Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-16
SOLDIERS BONUS
IS SURE To CONE,
SAY CONGRESSMAN
Despite Harding's Anti-Tax
and Anti-Bond IdeaS,.
Leaders Are Confident of
Ultimate Passage

| WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-There
will be a bonus for the eX-soldiers,
house and senate leaders today told
| the United Press.
Regardless of the admittedly dis
couraging anti-tax and anti-bond
! ideas of President Harding, made
known at the White House, these
! leaders were hoping that the pres
ident's letter would help them out
| of their difficulties in finding a way
to finance the bonus.
This letter was expected to go
from the White House either today
or tomorrow. Persons in touch with
the executive claimed it would offer
the congress leaders little, if any,
help in the way of concrete bonus
solution problem.
Meantime, the congress chiefs
were bordering over methods Of
raising funds.
These methods, suggested since
Harding declared against any large
bond issue, against special taxes
proposed by the ways and means
committee, Republicans or against
already abandoned or reduced it;lXeS
are: -
1. Taking savings which are ex-
pected as the fruit of the naval
limitation program and paying
them to service men.
2. Levying of a sales tax.
8. Issue of short time bonds in a
sum not SO great as originally pro-
posed on the theory that the pres
ident, would not veto them in the
end.
All three plans, however, had OBJ
jections, and the senate and house
leaders admitted that they were in
a more than perplexing situation.
WASHINGTON, Fb. 15-Presi.
dent Harding is unalterably opposed
to the enactment of the special taxes
suggested to finance the soldier bo-
nus, or to the return to taxes which
have been repealed, it was stated
ocially today at the White House.
1t also was indicated that the eX-
ecutive was very much in doubt if 1t
would be possible to raise the re-
quired sum to finance the cash fea-
ture of the bonus under an issue. of
bonds without appreciably advanc.
ing interest rates and destroying the
financial tranquility which is sought
The president, it was said, was
disposed to be favorable to the bonus
but his attitude had to be that of
| finding sane and sensible conditions
for the fulfilment Of promises made
on one hand without disturbing the
desired return to financial stability.
1t was stated that Mr.. Harding's
attitude on the bonus would be made
clear to congress in communiea-
ton, expected to be sent the senate
and @house subcommittee dealing
with the bonus subject. Whether
this letter would go forward today
was not disclosed.
Senator Tom Watson, Georgia, re-
| piled today to Senator Borah's anti
bonus speech yesterday. Mr.. Wat
son said George Washington accept
ed a bonus after the French and
Indian war and another after the
revolution. Congress gave General
Lafayette a bonus of 100000 and
10000 acres of land, he said.
81 won't vote for a bonus if you
| put on a sales tax, a gasoline tax
or a postage tax said Mr.. Watson.
1.-THE soldiers don't want to raise the
! money out of their own pockets, and
lgout of their friends and their neigh
| borS.
II would raise the money by put
| ting back into circulation the $780,
100000 that has been withdrawn.
That would give every soldier $50
at once
"a year from now we can take
| up the question again"