The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-03-29
DEMOCRATS
HELPED PASS
BONUS Bill.
Overwhelming Major
ity Of House Bows to
Demand Of Soldiers
For War Indemnity

y = -
s., COO, ,000, 900 soldiers bonus bill
{ was passed tonight by the house by
= an overwhelming majority. 1t now
goes to the senate. where its fate
IS regarded as uncertain.
The vote was 3333 tos70. Or 64
more than the twe-thirds majority
necessary for passage OF the
measure under the parliamentary
procedure selected by Republican
: leaders for the expressed purpose
5of preventing the Democrats from
of1ering q motioa to recamnit.
Party lines disappeared both In
the general debate and on tf'eshnal
roll call, pa Republicans. So Den.-
kSocrats and one Socialist supporting
the bill and - Republicans, aid
% Democrats voting against II. AS
passed by the house .ke bonus
would provide for imnse:iia-e cash
payments to veterans whose ad-
jnsted service pay, would not ex-
ceeG $50, and would give the 9TH
er veterans hte option Of these
four plans:
Adj justed service certificates. With
provisions authorizing loans by
banks In the first three years at
ter next October I. .and by the gov
ernrent thereafter; the certificates
to run for 20 years and to have
face value at maturity of the
amount of the adjusted service
:, - St,<. ,.o f,Eof SJ a dow far
foreign serycie, increased by 25
per cent, plus interest at the rate
OF 1-2 per cent, compounded
annually.
Vocational training aid after jan
nary /. 1923, at the rate Of s1.75
a day, the total payments not to
exceed. however, 40 per cent of
= the adjusted service credit.
Farm and home Did under which
veterans may purchase or improve
farms or homes would he paid af-
ter july i. 1928. sum equal to
their adjusted service ereoit in
creased by 25 per cent
Land settlement under which
lands would be. reclaimed under
the supervision of a special board
and farm aTits esfa bfished Tor sale
to. the xaterans at "a price fixed
by The board. less the amount of
the adjusted service credit due the
.purcl:1sc.s-
In only two important .particu
lars does this measure differ from
the one passed by the house two
years ago and that was shelved in
the senate last July. The original
cash bonus option was eliminated
and the bank loan provision of
the adjusted service certificate title
substituted.
Not since the, war days had the
house galleries been damned as they
were today from tile time Speaker
Giilett.s gayel fell at / / a. Al. until
the last vote had been cast as the
shades of evening gathered. And
not in many years had such scenes
been enacted on the floor, where
there frequently WAS an. uproar
with alternate applause, laughter
and tears.
Like the house itself. the gal
leries were pro-bonus and support
ers of the bill We're frequently ap-
plauded. But the greatest ap-
plause vas not for a proponent.
& hut IN opponent, the members and
many OF the spectators rising and
rendering an ovation to Uncle
joe Cannon as the .grizzled hold
er OF the American record for
length of legislative service arose
In the day to deliver two minute
speech in which he declared that
The men who ser3ed in the
world war owod that service to
their country.
In all there was slightly more
than FIVE hours Of discussion With
rs OF the 435 members taking par
in IT,. transcripts OF their re-
marks would fill about two ordi-
nary sized newspapers. Many of
them were on their feet only 4
minute or two or three but the
house gave unanimous consent for
all members TO. extend their re-
marks in The Congressional Rec
ord during the next fire days and
editions of that volume during
that time promised 10 be exceed
ingIy bulky.
Arguments against the bill We're
more frequent than those in its
favor, due TO the fact that many
Democrats who announced that
they would support 1t Vigorously
attacked some of its provision and
the ways and means committee for
failure TO provide means Of finaEc-
ing the bonus. In the course Of the
debate the measure Was referred
TO as gold brick, - "a bugu" bill
q .hokus-poeus" and '.deformed
and maiformed creature"
.;apporters OF the bill described
il rs the best that could be obtain
ed at this time and some of them
declared that it was even better
than the original measure with its
cash bonus feature since it would
enable veterans in need 10 obtain
cash Immediately and at the same
time be protected by the govern
rnent in their rights III the ad
justed service certificates.
Politics We're injected into the
debate several times during the
day and resulted in some warm eX-
eh anges Representative Pou
Democrat OF North Carolina de
.cried what he characterized as the