The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-03-18
OPEN ID ARGUMENT ON BONUS MEASURE G|LLETT DECLARES
Developments of Day Include Unexpected Visit to Capitol by Kitchin and Attack
 on Crissinger
By Associated Press

Washington, March 17.-Develop- ments today in the soldiers bonus situation included:
 The return to Washington of ! Speaker Gillett with the announce- ment that he was "open to argument" as to permitting the bonus bill to be called up in the House next Monday under suspension of the rules.
 An unexpected visit to the capitol by Representative Kitchin of North Carolina, the democratic House lead CT, who urged his party members on the ways and means committee to submit a minority report opposing lcertain features of the bonus meas ure.
 An attack on Secretary Mellon. comptroller of the Currency Crissin- ger, Nalk street and others, deIiv- cred in the House by Representative frear, republican. Wisconsin.
 An announcement by Representa- tive Treadway of Massachusetts that he and Representative Tilson. Con necticut, both republican members of the ways and means committee would submit joint minority views on the bonus bill.
 A disclaimer by Secretary Mellon in a letter to Representative Frear that he had attempted in any of his letters regarding the bonus legislation to
 argue the merits of the soldiers bonus"
 No Word From President
 Returning this evening from trip to Florida with President Harding Speaker Gillett told newspaper cor respondents that be had brought no opinion on the bonus for House lead CTS from the President He said he was still of the opinion expressed hez fore he departed from Florida that the bonus measure should not be taken up under suspension of the rules, but added that he would not make a final decision until after he had conferred with his friends.
 Chairman Fordney of the ways and means committee and other republi- can House leaders expected to confer with the speaker at the capitol early tomorrow. If MT. Gillett refuses to entertain motion on Mond\y to sus- pend the rules-and there appeared to be growing belief at the capitol to- l day that he would-there was a pos sibfiity that the House republicans would hold a party conference tomor- row night to discuss procedure in handling the bill under a special rule.
 The conference by Representative kitchin with the democratic members of the ways and means committee de- IVeloped difference of opinion among those members as to whether there should be a minority report Representative Garner of Texas de- clared after the conference that he would not sign such a report Repre- sentative Oldfie1d of Arkansas de- clared that minority report would ] be filed.
 Would Oppose Loan | As now contemplated by MT kitchin and others favorable to the plan, the report would declare against the bank loan provision of the ad- justed service certificate and in favor of the original cash bonus provision 1 The vocational training and home and land aid titles did not meet with objection in the conferences called by MT. Kitchin.
 The democratic leader. who has been absent from Congress for nearly a year on account of i'll health, did not appear on the floor. He went direct to his office, where prominent democrats were invited 10 meet him. [ hour or more, but aside from those who conferred with him, few mem bers of the House knew that he was 1 in Washington.
 Representative Frear's assaults on critics of the bonus bill was deliv- cred just before the House adjourned. Besides Secretary Mellon and Comp troller Crissinger, he attacked news papers of New York. Boston, Phila- delphia. Washington and other cities and financiers of New York city gem erally. He charged that the rich were undertaking to impose sales tax on the people in connection with bonus and declared that in his judg- ment the bill as drawn without any tax provision would be passed by the House by an even larger propor- tionate vote than the 19 to five that l it received in the ways and means committee.
 | MT. Frear told the House that Sec retary Mellon had written letter to the ways and means committee Icondemning the compromise bonus bill without being asked by any nrem Der for his opinion and had made the letter public before the commit | tee received it. He also declared that Comptroller Crissinger had an 1 nounced that he would advise na- | tional banks not to loan money on 1 the adjusted service certificates be- fore he knew what the bill contained. Secretary Mellon's ietter to MT. Frear was in reply to the one written him last Monday by the Wisconsin representative. Declaring that his position had been fully stated in let ters sent the ways and means com mfttee on January "A and March II, MT. Mellon said he had not attempt led in them to argue the merits of the soldier bonus"
 1 JrrRy CoMPI.ETEs WORK