Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-04-08
HOUSE BODY FOR
SOLDIER BONUS
Committee Approves the Pas
sage of a Relief Bill .
TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS
Tax on Luxuries and Sales to Be
Utilized in Raising the Funds
Money Not to Be Realized by
Bond Issue.

Washington, April 3. - Definite
agreement to report out a soldier aid
bill was reached by the house ways
and means committee. The decision
came on resolution offered by Rep
resentative LOngworth, Republican, Of
Ohio, which provided that legislation
for the benefit of the ex-service men
would be framed but no bonds or bond
issues would be authorized to raise
the necessary revenue
The cash required under the meas
ure, the resolution further provided, is
to be raised through taxes on luxuries
or a sales tax. The vote on the reso-
luton was Is to 6.
Details to Be Worked Out.
The provisions of the bill remain to
be worked out, but discussion in the
committee indicated that it will follow
the lines of a cash bonus and extern
sion Of vocational education to all for
mer soldiers. The legislation must be
restricted to these two methods, it
was generally agreed, if it is to be
passed before congress adjourns in
June.
The other two features of the Amer
lean Legion's alternative plan, home
building and farm development, would
have to carry complicated machinery
which could result in serious legisla-
tive difficulties. 1t was pointed out
that while sentiment was almost
unanimous in favor of the federal re-
serve act and the federal farm loan
act, the difficulties in framing them
and passing them through the two
houses caused delays of several
months. The same thing would be ex-
perienced with a soldier aid bill carry
ing home and farm provisions, it was
felt.
The task of working oat the details
of the bill was left to five subcommit-
tees which were agreed on by the Re-
publican and Democratic leaders on
the committee. They will be con-
frmed at a meeting of the full COM
mittee. The subcommittee will make
careful study of the various pro-
posals submitted to the committee, the
number of persons eligible to the pro-
posed benefits and the cost of each
plan, and recommend the most prac-
ticable plan to be adopted.
Bonus Less Than $3.50 cay.
Thorough study will also be made
of the several proposed methods Of
raising the revenue necessary to pro-
vide for the bonuses.
The subcommittee will begin work
Immediately, said Chairman Fordney,
and should submit their recommended
tons within a few weeks. He was
confident the bill would be passed.
One proposal offered at the meeting
was that the schedule of taxation in
the original war revenue act, which
raised 100000, 600 for the year 1918,
should be restored This schedule was
modified so as to reduce the amount of
revenue to $4,OOO,OOO,OOO for 1919 now
being collected. The additional ST.
OOO,OOO,0OO, 1t was pointed out, would
be more than sufficient to meet the
bonus requirements.
Members of the committee were not
prepared to say what would be the
amount of the cash bonus, but it
was indicated that it would be less
than the $1.5O a day for each day
served, as recommended by the Ameri-
can Legion. The cost therefore would
be less than $20OO,OOO,OOO, it was
coi1