The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-04-07
EXPECT TO REACH
BONUS AGREEMENT
Ways and Means Com
mittee Should Decide
on Action Soon

| "dSuluSlOu - Inc ways anu
means committee of the house of
representatives, before the end of
April, expects to come to some def
mite agreement as to what sort of
soldier relief legislation shall be laid
before congress. Sentiment in the
committee is so divided that, with
scores of bills pending, no one is in
position to say what the attitude
of the majority of the committee will
be.
To expedite committee action, sew
eral subcommittee will be named
next week, one to consider the bonus
plan, another the vocational educa-.
tional proposal, third the reclama-
ton proposals, and other subcommit-
tees will consider finance and allied
phases of the soldier relief problem.
When each Of these subcommittee
has threshed out its particular prob
lem, the whole committee will con-
slider the various reports and formu-
late one general bill to go to the
house, providing a majority of the
committee decides in favor of a COM
prehensive soldier relief program.
Western congressman are hopeful
that western men will be appointed
on the subcommittee to consider the
irrigation and reclamation bills, for
they find among eastern members a
decided sentiment unfriendly to the
reclamation bills in general. One
member of the ways and means COM
mittee was quoted as saying that, in
his judgment, bonus and vocation
al education bill will be reported, but
that the homes and land reclamation
features will be eliminated, because
they are too complicated to permit an |
agreement at this time" This is
merely the opinion of one member,
but this member is not the only OPP
ponent on the committee of the va
rious land reclamation and home
settlement plans.
Among western congressman there
is a thorough agreement on one
point: If the bonus bill is to be
passed, reclamation feature must
be added, or else the fight for rec
lamation extension must be aban-
doned for some time to come. In
other words, if reclamation is not
made a part of the soldier relief bill,
then reclamation legislation must be
abandoned for this. session and
brought up at subsequent session,
and pushed solely as an economic
problem. These members feel that
it will be impossible to put through
a $4,000, 100000 bonus bill this ses-
sion and then come back at later
session and ask for large appropria-
farms, for if the bonds plan goes
through, coupled only with vocation
al education, then the bonus will be
extended to all soldiers and there
will be no justification for extending
further relief to soldiers in the form
If reclaimed lands; at any rate, they
feel that no such appeal will move
congress.
The question of finances is, to the
ways and means committee, the big
that must be solved if SOL
lier relief legislation is to be passed.
There is no more agreement on that
'eature of the contemplated bill than
IN the measures Of relief to be ex-
ended. .t
Today the ways and means COM
nittee is so divided in opinion that
scarcely two members agree in their
,iews ON this soldier problem, and
here. can be no agreement until the
ubcommittees have worked out bills
covering the various subjects assign
ID them, So far as the irrigation
eature is concerned, much will de-
'end upon the personnel of the sub =
committee assigned to that subject.
Nesterners are hopeful that Con-
Willis C. Hawley of Ore
ION, Charles Undertake of Colora-
10 and George M. Young of North
Dakota may be assigned to this SUBJ
If the west fails to get
ull and fair representation on the
exclamation subcommittee, its chance
or securing favorable consideration
n the general bill will be diminished.