Evening star., 1922-01-27
Financing the Soldier Bonus.

This session Of Congress will see
the passage of q soldier bonus bill,"
is the unequivocal statement Of the
Philadelphia Public Ledger Unde-
pendent), and it seems to be gen.
orally accepted by newspapers that
the prediction Is correct. "The mer-
its of the bonus" says the Pitts
burgh Sun (democratic), seem not
to be taken into consideration by the
administration" and it expresses the
prevailing democratic sentiment when
at Washington seems to be to satisfy
the veterans. who as a potential po-
litical power are not to be scored
orally into thinking that the bonus
is costing them nothing" In fact
the Sioux City Journal (republican
finds "the republicans In Congress
between the devil and the. deep sea
do and damned If they don't"
The New York Times (ndepend-
ent democratic) stigmatizes the pre-
posed legislation as q "bribe" to the
soldier vote to save republican con-
gressmen from defeat next fall"
but granting that the movement may
State Journal (independent) suggests
that "inasmuch as numerous popular
tests disclose that the voters are for
the bonus in their own states, those
who are hoping for reelection this
coming fall can hardly be blamed
for taking the stand they do"
as H9a the P9bie is Ieassr
goes on to say. President Harding
has made it Enthusiastically clear that
he will not approve bonus legislation
that does not carry with 1t a definite
means for raising the money ap-
propriated. and the New York Post
independently is sure that "the
country will thoroughly approve this
its responsibility" Although, as the
Richmond Times Dispatch (demo-
cratic) puts it, Legislators with more
faith than judgment have assured
the country that there would be no
difficulty about raising the bonus
vised q concrete working plan to-
ward that end.
Three plans, the Springfield Union
(republican) tells us, have been pro-
posed, each of which, incidentally,
"has a few friends and more enemies" !"
These are: First, an issue of bonds
up to the sum required; second, the
eleven billion dollar foreign debt to
our government; and third. a special
tax levy, for which there have been
two suggestions, sales tax and a
tax on light wines and beer"
Thus far most Of the editorial dis
cussion has been upon the second of
these proposals and debate was be-
coming exceedingly lively when the
President voiced his disapproval of
the scheme In such manner as to
make It's adoption unlikely. If. as the
Chicago News independently sug-
eests, the proposal to pay the bonus
out Of the interest received from
foreign debtors was I'm the nature
Of trial balloons launched to test
the winds of public sentiment" the
reaction must have been decisive. for
the newspaper friends of the PROPOSE
tion are few indeed The South Bend
Tribune (independent republican,
sees poetic justice" in such an ar
rangement, for 1.-The American soldiers
which the debts were contracted"
and "both form part Of the contrf.
button this country made toward
winning the war; therefore it is
fittfne that "the returns from the
one should be devoted to nanifesting
Appreciation of the other"
The Buffalo Express (mdspendens
ohiection" to such use Of payments
on the loans once they begin to
come in," and the Ell Paso Times
1democratic), while granting that this
way Of financing the bonus may
not be the best method" feels none
the less that ''if such q measure
were passed it would be formal and
definite notification to those countries
that we intend to get our money
eventually"
But most Of the opinion comedies
more closely with the declaration OF
the New York World (democratic)
that "a more vicious. q moro mis-
chievous proposal has never been
made" BY promising ato devote the
in terest Of the allied debt to q bonus"
the world asserts. the majority party
hopes ITO placate business while at
the same time quieting the service
men until after another Congress ts
chosen," since "the republican leaders
sre wen aware that they cannot pay
8 bonus By means Of taxation, be-