Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-07-24
Peoples Column
Pocomoke City, Md,
July Is, 1886

To the Editor of
Worcester Democrat,
Pocomoke City, Md.
Dear Sir:
1t appears that you are consider
ably worried about taxes in connection
with the recent distribution of money
to the veteran. quote from "Chirps"
in your last issue:
Gail l can say is it's going to rack
some of our bones to pay for it in the
way of taxes. They simply believe in
taking the goods the gods provide, and
looking forward to the next dividend
of hard earned taxes. Well it all
goes in a life time and what's the
use of worrying your minds. Just
grin and bear it."
This bonus really isn't bonus at
all. 1t is merely back pay for the vet
eran-back pay that Congress de-
creed was coming to them-that a
grateful nation told Congress it must
be paid to them. Originally an ad
justed compensation certificate and
converted into Bonds was an acknow-
ledgment on the part of Uncle Sam
that a soldier was underpaid during
the World War. 1t was credit slip
for back pay. Congress finally de-
cided some years ago that the sol
der ought to get some of his back
pay which was due him. In arriving
at the amount of this credit slip the
prevailing price of the day laborer, in
other words, the cheapest kind of lab
or requiring the least amount of in
telligence used as a basis. Statistics
show that during the war the pre-
vailing prices for so called common
labor was 1925 per day. The Gov
eminent in arriving at compensation
figure deducted $1.00 from the very
lowest rate and took that as basis
of compromising the soldier. The
position that the ex-soldier has taken
in the development of the nation since
war days has proven conclusively that
the rank and file of the soldiers were
not of this lower strata of earners
but of higher calibre and capable of
earning much more than that amount
arrived at as basis of adjustment in
compensation. So it passed the bill.
But Uncle Sam said he didn't have the
money just then; he would pay it in
twenty years.
War and even the preparation of
war changes man. In 1917 and 1918
the youth of America left their homes,
donned uniforms, and marched off to
war. They gave up their jobs. They
gave up their opportunities. They
won a glorious victory. Then they
came home-to be cheered and hailed
as heroes. But most of these return
ing heroes never have caught up with
the years that they gave to their coun-
try. The American people always be-
ing fair and honest, and because they
realized that soldier returned from
war is not the same man who left to
fight for his country, Congress fl
nally voted the Adjusted Compensation
The Veteran is called a Treasury
raider! Seller of patriotism! Tramp!
Bum! by only those who opposed i'm
mediate payment of the adjusted-com-
pensation certificate. There are treas
ury raiders, to be sure, and believe me,
there were treasury raiders during the
war-thousands of them-but the boys
who went forth to kill and to be killed
weren't the treasury raiders.
Patriotism was bought during the
war-but it wasn't the patriotism of
the soldiers. 1t was the patriotism OF
of the munition makers that was
bought. And it was the patriotism OF
the spectators and others who prof
tied from the war.
The soldiers would have had their
back pay years ago, as the people in
tended they should have, but for q
small amount of men. The American
Liberty League and the National Econ
omy League are fighting the soldier
and the soldier class of the nation, for
what reason, they realize that the
veteran is about to take his rightful
place in the politics of our country
The American Liberty League and the
National Economy League are made
up of representatives of the very
wealthy and of the huge corporations.
However, we know that they do not
represent our 12O,OOO,OOO people, they
represent those who stayed safely at