cal taxpayers. He named the na- tional economy league and the chamber of commerce of the United States as instigators.
 Their yardstick is money" he said. They have presented no argument to show that federal ex- penditures under existing law arc wrong or improper. They have ignored the fact that disabled and helpless men must receive help and care. They never point out that men do not pay federal income tax es unless they have incomes to justify them.
 "The organized group simply have presented series of conclu- sions not sustained by medical or other scientific evidence. Instead they introduced their attorneys.
 For 13 years the American le- gon has cooperated with congress in the problems of the veterans. Legion cooperation has been well comed and the legion has always kept in mind the welfare of the nation as well as the welfare of the veteran.
 'The legion has brought these problems to congress each year. Our hundreds of expert witnesses have testified altogether for months be- fore committees. They have given their first hand experiences, and have included experts in social work, claims handling and diseases.
 "The legion has never merely said these are. the conclusions of a million veterans-but for each conclusion has brought forward able and informed witnesses, giv- ing underlying reasons, the neces- sity, the justice for the conclusion reached by the veterans in their deliberations. Such testimony has been commented upon at length by the governments own experts and then all of this evidence has been reviewed with great care by their own conclusions were finally reached.
 Anyone who dares challenge this devotion of our Legislators in congress, by that fact alone eXhib- it's lack of knowledge.
 "Thc lives of many thousands of veterans have been saved by the provisions of the World war vet erans' act. The organized groups now seek to overturn the basic theories of veterans relief and veterans care. Summed up, they declare all previous congresses back to the Revolutionary war have been wrong. They want to remove the veteran from the position of honor he has held in American life and history since colonial days and place him in exactly the same position before the national govern ment as the citizen who rendered no military assistance in time of |'greatest peril, but who stayed out of the hardships and dangers to take advantage of financial oppor- tunities.'