Evening star., 1934-10-25
BONUS PAYMENT
VOTED BY LEGION
Convention Demands Money
Now Despite Appeals
by Opponents.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press,
MIAMI. Fla, october 25.-Raising
its voice in a monstrous aye" the
American Legion today demanded the
immediate cash payment of the vet
Grams bonus certificates by the Gov
ernment. The vote was 987 to 1873.
Payment, Legion officials have es-
timated, would require an outlay OF
about two billions of dollars by the
Government.
There we're some boos in this six
teenth annual convention of the
Legion as some State departments
cast votes against a resolution by the
Legislative Committee calling for
bonus payment and remission of in
terest on loans already made on the
service certificates.
New York Votes No.
New York's solid vote of 81 against
the resolution drew boos, but there
were rollieking cheers as Pennsyl-
vanias 49, CALIFORNIA; go, Illinois
II. Massachusetts, AZ, Michigan's 80
and the votes of other big States
went for the bonus.
! n IOll CdlI was OCAldLACo W WV
York, Tennessee, Connecticut and IL
linois, although after the AYE" and
nay vote by voice from the floor
Comdr. Edward A. Hayes of Decatur,
Ill, had said: There's no question in
the mind of the chair
Adoption of the resolution came
after only few speakers we're heard.
There we're frequent calls of "ques-
ton" as the speakers finished.
There we're boos and applause at
times when speakers against the bonus
resolution concluded.
No Minority Report.
Immediately the vote was announced
the big theater began to empty, justi-
flying the remark of Ray Kelly, legis-
lative chairman, This is what we're
all waiting for" as he presented the
bonus resolution. There was no minor
ity report, and although Comdr Hayes
and others had forecast controversy
over the bonus, the resolution went
through to adoption in an hour.
Representative Wright Patman of
Texas, a Legionnaire and militant
bonus payment advocate, was the first
speaker. He urged the veterans to
adopt the resolution, declaring pay
ment would aid return of spending
power and prosperity.
E. A. Jennings of Arizona and John
D. Sullivan of New York spoke
against it.
William F. Pritchard of Alabama
Endorsed it.
Legless Man Heard.
A legleSs veteran, William J. Miller
of Connecticut, who came forward in
a wheel chair, spoke against the reso-
luton, saying:
increase our membership, but do we
want members who would not come
into the Legion until they saw some
thing for themselves
The discussion was shut off as
Jack williams of North Dakota
moved the previous question" which
under the conventions rules of pro-
cedure called for immediate vote on
the resolution.
Williams motion was seconded by
Tom Miller of Arizona. 1t was
adopted with crashing AYE" against
a scattering mo-" and the vote pro-
ceeded on the resolution.
An address by Ray Kelly, corpo-
ration counsel of Detroit, on "Univer-
sal Service" was given to the con-
vention.
He said the American Legion has
prevailed in the end in practically
every proposal we have advanced for
the good of the Nation and the well
fare of the victims of the war" despite
powerful, vicious and untruthful
propaganda spread by those with
selfish and ofttimes sinister motives"
Advocating the Legions program
lHantinued on PAGE LIZ Column \