Assignment of educational bonus students January 12, 1920.

377

Telegraph

Northland College.

Northwestern Academy

Northwestern

River Falls_

59

Wisconsin Institute of Hor

Stevens Point.

43

Mr. GARNER. Might I ask you a question in that connection without disturbing you?

Mr. LAMPERT. You couldn't disturb me no matter how many questions you ask me.

Mr. GARNER. In your opinion under the system adopted by the State of Wisconsin, who gets the greatest value out of the systemthose who get the cash bonus? What is your best judgment as to who gets the greatest benefit as a citizen?

Mr. LAMPERT. I am in favor of giving the boys the option of taking the one they want.

Mr. GARNER. But you don't answer my question. I asked your opinion as to which one gets the greatest benefit.

Mr. LAMPERT. My opinion has been in favor of this bill. I favor giving the boys the option and let them take what they want.

Mr. GARNER. But you decline to give your opinion as to which one gets the greatest benefit of that?

Mr. LAMBERT. Everybody konws without my answering the question the answer to that.

Mr. GARNER. What would that answer be? What is the answer of everybody?

Mr. FREAR. Let me suggest this. There are many men who are graduates of the universities but the opportunity has been a great benefit to others who have not had a liberal education. It is difficult to differentiate between the two classes of men.

Mr. GREEN. Do you give a bonus to the officers?

Mr. LAMPERT. Yes; everybody; including Red Cross nurses. Mr. GARNER. Including who? I didn't catch that last remark. Mr. LAMPERT. The Red Cross nurses.

This educational bonus is costing the State of Wisconsin about $100,000 a month. It is estimated that its total cost will approximate $5,000,000.

Col. Leonard P. Ayres states that Wisconsin furnished 98,211 soldiers for the Army or 2.65 of the entire Army. If Wisconsin can provide $20,000,000 in recognition of the services of its loyal sons, ought not and can not the United States do its duty and at least partially recognize the character and spirit of the patriotic service of the soldiers, sailors, and marines by providing added compensation-$1 a day for each day of devoted service?

Mr. GARNER. Will you let me answer that question? If Wisconsin has taken care of its soldiers for this service, why can't each State in the Union do so? If Wisconsin has so capably taken care of its soldiers as it has done with this legislation, why can't each State adopt the same policy?

Mr. LAMPERT. They can, but they shouldn't. They should be taken care of by the Union.

The CHAIRMAN. Why should a State take care of a Federal Government that it doesn't want?

Mr. LAMPERT. We can never pay in dollars and cents for their sacrifices. You can't figure the sacrifice in dollars and cents. This is just a little recognition on the part of the National Government for part of the sacrifices they have made. I have no time or patience for anybody that tries to figure this out from a dollars and cents point of view.

The CHAIRMAN. Instead of giving them a metal medal we ought to give them a goldback or a greenback.

Mr. LAMPERT. Meet them with a brass band and tell them how to go hungry, without a dollar in their pockets!

Mr. GREEN. What ought we to do with the veterans of the Civil War? I have got some in my district that fought four years at $13 a month-didn't even get $60 bonus. Ought we not to include them? Mr. LAMPERT. And finally, we ought to do what we are going to do soon.

Mr. GREEN. Yes; for the Civil War veterans because they will all soon be dead.

Mr. LAMPERT. I am talking about the soldiers of this late war now. I am in favor of going the limit to take care of the old Civil War veterans because I happen to be the son of one myself.

The CHAIRMAN. Does any member of this committee think the veterans of the Civil War ought to be included in this? Now is a splendid time to couple it up with this thing.

Mr. MARTIN. Does that include the nurses?

Mr. LAMPERT. The American Red Cross nurses were not included because data of their length of service was not immediately available, but there is a margin of $30,000,000 for Red Cross nurses.

And finally, we ought to do what we are going to do soon. Let us handle this problem in a big-hearted, level-headed way, and do it now. The opportunity to do a reasonable, patriotic, and humane thing has been open to us since November 11, 1918. Many bills have been introduced, but the best of them all is the one that was introduced on September 9, 1919, by every member of the Wisconsin delegation. There is no other soldier bonus bill before Congress with such united support behind it. The main features are already familiar to you. I shall only summarize them very briefly:

1. Every officer and enlisted person of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Army Nurse Corps, and American Red Cross nurse who served in this country or abroad between April 6, 1917, and November 11, 1918, shall be paid an additional $30 a month for each month of such service-with $60 as a minimum-and the $60 already paid to be deducted. If any such person has died, the payment shall be made to the surviving widow, child or children, mother, or dependent father.

2. That these payments are to be made in service bonds of $30 and multiples thereof, with interest át 43 per cent from October 1, 1919. 3. The Secretaries of War and Navy are to carry out and enforce the provisions of this act in cooperation with the Secretary of the Treasury, who is to issue the bonds.

This is a very simple, straightforward plan-worthy of the Nation and acceptable to the forces that did the fighting for us.

Very naturally one wants to know what the proposal will cost. It will cost a little less than $1,500,000,000. That seems a large sum of money, but it is to go to a very large number of persons. The matter figures out in detail as follows:

Four million men in the Army with an average service of 10 months each-$300 to each of these men means $1,200,000,000.

There were 548,919 men in the Navy with an average service of 15 months each. Four hundred and fifty dollars to each of these men means $246,113,550.

There were 65,666 Marines with an average service of 12 months each. Three hundred and sixty-nine dollars to each of these men means $23,639,760.

The total of these three groups is $1,469,735,310. The American Red Cross nurses are not included because data as to their number and the length of service are not available. In my estimate of $1,500,000,000 there is a margin of $30,264,690 for Red Cross nurses. If each served 10 months, the sum just mentioned would provide compensation for 100,882 nurses. This would provide 1 nurse for each 40 men in the Army, or 1 nurse for every 45 in our entire fighting force.

If we look at it in terms of our total population of 110.000.000 people, the sum proposed in the estimate is between $13 and $14 or capita. The per capita wealth of the United States is over

(The tabulation of votes referred to is as follows:)

BONUS MAJORITY WAS 108,438-PEPIN WAS ONLY COUNTY IN STATE TO DEFEAT MEASURE.

The soldier bonus carried in the State by a vote of 108,438, with complete returns received from all counties. Pepin County was the only one to defeat the project. The returns show that a total of 223,086 votes were cast, of which 165,762 were for the bonus and 57,324 against.

Following is the vote on the soldier bonus by counties:

Mr. TIMBERLAKE. Do you make any distinction between those who served overseas and the others?

Mr. LAMPERT. No distinction whatever.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Lampert, have you concluded your remarks?

Mr. LAMPERT. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. We will meet to-morrow at 10.30 a. m.

(Thereupon, at 5.05 o'clock the committee adjourned.)