The Washington herald., 1921-11-01
SENATE URGED
TOILET PROFITS
PROVIDE BONUS
Republicans Fight Reed
Amendment to Tax
Measure.

Democratic Senators spoke vigor-
ously yesterday for the adoption Of
a soldiers' bonuX amendment TO the
pending tax bill
Almost the entire afternoon ses-
sion was given over to debate of
the Reed amendment proposing to
retain the excess profits tax and use
the proceeds to pay the world war
veterans a bonus 1t Is generally
believed that the amendment will be
tabled. but II II IS the Democrats
have still another proposal of the
same nature TO lay before the Sem
ate They are holding in reserve a
second amendment that will call for
the collect on of interest on the for
ign loans and the use of the pro-
ceeds to defray the cost of bonus.
Republican leaders are planning TO
table this also, although some OF
their followers are worried over the
effect such action may have on next
years Congressional elections
UneonStItufionaI, says New.
Senator New, of Indiana, Republic
can, precipitated the discussion Of
the soldiers bonus by asserting that
the Reed amendment was unconsti-
tutional He contended that it pro-
posed to tax a special class for the
beneft of another class.
Senator Reed challenged him to
name the section Of the Constitution
which the amendment violated. SEN
ator New said he would be unable
to do so without copy of the Con-
stitution before him. Senator Reed
promptly laid a copy of the Consti-
tut on on Senator Grew's desk. The
Indiana Senator insisted that the
violated the spirit of the
Constitution.
THE Republicans" said Senator
Penrose. ARE determined to table
the Reed amendment because the
soldiers bonus legislation has no
more place in the tax bill than the
bill TO fund the foreign Indebtedness
OF this country"
Reed Forces Bonus Issue.
The men who saved this country:
the men who stood between the
enemy and the great corporations.
thereby preventing disaster to them,
are entitled to this belated compen-
sation," said Senator Reed. Every
man who votes to table my amend
ment votes against the soldiers
bonus. He casts a towards vote,
because he votes to kill the soldiers
bonus while at the same time voting
to take excess profits taxes on the
corporations.
The Republicans are threatening
to table my amendment because
they do not want to meet the Issue
on the soldiers bonus squarely, but
want to run away from 1t. The
Republicans might as well make up
their minds that we are not going to
let them run away. If they vote
to table this amendment, they vote
against 1t, no matter how they may
try to camouhage their action.
IF the profiteers, whose friends
in the Senate would relieve them OF
excess profits taxes amounting to
s450,oO0,O0O a year, had had any
lighting to do in the war. they
would have started to run away
at Chateau Thierry and would never
have stopped running until the
waves of the Atlantic had closed
over them"
Refers to Secretary Mellon.
Referring 70 Secretary of the
Treasury Mellon as one of the
wealthiest men in the government
and poiD ting out his conpection with
large business enterprises, Senator
Reed quoted from Mr.. Melons let
ter. in which he counseled against
enactment of soldiers bonus legis-
lation on the ground that II would
M hav - ri
ernment- securities.
Big business" said Senator Reed,
did not want the soldiers bonus,
and, Of course. the Secretary of the
Treasury could uet be expected TO
favor it 10 big business did not
want it," t
President Harding" said Senator
Stanley, Of Kentucky, was the un-
dertaker for the soldiers bonus, and
the Republicans the pallbearers. 1t
will never come to life again unti
the Angel Gabriel blows his horn
in the ear OF big business.
Credit Due to Fighters
Our failure to enact a soldiers
bonus bill is a perfidious and inde-
fensible desertion Of those to whom
we owe debt of gratitude. What
would Standard Oil. United States
Steel and Pennsylvania stock be
worth II The boys on the French
battlefields had decided IL would
shorten the war for them 20 get
out of danger? What would the
stock market be worth today with
the, Germans on Sandy Hook de-
manding indemnities?