The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-07-08
OCHANCE FOR
SOLDIER BONUS
THIS SESSION
Harding Backs. Mel
Ion in DisapproUal
of Measure.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Copyright, 1921.
pecial to The Argus. J

bonus legislation is dead at least
so far as this season of congress is
concerned. The executive branch of
the government has warned con-
gress that such a measure at this
tlme would strain the nations
nnances and add to the diffic Iltics
OF the country's business situation
PRESIDENT Harding is more or less
committed to a soldier bonus. He
is on record to leaders of the Amer
lcan legion advising them mot to
worry about the bonus But he
could not give it his approval at
this time. Secretary Mellon of the
treasury department, who has Just
written the senate a letter arguing
against the passage of a bonus bill.
had the full support of Mr.. Harding
before he communicated with con-
greSs. Mr.. Harding was unable to
run counter to the advice given
him by the treasury department and
for the present at least legisl Ition
will be deferred
Passage Was Doubtful.
Even without Secretary Melons S
letter there was no assurance that
the soldier bonus bill would pass
both houses. The plan was to rush
1t through the senate, of course,
and 1t may yet go through that body
for moral effect, but it is doubtful
whether house leaders would have
let it through at this time. Mr..
MELONS letter makes it easier, how
pVar for admin ist ra+iOy, fo-cor l.,
congress to answer the demands of
constituents for action on the
bonus. They can make Mr. Mellon
responsible and ;-rgue that as a
fnancier and business man he
ought to know what will and will
not hurt the business situation.
But the interesting fact is that
the soldier bonus question is by no
means disposed of either by Mr..
Melons letter or the attitude which
congress may assume.
The movement has grown rap
idly and while conservative minds
inside the American legion have
doubted the wisdom of a bonus, the
rank and file have been enthusiosti-
cally in favor of it and the Harding
administration knows that sooner
or later. either just before the con-
gresSiOnal elections of 1922 or the
presidential election of 1924, a SOL
dier bonus bill must be passed to
prevent the soldier bloc from vot-
ing in a body against the Republi-
cans next time.
Bonus Is Inevitable.
Nine out of ten political prophets
hereabouts admit soldier bonus leg
islation is inevitable. The only
question is when can it be passed
consistent with the condition of the
nations finances? The trouble
about the present proposal is that
it makes no provision for the rails
ing of the money. There is one bill
providing four different ways by
which the service men are to be re-
warded-they can have money,
hOmesteads, insurance or vocational
tralning-and there is no way of
telling whether the total cost to the
government would be billion and a
half dollars or four billion dollars.
1t might be either figure There
are in congress at least Is different
bills proposing how the money
shall be raised. These suggestions
go all the way from plans to recov-
er money received by the so-called
war profteers" to the use of the
billion dollars of interest owed by
foreign governments to the United
States on the war debt
Nobody knows exactly how mon
ey already spent by so-called war
profiteers" can be recovered and
that suggestion hadn't much sup
port except in the radical group in
congress. AS for the interest on
the foreign debt, there is no sign
of money from that source and the
chances are it will be from three
to five years before any payments
are made.
Disarmament Enters In.
Nevertheless the administration
will have to think up some way of
providing revenue some day to meet
the demands of the soldiers. They
feel that while they were abroad
fighting these who stayed at home
either made money or preserved
their opportunities in life. To the
argument that the government is
already overloaded with war debt,
the usual answer of the American
legion members is that there should
be a reduction in the amount of
money spent to run the government
and not few of the legion leaders
are heart and soul behind the dis
armament movement thinking that
the government could well afford
to pay the soldiers bonus instead
of preparing for war at time when
the whole world is financially and
physically exhausted. So even in
the bonus question, the disarma-
ment problem arises.