General Welfare Reporter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 35, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 12, 1946 Page: 4 of 4
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Labor Newspapers and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
PACE FOUR
r STATEMEHT BY
THOS E BORDE
(Continued from rage 1)
anyone but yet it is too often true
that those in position where they can
legislate for relief or even persuade
legislators have an ear more keen to
the voice of the voter or those who
can influence voters In other words
if I may use the expression they are
lost in the shuffle
For months the Congressional Rec-
ord has carried long and strong ex-
pressions of what must be done for
the boys when they come home
Please (I() not misunderstand your
speaker We are for anything that
will in any way assist the veterans
in the readjustment period and to-
ward the establishment of homes in
keeping with the finest American
tradition and principle and we are
for them not only because our own
were out there
Our effort is not only for the boys
returning but for the fathers and
mothers of the boys Here in my
possession is a letter from our imme-
diate locality dated February 19
1916 May I read just an extract?
"I am seventy-three 3-ears old My
husband who has been confined to
his bed from a stroke suffered June
9 1915 and is perfectly helpless is
smenty-nine We have raised eight
children all good citizens One
daughter was a WAC Four grand-
sons in the service one a medico and
won a medal for outstanding senice
We were prosperous until eight years
ago when reverses came to our
home I worked in a sewing room
one year and then my husband suf-
fered an injury which Incapacitated
At that time he lav in the hos-
pital for 15 weeks with a broken
back At that time I its receiving
a pension of $26 which was cut to
$2150 He now is and has been
for several years senile so that
though he has been a kind husband
be is v'ery hard to handle at times
The children have cared for him so
far hut they have sickness and obli-
gations that makes us at the end of
our rope What can we do?"
This case is not an isolated case
gentlemen but is only typical of the
situation which faces many In sup-
port of this statement if I may I
wish to file for the report of your
committee an address delivered by
Dr A M Lyon Director Division
of Hospitals and Mental Hygiene of
Kentucky "Am I Sick or Just Dis-
carded?" Inspired by this address of Dr Ly-
on our organization wrote the Health
Department and other's in authority
in every state and territory of the
Union Many replies were received
Nkre have lithem here if you would
wish to review them They reveal a
most tragic situation regarding the
old folks through the most of the
nation so far as the replies received
gave information
We recognize the fact gentlemen
that it will take quite a little money
to carry out the legislation as pro-
' posed in Mr Wickersham's H R
4747 It may be that the amount
stiggested by the measure is not the
correct amount which should be
granted but how could one be ex-
pected to exist may the word exist
be used rather than live on less in
the present conditions But even the
amount of money which it would take
is no comparison to the money being
expended upon other nations If the
public press is anywhere near cor-
rect the amount owed us by 17 na-
tions on the first World war or may
we say the first act of the World
war is practically ten and one-half
billions of dollars There is great ex-
citement now 'among legislators and
financiers concerning the small per-
centage which we 'will ever receive
from the present lend-lease debt
Yet in the face of this fact the
great sum owed Or due to the United
States some of these nations are
making better provisions in the social
security area and especially in old-
age provisions than is made for our
OW11 tipper-age group
Should it be felt that some gradu
ated sum should be allotted rather
THE GENERAL WELFARE REPORTER
than the amount suggested in H R
4747 may we suggest that there is a
plan which has come to our notice of
which it is expected you will hear
more from another source and which
has been placed before the Technical
Committee through other channels
one of which is your distinguished
chairman which personally we be-
lieve contains considerable value
We feel that H R 4747 is in keep-
ing with the opinion of the United
States Supreme Court as delivered
in the case of Helvering versus Davis
301 U S 619 May 1937 upholding
the constitutionality of the Social Se-
curity Act in regard to old-age bene-
fits We attach a copy but will not
read We would like to quote one
sentence "Only a power that is na-
Holml can serve the interests of all"
UNITED STATES SUPREME
COURT POINTS OUT TIIE WAY
"Congress did not improvise a
judgment when it found that the
award of old-age benefits would be
conducive to the general welfare
The plight of men and women
at so low an age as 40 is hard al-
most helpless when they are driv-
en to seek for reemployment
Approximately 3 out of 4 persons
65 or over were probably depend-
ent wholly or partially on others
for support The problem is
plainly NATIONAL in area and
dimensions Moreover the laws of
the several states cannot deal with
it effectively State and local
governments are often lacking in
the resources that are necessary to
finance an adequate program of se-
curity for the aged Apart from
the failure of resources states and
local governments are at times
luctant to increase so heavily the
burden of taxation to be borne by
their residents for fear of placing
themselves in a position of econom-
ic disadvantage as compared with
neighbors or competitors A
system of old-age pensions has spe-
cial dangers of its own if put in
force in one state and rejected in
another The existence of such a
system is a bait to the needy and
dependent elsewhere—encouraging
them to migrate and seek a haven
of repose ONLY A POWER
THAT IS NATIONAL CAN
SERVE THE INTERESTS OF
ALL" (Helvering v Davis 301
U S 619 May 1937 upholding the
constitutionality of the Social Se-
curity Act)
So gentlemen of the committee we
see in H IL 4747 the possible relief
for this upper-age group though we
do not like the idea of group legisla-
tion at all and believe there is a way
especially in respect to old-age se-
curity that can be devised in looking
to the future as has been so wisely
suggested by your Technical Commit-
tee which will eliminate group legis-
lation in respect to old-at-re provi-
sions even including members of the
Congress members of the cabinet
legislators and all classes of our so-
ciety and our citizens as one big
group It is the simple application of
that American principle which is "the
greatest good to the greatest 1111M-
ben" In closing we wish to quote one
sentence from the report of the
Technical Committee which we be-
lieve can be applied to our plea for
you to report H R 4747 out of com-
mittee for debate and vote It is the
closinc-b sentence of the third para
graph on page 35 of that report
"It is doubtful whetherlurther de-
lay would add anything of value to
the study which has already been
made but it is certain that delay
will increase the number of hardship
cases resulting from this area of ex-
cluded coverage"
We urge the importance of elim
Mating thousands of "hardship
cases" resulting from this area of our
citizenship We are convinced that
the enactment of Hit 4747 will do
this very thing For them what is
done must be done quickly for they
are rapidly passing away The relo-
cation of thousands of men and wom-
en returtin-b to their normal places
in industry the rapid advance of in-
vention and other factor- will force
thousands of aged people who have
had some form of work small though
the salaries might have been and
were yet without them the "hard-
ship cases" are of necessity bound to
increase
Thank you gentlemen for permit-
ting me this privilege of pleading the
cause of the old folks
I want to say that while our organ-
ization is interested in other areas
of the Social Security Act and of the
report of the Technical Committee
the trend of things is so much in the
direction of objectives which we have
entertained in the past that now we
are giving our sole attention to this
one group
Thank you sir
Mr Cooper (presiding) We thank
you for your appearance and the in-
formation you have given the com-
mittee I believe you wanted to in-
clude a statement by Dr Lyon?
Mr Boorde If I may please
Air Cooper Without objection
the statement may be made a part
of the record
(The statement filed by Mr Boorde
is as follows:)
"AM I SICK OR JUST DISCARD-
ED?"—Address by A M Lyon
gannoe
Kansas GIVFA to Extend
Hands lo Wrier Organizahons
Topeka Kansas: Ira M Finley ad-
dressed an enthusiastic meeting of
the Sixty at Sixty Pensioners League
Sunday afternoon March the 3rd in
their hall at 922 East 4th street and
pledged them the full cooperation of
the national GWFA in their fight for
a square deal for the old folks under
Kansas laws He also pointed out
that the Kansas GWFA under the
leadership of Karl Parkhurst at
Wichita was cooperating with them
He said "We must all keep up our
fight to force Congress to pass ade-
quate federal old age pensions abol-
ishing the unfair discriminatory
state assistance plan but while doing
so we will continue to fight for im-
provements in the various states"
The speaker invited the Kansas
Sixty at Sixty organization to affil-
iate with the GWFA and help the na-
tional organization in its fight for a
federal old age pension federal
health and hospital care for all alt
people including the acrbed and for a
complete social security system He
pointed out the fact that an old age
pension must provide the old folks
with enough to pay for proper food
clothes shelter medical care and hos-
pitalization and other needs"
He said "There is not one leader
in the GANTA who gets paid for his
services and not one who wants to
continue as a 'leader' if others can
be found to carry on"
Mr Finley said it was time the
Kansas organizations got together
and elected a legislature that will
keep the faith with the aged poor
The Topeka Sixty at Sixty club was
assured that the national GWFA
wants even more than sixty at sixty
since it wants old age pensions
health and complete social security
The Sixty at Sixty club passed the
following resolution:
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS the Congressmen of
the United States are asking for an
increase in their salary of 50 per cent
also a retiring pension
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED
that we the undersigned an organ-
ization of the Sixty at Sixty Pension-
ers do herewith petition said con-
gress for an adeqaute old acre pen-
sion for our aged citizens who have
reached the age of sixty or over and
whose income is less than Sixty
($6000) dollars to be supplemented
up to sixty dollars on the service to
the state or government No group
of citizens are more entitled to an
adequate pension than our old pio-
neers of this country a pension com-
parable with the present standard of
living
A copy of this resolution to be sent
to our Congressmen and Senators
also to President Harry S Truman
and to both daily papers
We Nv ould call your attention to the
Hon Thomas J Lane Act H R No
60 for your consideration
R E SPOIIR
President 419 Chandler St -
LAVINA B YOUNG
Sec'y 418 Branner St
MRS ELIZABETH COMPTON
Treasurer
DELPIIA WINKLER
Vice-Pres
ELLIS E PALMER
Organizer
A Call to Action
(Continued from Page 1)
plain postal card But write them and
let them know that you mean busi-
ness Don't forget to tell them you
are a member of the GWFA and any
other organization or church that
you may belong to They will respect
you much more if you have a little
power and they will know you have
power if you belong to an organiza-
tion that does things
Call MITA Meetings at Once
If yo'l have no active GWFA chap-
ter or affiliated organization you
should call a meeting of a few people
in some home and discuss these
things Get their names and ad-
dresses order a bundle of papers for
distribution set time and place of
next meeting give us a report of your
meetings to be used in the Reporter
Let's act today tomorrow may be
too late!
REVEREND GILLIAM'S SCORE
252 NEW MEMBERS IN 40 DAYS
' Rev J A Gilliam of Tyler Texas
formerly of Ardmore Okla contin-
ues to pile 19 his lead as organizer
for the GWFA With 252 new sub-
scribers and members since Febru-
ary the first he is breaking records
Just as we were congratulating him
on having 172 new members and sub-
scribers he sent in 80 more in one
mail! Every reader of the Reporter
will be pleased to hear of this good
work He may run his score up to a
thousand by the first of June Those
of us who have worked with this
great leader know his wishes in these
matters Rev Gilliam realizes that
we must have organization then
education as to our program and then
action He wants these new members
to have their paper and become ac-
quainted with our program He
knows that it brings us a step near-
er victory Others are getting new
subscriptions and members Rever-
end Gilliam will be more concerned
about what others are doing than he
will be about seeing his own name in
print If every member and every
subscriber would get just one new
member it vvould double our mem-
bership Let's all pull together wri5
your congressman and senators bold
meetings get others to write send in
subscribers and let us send them one
of the new membership cards What
Reverend Gilliam is taking the lead
we should help him add 1000 new
members within the next 10 days
VIA Convention Postponed
The Oklahoma VIA convention has
been postponed from Sunday April
the 21st to the 28th April the 21st
will be Easter Sunday and most VIA
members will want to attend church
and roll eggs with the youngsters
On April the 2Sth they will attend
their convention in 01ahoma City
and lay plans to roll some politicians
HUNDREDS ARE ORDERING
SA3IPLE CONES OF REPORTER
President Boorde has been running
advertisements in the daily papers
telling the people about the GWFA
lie invites them to order sample
copies of the Reporter Every mail
is bringing requests forsample copies
of the Reporter
THE NEW MITA CARDS
GWFA members who want a new
card nyy secure one direct from the
Oklahoma City office Please enclose
postage to cover cost of mailing All
new subscribers outside of the jur-
isdiction of a GWFA chapter and all
renewals will receive a GWFA mem-
bership card
10"
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Finley, Ira M. General Welfare Reporter (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 35, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 12, 1946, newspaper, March 12, 1946; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2190590/m1/4/?q=%22Business%2C+Economics+and+Finance+-+Journalism%22: accessed June 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.