The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-09
DEBATE DRAGS ON. SOLDIER BONUS IN
 SENATE YESTERDAY.
President to Send Message to Congress Next Week on Bonus and Tariff and
 Tax Legislation
By Associated Press

Washington, July S.-Debate on the soldier bonus bill dragged along in the Senate today while the list of senators favoring indefinite post ponement of action on the legisla- ton through recommitta1 of the meas ure to the finance committee steadily grew in proportions. Leaders said they were assured of enough votes to put through such a programme.
 President Harding will send mes sage to Congress next week regard ing the bonus bill and the pressing of tariff and tax Legislation, but the exact date of its submission has not been determined. Definite action Is expected to follow reading of the message.
 Less than a score of senators fol- lowed the days debate on the floor, marked by a criticism by Senator McCumber, republican. North Dakota, the chief proponent of the bonus, of Secretary Mellon's letter declaring such legislation to be inadvisable at the present time in view of the con . Cumber referred to yesterdays visit of President Harding to the capitol and asserting that the chief differ ence of opinion with respect to the legislation seemed to be on the point as to when 1t should become effec- tive, added:
 T have heard neither the Presi- dent nor the Secretary of the Trea- sury declare that to have it become operative July 1, 1922. as contem- plated in the pending bill, would be too early date"
 shoud Make Good
 "The republican party should make good" declared Senator McCumber, "even if our party platform had not contained pledge to the soldiers of America"
 'sDespite the pleadings of the Secre- tary of the Treasury, despite the earnest plea of the President not to enter into new fields of expenditures this Congress has appropriated mil lions to go into new enterprises. It appears this Congress seems bent on spending all of the money that can be raised by taxaton. Why then should we expect tidal wave or consternation to sweep the country if we pass bill that will take $20O,- GOO, GOO two years from now and vary ing amounts thereafter and after 30 years no appropriation whatever"
 Senator McCumber read accounts of the proposed $500,000000 advance to the railroads and declared mo one has been scared by that" Reading over a list of expenditures required under several pending measures sucn as the Townsend road bill and the Norris farm export bill, Senator Mc- Cumber asked "why hasn't the Sec retary of the Treasury looked upon these with concern@
 "There is ample opportunity to re- duce our expenditures enough to take care of any annual payments under this bill" he asserted.
 Republican leaders in the move ment to send the bill back to com mittee said the party strength. with the possible exception of six or eight senators, would vote to recommit the measure. They added that several democratic senators opposed to bonus legislation, would also support the plan.
 Several democratic senators, how ever, it was said, might seek to pre- vent recommital in order to put the republican majority on record defi- nitely on the straight issue of com pensating the veterans of the World war. These senator's together Wltf the bipartisan group advocating present enactment of bonus 1egisla- tion are expected to precipitate hot fight when the move to recommlt Is made.