Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-01-18
The Political Mill
Veterans Bonus Knocks
At Congress Door Again
Cost of Such Bill Is Estimated
From 40 to 671s Billions
By Gould Lincoln


From 40 to 671s Billions
By Gould Lincoln
Bonus legislation for veterans Of World War II
is knocking at the door of Congress again
and II the past history Of soldier bonus legisla-
ton means anything, the knocking will continue
until new bonus law Is enacted. And when
it meets success, the bill against Uncle Sam
will be staggering in size. Indeed, the estimates
run from $40, 0o0, 000, 900 to $67 500 0000oo So
far two bills have been introduced in the
House, one by Representative Rankin Of Mis-
sissippi, now chairman Of the Committee on
Veterans Affairs, and one by Representative
Pace Of Georgia.
Mr.. Rankins bill, which was introduced by
request Of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, pro-
vides that the adjusted service pay to veterans
would be So day for service in the United
States and 81 day for foreign service. Mr..
PAGES bill steps the ante up-making the pay
81 q day for home service and IS day for
overseas service. The veterans of the First
World War, when they got their bonus, received
1t at the rate of 81 a day for home service and
$1.25 for overseas service, and the total bonus
bill was infnitessimal as compared to the bonus
now proposed for veterans Of the last war.
There will be other bonus bills sponsored by
veterans organizations, including the Amvets,
and many members of Congress will seek to
have their names attached to the legislation
Rankin Bill Provisions
The Rankin bill provides that the bonus be
paid to the veterans by United States bonds
maturing in ten years, which shall not be
transferable, assignable, subject to taxation.
levy or seizure under any legal process, and
payable only to the veteran, il he lives.
Afr the First World War ended, soldiers
bonus legislation began its course within two
years. The argument used then, as 1t will be
used now, Is that the men who went to the
defense Of their country were entitled to lad.
justed compensation" for their service, in order
to bring their daily pay bit closer to the
high wages received by civilian workers during
the war period. In other words that the man
who went out to be shot at should be paid
commensurably with the man who worked in
the factory and the shipyard.
During the last World War, the pay of soldiers
was boosted considerably, and when they were
mustered out, they received additional pay
and later still they had terminal leave" pay.
Further, the CT Bill Of Rights so-called pro-
vided Government funds to help veterans get
college education and many other advan-
tages. The legislators may have had hope
that all these things would allay the ghost Of q
demand for soldiers bonus. They haven't,
however-although the bonus legislation now
proposed would deduct from the bonus sums
advanced for tuition, etc.
The Second World War has been over more
than three years, and the bonus demands are
on the up and up If the bond or adjusted
service certificate plans are carried out, the
immediate effect would be to boost the national
debt to new heights, since the cash payment
would be postponed for a period Of years, ten
or six, or any number that might be finally
determined.
Four Years for First.
It took the first bonus legislation, providing
for 20-year endowment certificates, nearly four
years to get through Congress, following World
War I. 1t was passed over President Coolidge's
veto in March, 1924, by vote of 313 to 10 in
the House and SO to is in the Senate.
The next move was to increase the loan
value Of the certificates to so per cent Of their
face value-and the bill, vetoed by President
Hoover, was passed by votes of 1928 to 10 in
the House and rs to Is in the Senate.
That was in 1881 and the following year, 1882,
bills were introduced to pay the full face value
of the certificates to the veterans. President
Hoover had an unhappy experience with the
ing the payment of the bonus in full. When
President Franklin D. Roosevelt took Office, the
veterans were still clamoring. The House and
Senate passed the bonus bill in 1885. Mr.. Roose-
welt came to the Capitol and read veto mes
sage-written in his own handwriting-a al
though the House OVERRIDE the veto, the SEN
ate sustained it. The next year, however, 1885
with an election coming up-the Congress
again passed the bonus bill, and while Mr..
Roosevelt again vetoed it, the Democrats in the
Senate gracefully gave in, and the bill became
law.
Great pressure will be brought to bear for
the passage Of the new bonus. The maximum
allowance under the Rankin bill is $500 for
veteran who performed no overseas service, and
81, 500 for overseas service, with an extra $500
for any wound. There is another election in
1852. 1t might be bonus year.