The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-05-01
Apparently House Republi.
cans Are Determined to
Vote Soldier Bonuses
SENATE MAY SAVE
THEM ON TAX END
President Would Veto Present House
Bill-Bonus Question Reduced to
Vote Getting Proposition Repub-
licans Confident of Winning.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright by The Reformer.)

Copyright by The Reformer.)
WASHINGTON, May l.-Taxation
is going up-not down. The Republi-
can party in congress has virtually de
cided that more is to be gained by Civ
ing the soldiers of the late war a bonus |
than by refusing TO make further cuts |
in existing taxes or distributing the
burden through the years of the next
generation.
The ways and means committee of the
house is in tangle. A minority Of Re-
publicans are opposed to new burdens of
taxation but even with the help of the
Democrats their strength is not suffi-
cient TO prevent the passage of the bill
in the house. Only two barriers then
remain-the senate and the President.
| If the house bill were presented to the
White House today it would be vetoed
| If it were put up to the senate in the
| form in which it has been drafted it
would be radically changed but on the
other hand there would still remain adj
ditional taxes wherewith to raise money
for the soldiers because senate Repub-
licans must stand by house Republicans
III doing something before the next elec-
ton that will not ALLEVIATE the soldier
vote. Perhaps the Democrats would do
likewise if they were in control for the
soldier vote has become like the labor
vote and the prohibition vote someth hing
too formidable for the average congress
naa to withstand. especially when q
demagogue can start a campaign in OPP
position to him in his district on that
ground alone
The ways and means committee, both
Republicans and Democrats, had the
new tax bin before them at their Fri
day session. It had been agreed upon
by q majority of the Republicans the
night before and the plan was to Jam it
through the committee in time to report
It TO the house during the day and thus
have it ready for the Republican eau.
Gus Friday night
The significant thing is that neither
the proponents nor opponents of the
soldier bonus differ in their sentimental
feeling that something should be done
for the soldiers of the late war, some.
thing tangible. But get ting down to
the bottom of the whole business. one
finds even the enthusiasts for soldier
|
alan would nut on the already over
"eightrd credit system of the country
Those who favor the bin say the ma
ton can stand the extra tax and they
T'oint ont that either sales tax on re
tail sales above $1,000 n month or a
retroactive tax on war profits wOult hit
only the big fellows.D But experience
with the vicious circles iii the high cost
OF living has shown in the past yeaI
that the larger concerns merely tack
the tax on their costs of production
and the ultimate consumer paws the bill
So many members of the house who
have studied taxation are planning tC
goi before their constituencies on a rec
ord of opposition to anv class legisla
ton whatever whether it be for labo
or soldiers or arv other section of tn.
community. Yet this number is a mi
nority
The real truth is that if the ma ior
/ ity of the house believed the bill JUS
! presented to the ways and means com
| mittee had chance Of being enacted
l into law, they wouldn 4 rush through
I so hastily. But the general feeling i
that the senate will emasculate tn
l measure and iron it out and that if i
is still Objectionable, the Presiden
| would probably vote it thus making i
| even more advanta geous politically t
| argue that the Republicans wanted t
help the soldiers. and the Democrat
! didn't
1t is to be noted that of all the fv
plans suggested whereby aid is to b
gwen TO the soldiers, none of the cas-
/ = - ~. apfoo
until next January. Thus if the sent
R ment of the country in the next cleo