The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-03-17
C. .0.P. SPLIT
OVER BONUS
IS WIDENING
Republican Leaders Angered
by Dispatches from Florida
-Cillett's Reported Atti-
tude Causes Trouble.
MAY Be A MERRY Time
by MARK SULLIVAN

Any reporter with professional IN \
terest in political rows must find him
self seriously inconvenienced when the |
potential contestants are separated !
as far as the distance between Wash !
ington and Florida. We will all be |
happier when President Harding gets !
back from Florida and all parties
to the row are in one ring and with
in the focus of single pair of eyes.
1t is difficult to make out the motive
of the dispatches which have been
coming from the presidents encourage
and which are published in Washing
ton in the newspapers which is own
ed by Hardings Florida host, but if
it is difficult to determine the motive
in Florida, there need be no doubht
about the result in Washington.
The Republican leaders who are al
1uded to in these dispatches are fur
ious and the end of the situation,
which has been developing for the
past ten days or more, is now pretty
clearly in sight.
Row Precipitated
First dispatches said the president
was tired of Republican leaders in
congress coming to the White House
IOI ItdutlSHip anu lHeH ulSTeSdlul ulHS
ii. Then they said that Harding would
veto the present bonus bill if the Re-
publican leaders forced it through.
Finally the dispatches said that
Speaker Gillett. of the house, who was
with the president in Florida, would
refuse to recognize the Republican
leaders when they try to push the bo-
nus bill through, as had been their
plan, under a parliamentary proceed
ure limiting debate to 40 minutes.
Extraordinary Thing
That would be an extraordinary
thing for the speaker to do under any
circumstances, and it alone would be
enough to precipitate row, even if
the row we're not sufficiently under
way anyhow
There is one angle to this reported
intention of Speaker Gillett which
makes you wonder just what Hard
ing's motive can be and what broad
course of action he may have in mind
for the future.
If Gillett recedes from his reported
position and let's the Republican house
leaders have their way, the bonus bill
will go through the house without any
more fireworks than can be let loose
in 40 minutes But if Gillett should
really attempt repression, there would
be quite a different development.
May Be Merry Time
Some other way will be found to get
the bill on the floor, there need be no
doubt of that But whatever other
form of parliamentary procedure may
be found will entail debate not limit
ed 40 minutes but one that will go
far, fast and furious.
In that debate if the Republicans in
congress, and the Democrats as well,
say half the things about the admin
istration which they now sullenly de-
clare they are going to say, there will
be very merry, merry time indeed.
One possible outcome of that situ-
alton might be a combination of Re-
publicans and Democrats to restore
the excess profits tax as means of
providing the bonus money, or some
other form of unanticipated and un-
welcome amendment.
Still another development might be
an amendment providing for a sales
tax to raise the bonus money and a
square fight on the sales tax issue.
Conceivably that may be the thing
Harding and his friends are play
ing for
Might Suit Harding
A fight on the clear alternatives of
bonus plus sales tax against bonus
minus sales tax would bring the issue
exactly where Harding has always
said he wanted it, If the bonus plus
sales tax should be defeated after an
open fight and a roll call. the onus OF
defeating the bonus might then rest
on the Democrats and those among
the Republicans who refuse to favor
it in that form.
, AS a more future looking motive foI
Harding's course it may be conceiv
able that he would not be displeaseG
TO see the present Republican ma
jority in the house cut down consid
erably in the November elections.
To any one of the two hundred Re
publican representatives, each consid
ering his individual case and at thi:
moment breaking his neck for re-elec
ton this is malevolently impious anC
wickedly reasonable thought
But the general behind the lines Il
occasionally called upon to conside
the larger good at the expense of som,
sacrifice among those in the ranks
Unwieldy Majority
The present Republican majority 4
so big as to be unwieldy and unman
ageable. A two-to-one majorit,
makes for looseness for sehisms an,
blocs. A narrower majority wou,,
make for compactness. teamwork AM
willing assent to leadership
That may concievably be the thin
that Harding is not unwilling to Sc
come about. In any event there ma
be some real politics in this town mex
week.
The bonus bill in its present forr
isn't any nearer to ready money i
the soldiers pockets than 1t ever wa!
The bill in its present form will neve
90 on the statute books. But If tn
bonus isn't any more nearly in sigh
the row In the Republican party
leaping swiftly and joyfully over tn
horizon.
~ SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC