The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-07-07
OmGoperumeut
How 1t Operates
BY William Bruckary
VETERANS
ADMINISTRATION

nNE of the greatest problems which
~ this, or any other government,
has been called upon to solve involves
the veterans of the World war. 1t is
problem that has bedeviled congress
and one President after another, and
1t Is going to bedevil more congresses
and more Presidents, for the answer
the payments to veterans under one
or another of the hundred-odd veteran
relief acts amounts to the astounding
total of $685., OOOO 00-just about one
fourth of the operating cost of the gov
eminent, or that part paid for running
expenses.
All of this vast sum, and 1t has been
growing year by year, Is paid out
through one agency. namely, the vet
erans' administration. The veterans
administration is not in the fight; it is
not part of the problem. 1t is sim
ply the agency through which the
money passes, never to return to the
federal treasury.
Undoubtedly, there is a large sum
Of this total which the taxpayers
would not have returned to the treas
ury. Surely, there Is none who would
object to a governmental and public
expression of gratitude in the form of
compensation and care for the widows
and orphans left behind by those who
made the supreme sacrifice, or for
those men whose lives were wrecked
In the service. The care of them Is
recognized everywhere as an obliga
ton that must be met. But about
the remainder Of this sum, real bat
tie wages, for that involves the bonus,
it includes payments in the nature of
compensation or disqualification and
the like for causes not remotely con-
nected with the war. These are the
things that are being questioned, and
unless all signs fail, congresses of
the future are going to be confronted
by 1t, because there never has been an
investigation made to disclose what
falls within the recognized require
ment of caring for widows and orph-
ans and wartime disabled.
The best available figures indicate
that something like 100000 persons are
receiving payments in one form or
another under the veterans relief acts.
But that Is not all. There Is that de-
mand, best exemplif1ed by the bonus
march on Washington, for payment of
the remainder Of the bonus in cash.
Half Of the sum that was intended
originally to be paid to the veterans In
1915, or prior to that time to be paid
to their benficiaries in case Of death,
already has been made available, In
the form Of loans. There is no deny
ing, however, that some of the veter-
ans have organized powerful groups
to force legislation through to carry
out their wishes, and If they do, con-
gress will vote a total Of two billion,
four hundred million dollars out of
the treasury at one fell swoop.
It has been pointed out as this bonus
question has been debated up and
down that the federal treasury Is like
ly to end the current year next June
30 with another deficit. 1t had
deficit of 1888, 100000 on June 80, 1881,
and more than two and a half billion
June go 1882. so Imagination is not
required to see what will happen II
the bonus is voted. It will be either
more taxes or more bond issues which
the taxpayers of the country eventual
ly will have to meet.
But the veterans have a claim. They
point to the fact that fifty years after
the Civil war, the federal government
was paying pensions that amounted
to as high as $30O,0O0,OOO year, and
even now, IS years after the war be-
tween the states, pensions drain $685.
100000 from the treasury.
AS was stated, however, the veter-
ans administration is not part Of the
controversy, except incidentally. It
goes on carrying out the laws which
congress has passed and paying out
the money which congress has appro-
priated. 1t does the Job through some
eight or ten thousand employees, scat
tered throughout the country. They
are necessary IL funds are to be han
died and If the hundred or more hos
pitfalls to which veterans may go for
treatment are to be supervised.
The veterans administration has to
get as near to those it serves as can
be done conveniently. Hence, the fif-
ty-odd district Offices; hence, the local
physicians In so many communities,
hence the examining boards in so
many sections. 1t would appear that
the veterans administration eats up
a tremendous sum in salaries. The
cost of handling these payments to the
veterans or their benefciaries Is only
about 5 per cent of the total. Criti-
cism has been directed at the agency
from time to time, however, indica-
tive of some malfeasance. Undoubt-
edly, some of it is justified, but thu
consensus Of opinion is that much of
the difficulty into which the veterans
administration falls from time to time
results from the avarice of those whom
congress has sought to benefit. They
were presented with an opportunity to
get something from the government,
and the government long has been re-
garded as fair game.
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