Evening star., 1934-02-23
ACTION IS DELAYED
/. ON VETERANS AID
Senate Defers Considering
Of Independent Offices Bill
Until Monday.

After defeating an effort to restore
all the benefits taken from war vet
Grams by the economy act, the SEN
ate yesterday put off further discus
sion Of the independent Offices ap-
preparations bill until Monday, when
amendments to give back a part of
those benefits will be considered.
The Senate turned down, 60 to IA,
motion by Senator Hatfield, Repub-
lican, Of West Virginia, which would
have repealed all sections Of the econ
omy law affecting veterans. 1t was
estimated the amendment would have
cost 1920. 900 to $500. .000, 900.
Hatfield Offers Rider.
Hatfield offered the proposal as a
rider to an administration compro-
mise that Senator Byrnes, Democrat,
OF South Carolina. had proposed to
attach to the independent Offices bill.
The Byrnes amendment would restore
to the rolls thousands of veterans
whose disabilities were presumed to
have been of service origin before the
economy act and who were taken or
compensation by review boards since
that act passed last March.
After rejection of the Hatfield
amendment the Senate recessed until
Monday under debate limiting
agreement to speed passage of the
bill.
Pending as the Senate recessed was
President Roosevelt's compromise pro-
posal, which would liberalize hospital
ization and compensations for pre-
sumably service-connected disabilities.
But waiting on the list, also, were
projected amendments that were con-
siderably more liberal Pensions for
World War widows and orphans and
extended Spanish War veterans pay
ments were included.
The revolt leaders analyzed it this
way. On the extreme proposal by
Senator Hatfield to take OF all re-
ductions, Is Republicans joined IS
Democrats in opposition Two Demo-
Gratis and Senator Shipstead, Farmer
Labor of Minnesota, were in favor.
But Wednesdays vote to give back
S26,0O0,OOO Of Federal employees pay
Immediately and slse 900, 600 on July
l. Republicans voted almost as a block
and had enough Democratic support
to gain a 4l-to-40 victory.
The uprisers thus figure that on less
extreme veterans proposals they can
at least make things more interesting.
But behind all this, Mr.. Roosevelt still
sits with a probable veto should both
Senate and House go too far beyond
his wishes.
He has already polished q veto for
full-payment bonus bills on which the
House certainly and the Senate pos
sibly will vote.
Asks IS Per Cent.
The Byrnes amendment, pending
in the Senate, would grant veterans
restored to the rolls rs per cent of
the compensation they had been get
ting until their cases are passed upon
by the Washington Veterans Board
of Appeals. In the event the board
restored them permanently to the
rolls, they would be given the full
pre-economy law benefits.
1t also would enact into law the
recent presidential regulation provid-
ing free disqualification for needy
veterans of all wars, provided veterans
hospital facilities are available, and
free domiciliary care for permanently
disa bled.
During the discussion on his
amendment, Hatfield said it was a
great injustice" to say only 5,42l
SnQ Qtlich War Iol i,,,,
directly connected with war service
and that the same principle applied to
World War veterans when you tell
me the 100000 removed from the
rolls are not entitled to help"
Byrnes replied that some 10000.
or 6 per cent, of the Spanish War
veterans were able to prove service
connection for their disabilities, a re-
quirement under the economy law.
Senator Robinson. Republican, of
Indiana, made the most vigorous as
sault on the economy law. He said
soldiers had been kicked out of hos
pltalS like dogs" and with war about
to break out all around us no man
had been made more unpopular BY
this administration than the soldier. !"
How are you going to get recruits
with that kind of treatment?" he
asked.
He said he had been informed that
55 suicides in the San Francisco dis
trict alone had been attributed to
nJustices" in the economy act.
Vote on Amendment.
The roll coll nm the rro+6ail .s
ment follows:
For the amendment: Republicans
Carey, Davis, Frazier, Gibson, Hat
field, Kean, La Toilette, Metcalf, Nye,
Patterson, Robinson of Indiana. To-
tai. IL
Democrats-Clark. Long. Total, 2.
Farmer-Labor-Shipstead. Total, /.
Grand total for, II.
Against: Republicans-Austin, Bar
bour. Borah, Capper, Couzens, Fess.
Goldsborough, Hale, Hastings, Hebert,
johnson, Keyes, McNary, Steiwer.
Vandenberg. Total, Is.
Democrats-Adams, Ashurst, Bach
man. Bailey, Bankhead, Bone, Brown.
Bulkley, Bulow. Byrd, Byrnes, Cara
way. Connally. Coolidge. Costigan,
Dieterich, Dill, Duffy, Fletcher, George,
Glass. Gore. Harrison, Hatch, Hay
den, Logan, Lonergan, McCarran, Nc
Kellar. Murphy. Neely, O'Mahoney,
Overton, Pope. Reynolds, Robinson of
Arkansas, Sheppard. Stephens, Thom-
as of Oklahoma, Thomas of Utah.
Thompson. Trammell, Van Nuys,
Wagner, Walsh. Total. As. Grand
total against, 60.