The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-18
REAL BONUS
TEST COMES
AFTER VETO
Advocates of Bill Half-hearted
Opponents Are Strongly
Moved in Subject-Senate
To Pass Bill.
OPERATION LACKING
by MARK SULLIVAN


shall have with US again the bonus.
The debate in the senate will be long.
Most of the talking will be done by
those who oppose the bonus The
bulk of those who favor it merely want
TO get themselves on record with
vote which they can exhibit to their
constituencies.
Deep conviction about the bonus.
and willingness to argue about it, is
found more often among its opponents
than among its advocates. With the
bulk, at least, of the advocates, it Is
less a matter of strong conviction
than of expediency.
When you talk with an advocate OF
the bonus you find he usually says
that either his own personal political
situation or else his view of the party
politics involved calls for doing some
thing for ex-soldiers.
Fulfill Promises
A few of the advocates follow this
up with a half-hearted argument in
favor of the justice of it. But with
some exceptions the majority of those
senators who will vote in favor OF
the bonus will do so to fulfill political
promises made some time ago and
will not follow their votes up with
arguments.
With the opponents of the bonus,
however, it is a different story. They
are strongly moved on the subject,
and they will talk great deal. After
men like Senator Borah and Senator
Nelson, and Senator Glass, have had
their say about the fundamental prin
ciples involved in the bonus proposal,
it may look to the county like a diff
ferent thing.
These and other senators have been
so earnest in their opposition to the
bonus, and they have so great an
ability to express themselves convinc
ingly that they may be able to affect
the sentiment of the country.
Senate to Pass Bill.
Neverth eless, the bill will be passed
by the senate. There can be no doubt
about that Thereafter there will be
a conference between the senate and
the house which has already passed
the bill. Out of this conference some
kind of easy and early agreement
will come and long before the end OF
September, in all probability, the
bonus bill will be presented to Presi
dent Harding.
The president will surely veto it
The understanding that he is disposed
to veto the bonus bill is now so gen
eral throughout Washington that it i:
hard to conceive his being wiling to 81
back on this general expectation.
contrary course would be a politica
sensation.
After Harding's veto the real tes
will come. The house will undoubted
ly pass the bill over Harding's veto
The entire membership of the house
except the handful who are voluntar
lily retiring, or who have failed in tn
primaries, will be up for reelection il
November, and their judgment of tn
politics involved is such that a sui
ficient majority of them will vote t
pass the bill lover the presidents veto
Doubts Senate Action.
Whether the senate will pass tn
bill over the presidents veto by tn
necessary two-thirds vote is a differ
ent question. Most of the dope" jus
now is that there is sufficient bonu
strength in the senate to override tn
presidents veto. 1t may turn out to b
so, but your correspondent has at leas
a little doubt about it,
There are a few senators who wi
vote for the bill in the first instance
but who will refrain from voting
pass it over the president veto. Thes
are senators who long time ag
made thoughtless promises to vote fo
the bonus without understanding tn
idea fully and without being aware
the immense amount of money il
volved.
A few such senators will feel ths
they have sufficiently redeemed the
promise by voting for the bill in til
first instance, but will take til
ground that the. veto of the presideI
and the ground upon which the pres
dent will veto it should not be owe
, ridden. ..a
Moreover. the orthodox Republica
leaders, like Lodge and Watson. WI
are expected to vote for the bonus
the first instance. may hesitate to del
presidential veto.
Cooperation Lacking
1t is notorious that there isn't muc
cooperation of leadership between Il
Republican White House and the r
publican senate, but the spectacle
Republican senate leaders overridir
a Republican presidents veto wou
be even little more than notoriou
In short. it is very decided questiC
whether ultimately the bonus will
passed over the presidents veto.
Incidentally, one reason that h;
been advanced in a half-hearted W;
to prove that the bonus is practicabl
even in the present depleted state
the treasury, seems destined TO ia
Some bonus advocates have talked
a half-hearted way about financing
out of payments by Europe of t
Europe have made the prospects
such payments even more remote thi
they already were.-( Copyright, 10:
bv the New York Evening Post, InC
III nL Tk,