Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 August 1919 — NOW, WHAT OF THE SOLDIER? [ARTICLE]

NOW, WHAT OF THE SOLDIER?

After three months’ legislative fiasco what have the much-vaunted Republican friends of the soldiers done in recognition of the men who served with the colors? It was one thing to anathematize the Democratic administration because the country’s needs demanded that some of the soldiers wait for their, discharges. But it is something ■else, about which little is being beard, that the soldier should wait upon the partisan expediency of a Republican congress for recognition and legislation to which he is entitled. Mr. Mann told the house thq, other day it ought to have a vacation and that there was nothing but “chicken feed” on the calendar at this time. What of the Mondell bill incorporating Secretary Lane’s plan for reclaiming land for soldiers? What of the legislation to broaden and assist the

work of the soldiers’ Insurance company, the war risk bureau? What of the Sweet bill for Insured soldiers? The soldiers who (couldn’t be demobilized speedily enough are now waiting on the Republicans, who want to let committee hearing turn into Rip Van Winkles while the Republican house takes a vacation to bolster up its non-regulation, non-func-tioning house machine. There are 13 Republicans and 8 Democrats —none of them overlapping—on the public lands and the interstate and foreign commerce committees, respectively, making a total of 42 members of the house who, at least, can not get away at this time and do justice to the soldiers, because one of these committees has under consideration the land reclamation plan and the other the soldiers’ insurance legislation. Must they delay their reports until a Republican house has a vacation? Representative Sweet, Republican of lowa, has offered a bill giving the soldier two years of insurance free. Other bills have been offered that would establish homebuying credits for the soldiers. Floor Leader Mondell has offered the land reclamation bill—all these are in committee —and some of them do not stand a chance of passing a Republican congress. This, together with the amendments to the soldiers’ insurance act, still under consideration, constitute the entire Republican score for the soldiers. The Democrats, who mismanaged the war, neglected the soldiers in battle, held them overlong in service, and did every other heinous trick partisan Rpubllcans can think of, at least shqw a more generous record. The Democrats enacted the insurance act; they gave the man coming out of service at least a S6O bonus at a time when the present depreciated value of money was not forseen; they have granted the insured soldier an 18 months’ grace on lapsed insurance policies; they gave him the vocational training act and -the disabilities compensation act; they prepared him

to win a flve-years’ war in a year and a half, and some few other things. And still the Republican friends of t{ie soldier want a vacation without doing anything for him. *