St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-06-28
Dear Joe
NO SMALL FRY
By JAMES L. HICKS
Dear Joe:

Veterans who have not been able |
to get their teeth into some part |
of the huge program of the Vet
Grams Administration by this time |
had better consult their dentist and |
have their pet plate changed for |
the VA program is now so large, |
most anyone should be able to get a |
bite out of it either fore or aft.
It's all a matter Of what you want
to chew on. Take a look and have
a bite.
The Veterans Administration is
now running the largest insurance
business, the biggest chain Of hos
pitfalls, the greatest pension and
claim service, and the most extern
sive education and vocational re-
Mobilization program. ever under
taken anywhere in the world.
With 1O2 hospitals already in
operation, plans are already under
way to build 81 more.
The hospitals already furnish
veterans with neuropsychiatric
service, TB service, surgery, gen.
eral medicine, dental service, re-
conditioning service and prosthetic
service. In addition the VA has a
special AlIergy Clinic at Aspin-
wall, Pa, and special Tumor Gin
les at Hines, H., Bronx, N. Y,
Atlanta, Ca, Washington, D. c.,
Portland, Ore, and Los Angeles,
Calf.
By 1947 approximately one dollar
out of every eight you pay to the
Federal government in taxes will
find its way into the program Of
the Veterans Administration. More
than one-third Of our Federal bud
get for 1947 is devoted to the Vet
Grams Administration if you ex-
clude the funds requested for ma
tional defense.
So far the government has paid
five and one-half billion dollars to
veterans and their families Of
World War II.
But if you are growing alarmed
at these figures, take a look at
these, and don't say what you
started to say:
During the last year of the war,
you, and you, and you, and you
too, spent as much on liquor in
, seven months as the VA will spend
, in twelve on all the veterans Of
World War II. (Hic! Any more
= comment?)
SALUTE
A snappy salute to Grant Clark
and his veterans Of Arlington, Va
Clark and his boys returned home
from the wars and Immediately
set about arousing Arlington citi'
zens to pay their poll tax so they
could vote. The result was a rec
ord number Of eligible voters
among colored people in that com
munity.
But the boys still aren't salts,
fed. Last week they launched ar
education campaign" for coloreC
bus riders in the state of Virginia
1t seems that with the fall Of
the jimcrow law on bus travel
many of the tan Virginians arr
boarding buses with a chip on theil
e shoulders and pushing the master
e race around with, "Move over
o lady, Congress says l can sit any
e where l want to and if you dom
( like it you can get up!"
y On the other hand, some of thu
e Virginia natives are too timid II
n take a seat near the front Of thC
e bus despite the Supreme Court rul
e ing.
The Arlington vets say some
thing needs be done in both cases
we agree.
THE WHIRL
The AVG continued to show thu
way for liberals when it elected
Franklin Williams, NAACP coun
sci, to its national planning com
mittee with the largest number o.
votes received by any of the q
candidates during it's Des Moinei
convention last week. Williams re
ceived more votes than Franklin
: D. Roosevelt, Jr., and that's some
thing.
Colored officers in the Philip
q pines are yelling because they ar
insulted on the streets by coloret
q CTS. They say the conduct of col
n ored soldiers in the Philippines il
y disgrace to the race. We say whel
- soldier, loses respect for his of
. ficers there is a darn good reasol
buried away somewhere.