ADMINISTRATION RAPPED ON ITS PENSION STAND
ADMINISTRATION RAPPED ON ITS PENSION STAND Norris Assails Bill Setting War Pensions al Lower Than Living Rates 1 Special to The Progressive) WASHINGTON—The administration's bill fixing World War...
...that is what has been going on here, that is what is confronting us now " "What is the cause for this scare...
...If we lived in a time when there were 100 jobs for every man who wanted a job, It would be different, but we have heard from day to day, indeed, we have heard today in the senate chamber, of the thousands of men who are walking the streets without work and without an opportunity to work...
...The new but insufficient pension policy had been accepted by the House and the conferees at the insistence of two or three administration leaders In the House, leading Senator Norris to say: "I do not believe that a man Is entitled to a seat here, or entitled to a seat in the House of Representatives, who, when acting officially in any respect.....permits somebody else to dictate to him contrary to his own convictions as to what his vote should be...
...ADMINISTRATION RAPPED ON ITS PENSION STAND Norris Assails Bill Setting War Pensions al Lower Than Living Rates 1 Special to The Progressive) WASHINGTON—The administration's bill fixing World War veterans' pensions at a level notoriously below that required to maintain a decent livelihood, and rushed through Congress on the last day of the session, was opposed vigorously by Senator Norris who contrasted the liberality of the federal government toward beneficiaries1 of ship subsidies with its penury toward disabled veterans, and who urged the Senate to insist upon remaining in session until it obtained adoption of the Walsh amendment — increasing the pension rates to a level comparable with that carried by the Spanish-American war pension bill which overwhelming majorities in both house...
...it makes no difference, for in either case he has been deprived of the privilege and even the right that, accrued to everybody else except himself and those who were In the war with him...
...as they ought to say, "If you want to fight for us, I hen you ought to have the same courage that we exhlhlted when we fought for our country...
...then the President draws the line and says, we have not...
...In this way when there are more persons seeking Jobs than there are jobs, it is the efficient man who gets the Job, The man with 24 per cent disability, which was incurred in the Great World wails cast aside, and the man who stayed here and made money out of the other man's sacrifices gets the Job, Yet if the soldier be nnly 24 per cent disabled, under the bill as It...
...If he has a choice between ; A, man who !« 100 per cent efficient I and one who I* only 7fi per cent efficient, thf employer of course wtll give the job to the 100 per cent efficient i man...
...Why raise, the white feather at this stage of the battle...
...we went to the front...
...comes from the other House, and which is sought to be passed by the approval of the pending conference report, he can not get a red cent...
...Our duty would then come to us...
...we risked our lives...
...Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate of the United States is gorng to adjourn until we pass some kind nf legislation relating to World War veterans...
...Conferees of the two houses h?d, however, discarded the Walsh amendment and had reported back the rates which the House had hurriedly accepted after ihe President's veto of the first World war veterans' bill which instead of embarking upon a pension policy would have simply liberalized the policies to which the federal government had adherred since 1917...
...frightened into the belief that if we do not approve the conference report, which has been presented by j three members of the House of Repre- ! sentatives...
...Think of a man having In be 25 per cent disabled before he can receive a pension...
...As I have said about the President's opinion with reference to these amendments...
...you ought not to lie down...
...lie commenced or when It was half through...
...We followed the flag...
...Where do they get that idea...
...Why are Senators so fearful that they dare not vote their sentiments...
...It is true In the business world—and I am 1 not finding fault on that account— I that an employer will, of course, take I the man who Is the most cotniietent to ; do the work...
...We would have a perfect right, then, under the Constitution, to pass the bill over his veto, and it would mean no disrespect to him...
...This is no time for Ihe Senate to surrender: this is no time to lip down, ilf we are gome on the theory that has | been advocated herp by some, that we l should vote for the conference report, ! and then say to the members of the ! Legion, to the men who fought in the | World war, 'We are beaten, but we want | you to know we are going to keep on fighting,' they will say, 'Why do you not fight like we fought when we were in the trenches...
...If the Senate j were in that position and had not voted, jl would be one Senator demanding that I we go on record and not try to shift j the responsibility to the President of the ! United States...
...you ought not to surrender when somebody high In official life scares you...
...Why are Senator...
...to putting them on the basis of the soldier of the Spanish-American war...
...While the administration had been ready enough to spend millions for other purposes...
...The rumor that is going around the corridors and in the cloak rooms ts that the President will veto the bill if we in-s.'ist on agreeing to this amendment...
...could hardly be expected that ihey would be kept open...
...Before we will j recede from that amendment, we ask I in all respect, in all honesty, in all j | honor, that the House of Representatives i .vote on it?' They have not yet done so...
...they did not talk that way when they sent the propaganda over the country, paid for out of public funds, much of it an exaggeration, and some of it downright, false...
...the money.' "Those who take that position did not, talk that, way when we sent those boys to France...
...of Wild Jackatsei.—-Ralph Crani...
...I would have perfect respect for him if he should veto the bill...
...perhaps, came back wounded, gassed with health Injured for life, but we did not...
...no disrespect to any member of the house or of the senate...
...we will await, your return...
...we did not turn and run before the bat...
...you ought to be brave enough so that you can resist, a .vcarr of a bluff or a threat.' "And this Is legislation by threat...
...He has a perfect right to do it...
...That is all a rejection would mean...
...your jobs will be kept open for you.' However, when they came back their jobs had not been kept open, and perhaps it...
...When the soldiers started on their way across the sea for the battle front In France I hey were met at every crossroads with bouquets, and they were told...
...We will remember you forever...
...lis that too much to ask...
...They did not talk that way when we were sending speakers all over the country to get people excited and worked up...
...we will get no legislation...
...A man who is 24 pef cent, disabled can not get a job in competition with a man who is not 24 per cent disabled...
...S. Dak., .June :>h Rn-closed find s.n cents for which please send m» two button:- of the : n...
...The bill would then go back to conference...
...surrender.' "They will say to us...
...If we want to maintain the freedom of our country, the legislative body must be kept pure and unsullied...
...Yet the other man is deficient because he shouldered a musket and bared his breast in battle in a war in which, perhaps, he was conspired and made to serve, or he may have volunteered and gone to the war...
...We did not surrender...
...Why surrender now' Why not j assert ourselves and say...
...Why not do our duty...
...I I "Why are we afraid of the veto...
...they did not talk that way when they voted to send them to war...
...I "It, does not mean defeat, of the leg-i islation for the World War veterans if j the conference report, is rejected...
...but will do its duty as it sees it, regardless of consc-uences and without fear of anybody or without the expectation of favor trom anybody...
...it must be such that it will not surrender to any power...
...Why not face the situation as it confronts us and follow the conviction of our con-i sciences...
...Many of them were not, healthy men when they came back...
...Senator Norris pointed out, "when it comes to grantine pensions to the soldiers of the World war...
...had passed over the President's veto...
...Stratford...
...I do not believe a just, man can possibly object to the rates fixed In the bill as passed by the Senate...
...that it will not be frightened or scared by any threat...
Vol. 1 • July 1930 • No. 32
