The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-06-02

Harding Quiet.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, June 2.-The Amer
lean Legion's legislative committee is
thoroughly satisfied with the bonus bill
as reported by the senate finance COM
mittee. The changes made in the house
bill are unobjectionable
The next step is to insure enough votes
10 give the measure right of way over
the tariff. This is admittedly hard
proposition for while the Legion has
enough votes pledged to pass the bill it.
self, there's a complication involved in
getting the tariff displaced. Some mem
bers of the senate who favor the bonus
may be found voting against a motion to
displace the tariff. By the time the
American Legfons representatives get
through their campaign of persuasion
and they have been pretty effective about
it thus far-enough votes are expected
to be obtained to force vote on the
bonus Speech-making on the bonus is
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. who are to vote against
| it being anxious to tell their constituents
I
favor it are anxious to demonstrate how
actively they fought to put the measure
! through.
But no filibuster is expected The
/ sentiment of the senate is in favor of dis
/ posing of the issue this session one way
or the other. Undue delay is not for
| the moment considered though, to be
sure. there may be some prolonged argu-
/ ment on the motion to take the matter
/ up and lay the tariff aside
Not Partisan Issue.
! The issue is not partisan. The fact
/ that three Democrats voted with six Re-
/ publicans TO report the measure to the
senate is taken to mean that the bonus
/ bill will receive Democratic support
/ when it reaches a vote The Democrats
will naturally try TO impose all sorts of
| amendments which would appear to be
more favorable to the soldiers but indi-
/ vidually they viii not assume response
bihty for defeating the main bill.
i American Legion headquarters here
| feels assured of 60 affirmative votes. In
| response 70 questionable sent out by
the Legion, 60 senator's. including Re
| publicans and Democrats, stated posi-
| lively that they would vote for the pend
ing bonus bill though several reserved
| the right to offer amendments Only Is
senator's have told the Legion they
would vote against the bonus. This
i leaves % who have not answered and
il is predicted by the Legion men that
! at least half dozen more will climb
the band wagon when the voting begins.
To pass the bill itself only 10 affirmative
votes are needed To pass it over a
presidential veto. Ga votes are needed.
Do Not Expect Veto.
Curiously enough the Legion repre-
sentatiyes are confident President Hard
ing will not veto the BILL Senator James
Watson of Indiana, an intimate friend
and political advisor of the President
has publicly predicted that Mr.. Harding
would reverse himself and sign the
measure. Much significance is attached
to the fact that although the President
limited that he would send letter to
Chairman McCumber of the finance com
mittee expressing opposition to the bill,
he failed to do so. 1t is contended that
if Mr.. Harding intended to do anything
about the bonus bill he would have acted
while the measure was in committee.
The opposite impression is held by
others who believe Mr.. Harding is really
anxious to get the measure out of COM
mittee and on the floor of the senate
where he can again make an address
urging. pOstponing 1t. The question l.
whether Mr.. Harding. who knows what
support the measure has, will risk a
conspicuous rundown by the senate OF
whether he will prefer to wait till the
measure comes to him and express him
| self explicitly IN veto message IN which
he can put all his arguments and depend
upon the effect of the communication to
prevent congress from overriding the
veto.
Measure Will Pass.
The danger in such a course from the
viewpoint of those who want to see the
measure fail of passage is that on the
first vote probably enough senator's will
become committed affirmatively as to
make impossible a reversal on a later
vote All indications now point to the
passage of the measure despite the efforts
made by interpreters of recent elections
TO persuade members of congress that the
bonus is unpopular and vote against it
will help them next autumn as much as
it will hurt. Reporting the bill out of the
finance committee is a step forward IN