The New York herald., 1922-02-04
Continued from First Page.


crease in taxes for any purpose. The
prohibitionists frown upon Mr.. Mel
Ions suggestion for tax on wine and
beers. The manufacturers are opposed
to tax on retail sales The trades
unions are opposed to increased taxes
on general principles. Newspaper and
magazine publishers oppose a tax on
second class mail matter.
Fordney's Only Specific Plan.
Still, Mr.. Fordney insisted on leav-
ing the White House to-day, that "the
money will have to be raised" The
only specific suggestion he could offer
was that the amount needed could be
raised on bonds or through direct tax
alton.
THAT muci," he said, "is settled
casual survey of legislative condi-
tons. however, fails to show that any
thing has been settled regarding the
bonus. The only thought of Senators
and members who must seek reelec-
ton this year is that their political
lives depend OH the passage of the
bonus bill. There are not so many in
this frame of mind, however as there
were before the "other side" began to
make known its views of the subject.
The White House statement that a
change of sentiment is coming over
Congress as a result of the protests
against the bonus is fully confirmed by
members of the two houses, who are
experiencing great deal of discom-
fort as a result of their surrender to
the professional propagandists agitat-
ing for the passage of q bonus bill.
The volume of opposition to the
scheme is. as indicated at the White
House, constantly growing. Senators
and members who had been led to be-
lieve the entire country was clamor-
ing for the award of financial gratui-
ties to men who served in the world
war are now beginning to appreciate
that their first Impressions were pre-
mature. The volume of protests against
the scheme is proof.
Betwixt Devil and Deep Sea.
One of the Senators who is actively
vocal in proclaiming his friendship for
the ex-service men, said to-day:
Were between the devil and the
deep sea. The eX-service men are Or
ganized and will WELD a. tremendous
power in politics this autumn. The
opposition is not organized, but is
finding a way to make known its dis
approval of the bonus scheme and to
indicate it's determination to carry its
resentment to the point of voting
xx,t,a
taxes.
1.-THE trouble about the whole thing
is that members of Congress have
been influenced by their own political
ambitions and have disregarded the
economic aspects of the problem
Nobody has yet evolved plan for
raising the money to meet TIE bonus
bill, outside of taxation. The COM
plaint of the people is that taxation is
already too heavy. and to pile on more
carries certain amount of danger tc
the legislator who votes in favor
of it,"
Probably one-third of the members
of both houses for the time being have
abandoned other matters to try to fig
ure out Il feasible way of raising
money for the bonus bill. Tie per-
plexities of these members are pro-
viding Senators and Representatives
courageous enough to assert their rea
convictions with a great deal of enter
tainment The pro-bonus members
are sitting up nights studying the
revenue act and plying pencils to fine
prospect which might yield the
wherewithal to put the bonus bill
through without piling more taxes cu
the people.
Legislators who know that there Is
no way, as was clearly pointed out by
Secretary Mellon. frankly admit they
do not know what the answer is going
to be. This realization has encour-
aged few of them to meet the issue
frankly and run the risk of offending
the professional accelerators of the
bonus scheme among TIE ex-service
men.
Senators and Representatives who
question the wisdom of passing bonus
legislation under existing financial
conditions base their opposition chiefly
on the score of taxation.
There is another group which con.
tends that men who served in the
world war have little If any cause for
complaint over their treatment by TIE
Government.
Senator Nelson. who is rugged al
rs, served with distinction during the
civil war. In comparing the condi-
tions under which he fought for the
preservation of the Union with that
of the men who fought In the worlt
war; he said:
when / recall my experience il
seems to me remarkable that the mer
who are now agitating for this bonus
can take the stand they do. During
the first few months of the civil wal
the pay of the American soldier was
about $1t month and was finally in.
creased TO SIG. At that time gold was
at premium and the soldiers were
paid in deprecated paper currency
What did they get in the late war
The lowest pay any man got was
$40 a month and If he was a married
man and had dependents allowances
were made in addition TO his regular
pay.
"In the civil war we had no bacon
We had no ham. We got salt pork ir