The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1921-07-21
WASHINGTON NEWS LETTER
(By PARKER LaMooRE)

When President Harding appeared
before the Senate last Tuesday in OPP
position to immediate consideration
Of the soldiers adjusted compensa-
ton bill he doubtless doomed the Nc
Cumber bill for the present session
Of Congress. The bill had received
a favorable report from the Com
mittee on Finance and the decks were
cleared for prompt action when the
President and Secretary of the Treas
ury Mellon suddenly voiced their OPP
position to the bill and threw the
members Of the majority party in
the Senate into confusion since it had
been the current understanding that
the bill would have the support of the
administration. President Harding's
speech to the senator's however dis
PEELED all doubt upon the matter and
the bill has now gone back to the
committee in accordance with the
Chief Executives recommendation.
Following the Presidents address
Senator Penrose, himself an expon-
ent Of the measure, and chairman Of
the Finance Committee, moved chat
the adjusted compensation act be re-
committed. Senator's Robinson, Of
Arkansas, and Harrison, of Missis-
sippi, attempted a fiibuster, de-
nouncing the action of the President,
but there was no determined opposi.
ton to the motion as Senator Under
wood, the minority leader, and other
leading Democrats had already taken
a stand against the bill. Senator
McCumber stood out to the last
against recommittment but the Pres
ident's stand had already turned the
tide and opposition was futile.
Senator McCumber, however, has
refused to become discouraged by the
turn in recent developments and
states that he will make an effort to
have the bill reported before the end
Of the present session, after tariff
and revenue legislation have been
disposed of. He feels that the out
look will then be more favorable since
the effect of the new budget system
will be apparent, and the revenue
from the revised fiscal system known.
The President only asked that action
be deferred at this time and might,
of course, take more favorable
stand at later date, and under al
tered circumstances.
There is little likelihood that this
matter will be made use of as politi-
cal capital. The Democratic party
opposed all such legislation in the
closing days of the Wilson admins
tration, and Underwood, King, and
other party leaders are taking the
same stand now. And Senator Bor-
ali, who upon occasion has caused
the Harding administration no little
embarrassment, went on record
against the act even before the atti-
tude of the President had been made
known. Senator Harrison and a
few others of the minority member
ship consistently oppose the policies
of the Republican party and their
filibuster now will be of little aid to
the soldiers and mean practically
nothing to the administration.
The soldiers will now have to wait
until the end of the present session
and, likely enough, until some time
in the session to follow.
Nonpartisan league journalists
there are having a weird time of it
in their evident attempts to make
trouble for people. In a recent dis
patch to the Courier-News, Walter
Liggett announced in the tone Of one
divulging secret that Andrew Mil