Show THAT thab 11 THE CW COUN TRY MAY KNOW the american legion had not passed d its its first birt birthday liday when it was ca called aled on to solve one of the biggest problems it probably will be called on to face in many years it was as it an infant were suddenly put to it to decide that ills his lifework should be it was a delicate and puzzling question too differing in this from the majority of american legion issues which are clear cut and outstanding we vo are arc banded together tor for god and country to uphold and defend the con ution of the united states of america surely matters oi of policy should be easy of determination with this broad foundation to build upon but this question was not so easy similar situations have arize alizen I 1 in n the past to puzzle the most intelligent and sincere oi of men the constitution of 0 the united states Is a broad and noble charter but this nation battled with a matter ot of ethics for or fifty years until the solution could be postponed no longer and lincoln made the decision with his words this country cannot exist halt half claie and halt half tree free easy enough now we second gues sers with halt a century ot of demonstration behind us can be complacent that lincoln chose the right way but it was not so easy tor for lincoln the fifty ye s of 0 demonstration were ahead of and not behind him so the american legion was only a few months old when this bonus question came up tor for a decision here we were pledged to be the nations defenders our ideals were the loftiest loft lort iest lest we were bound by the he holiest hollest ot of pledges then with our hearts still thrilled by the sanctity of I 1 our vows we were put to it to decide whether it was our duty to ask our country tor for something the matter stood like this four and a halt half million men and women had served the united states in the world war were they entitled to any compensation pensa tion or assistance in reestablishing themselves in addition to what they already had received let us grant tor for a moment they were and are entitled to extra compensation pensa tion indeed few persons deny the justice ot of tile the claim then what should the compensation be how much how based on service in what form payable when payable grant again that these questions can be equitably answered by persons expert in the solving of 0 such economic problems and always bear in mind that the country at large must not suffer in the solution now we come to the american legion problem our problem should we ask the country tor for this compensation that was the question that faced the legion and its leaders while the legion still was and Is in its infancy it would have been no problem at all it if congress had paid the acknowledged debt to the ex service man without ills his asking tor for it but it so frequently happens that payment of 0 just debts must be sought you can call count it over on your fingers and prove to your own satisfaction that a roan man owes you something but you have to make him see it as well and keep bringing it to his attention congress acting tor for tile the nation was slow in acknowledging the debt and showed little disposition to pay it it looked as it i the matter would be allowed to slide until the debt became outlawed quickly enough people have forgotten for goten the war and the men and women who served so the american legion was called on to decide at once whether it should do the proving to congress that it owed something to the former service men and women and to persuade congress to pay I 1 believe you will agree that this was the most important question that the legion and its leaders ever will be called on to answer it was wa so big it was staggering should we apparently discard our ideals just when we had them and hold out mercenary palms tor for money the easier way out would have been tor for the legion and its leaders to cater to expediency in solving the problem the legion could have pointed with pride to its lofty ideals and have assumed the attitude that it if the nation did riot not care to compensate us we never would unbend enough to ask tile the legion could have said yes the nation does owe something to the fornier former service man but the nation Is upset now the service man has proved he is patriotic and he will not embarrass em barass the country by asking it to ply pay him or we love our country and we cannot ask it tor for anything we want to give not take beautiful sentiments how everyone would have applauded our decision the american legion ah yes the boys who fought but scorned to ask what wonderful idealists idea lists they are that would have been the easier way out but there were too many grim faces in the way to permit us to take that path weighing these facts and balantine ba balancing lanting them against the more delightful fancies cies I 1 have just enumerated tile the legion ion could do nothing but decide it must go alter after compensation ask for it and ask in no uncertain tone toile congress made us ask very well we have done so believing the justice of our claims will assure success As I 1 have said this was not an e easy decision it was made only after the legion leaded k aiters s had looked deep and considered carefully they got all the facts and weighed all the evidence md and then hen I 1 i i hei aei hearts an and d heeds heads told them was the hie right course some of our fellow citizens have not so carefully decided the have leaped at the easier solution they think the legion has erred in asking for payment of the debt to the service man some ot of these citizens are former service men and women themselves and members of the american legion it they knew all the facts it seems certain they would decide as the legion as a whole has decided that the country does owe some something Ebing and should pay it and that since the arose the legion did right to ask tor for payment it is only fair they should be given these facts acts what about the bonus you former service men are asked tell the inquirer first that this Is not a bonus you seek it Is just and fair compensation tell him what you want and why you want it A great many former service men do not even even know what the proposed plan of compensation pensa tion Is perhaps in their hearts hearts they believe loyal americans always should give and never take so the legion leaders thought until until they heard all the wil evidence dence arguments against compensation have been spread broadcast the real situation frequently has been misrepresented either through maliciousness or through ignorance too much stress has been laid on the cash compensation pensa tion feature As a matter of tact fact it i is s realized i th this is is the e 1 least e desirable ar real laed ices nih adt ade e to t the se service rv man an a and n to th the e country it is fairly assumed that a majority of former service men and women will choose one of the other three forms of compensation aut opponents of compensation have croaked at the raid on the treasury as typified by the issuance of bonds to former soldiers they have conveniently forgotten the benefits of land all settlement home aid and vocational training not only to the service man but to the country as well you have been told payment of oe compensation pensa tion would wreck the country have you ever heard the answer to this have you ener eer pondered that four more months of the war would have cost the country as much a as the whole compensation program wi will I 1 lost cost and that the then money ioney would have been raised somehow without wrecking the country you have been told it was unpatriotic to ask for compensation have you questioned the motives and the connections of oc the man mail who told you this how patriotic was he the arguments advanced against your interests have been legion and they have been wrought by shrewd minds they are all answerable and you should know the answers looking at it in a mere dollars and cents way soldiers and sailors undoubtedly were unpaid the buck private at 30 a month was underpaid underpay I 1 id ills his was a hard job that required skill the absorption ot of training courage and devotion general pershing was underpaid at a year for a a year job the men in between in all grades similarly were underpaid during the war common labor was getting 6 and 7 a day in the shipyards workers were making as high as 3 30 0 a day in the munitions plants unskilled workers were getting an average of 10 a day carpenters at cantonments canton ments averaged 70 a week the same high figures prevailed in civilian pursuits work that had little or no connection with the war because of the the four and a halt half million the services of clerks salesmen auditors editors insurance men hotel clerks waiters porters chauff ers and executives were at a premium they named their own price and got it there is no quarrel with tile the man who worked he sold his services in the open market and got what the buyer thought they were worth or knew he had to pay the man who bought labor was not the loser for he resold it in the form of canton ments munitions military supplies and domestic products at a ripe profit corporations that manufactured materials not directly destined for the military forces also did very nicely the soldier and sailor fought how frequently you have heard the groan that high wages were the cause of high prices and that the aurer and jobber could not make a decent profit because of cost of operation and taxes the evening world new york has published a series of highly illuminating articles in wh which ae 11 the excessive profits of big corporations are disclosed remember that a great many of these people arenus are numbered among the active opponents of 0 compensation to former service ra men e and women these figures are interesting enough for reproduction here her one large leather corillia company ny ha had gross sales in 1915 of 0 3 39 in 1917 when production was smaller the value 0 of gross sales mounted to an all increase ot of over thirty three per cent in 1915 the operating expenses of this company were eighty per cent of gross business in 1917 in war times operating expenses we were re only seven ty tour four percent in 1914 this corporation paid a two per cent dividend on its common stock in 1917 a nine per cent dividend was paid on the common stock A large corporation that manufactures t shoes with a twenty acre plant and fifty five acres of floor space turns out pairs of shoes dally daily in 1915 it showed a gross profit of 83 per cent in 1916 per cent I 1 in n 1919 per cent |