The New York herald., 1922-05-03
Continued from First Page.

! that respect comes under the ban o.
repeated Presidential objections. Still
Mr.. McCumber and his associates ex-
pressed confidence to-day that this
really was a small matter and would
be overlooked by the President.
The land settlement scheme which
was. designed to improve swamp and
waste territory in many Western and
Southwestern States at the expense of
the Federal Government has been
dropped out of the new McCumber bill.
But the home and farm aid plan OF the
House has been retained.
In moving to the preparation of the
new bill the Finance Committee Re-
publcans decided to place no time
limit upon applications for the bonus
certificates Under the new plan
veteran can make application for
bonus benefits until 1947, or twenty
five years after the date of the pass
age of the bill-if it should be put
through this year.
Mr.. McCumber and his associates
decided to drop Senator Smoot's alter
native proposal for paid up insurance.
The Utah Senator said tonight he
would offer it for an amendment to
the McCumber bill when it is pre-
sented to the Senate.
Consequently the bonus Senators
will stand or fall on the McCumber
measure. What they will do after the
almost certain rejection of it by the
President none of the Senators who
are eager to corral the votes which
the American Legion claims to con-
troll appears to know.
The decision of the committee to in
struct Chairman McCumber to go
ahead with the preparation Of bill
carrying out his plan was reached at
meeting of the Republican members
of the Finance Committee, which was
attended by the chairman. Senators
Watson, Curtis, Calder, Sutherland
La Toilette and Smoot. Senators Dill
| lingham, Mclean and Frelinghuysen
were not present.
| Discussion of the new bonus project
was purely informal and there was no
record vote. Senators Calder and
| OtllVOI are ullQtlSlOOu W nave tOi-
fined their participation in the con-
ference to protesting against the
scheme adopted and to predict it's re-
lection by President Harding. They
based their predictions on the failure
Of the committee to adopt the Presi-
dents suggestion that a sales tax be
enacted to finance the bonus, his
statement to Senator Watson that he
would not sanction the use of the for
eign debt until money due from it was
actually in hand and his further dec
laration that no bill would be accept
able unless it made provision for the
necessary revenue.
There is no reason to justify the
predictions Of Senator McCumber and
his bonus associates that the Pres-
dent will approve the bill which they
! will submit to him. For the manifest
purpose of convincing bonus claimants
whose votes are needed of their COM
plete sympathy and sincerity Senators
| who expect to benefit IN a political
way meet pessimistic predictions re-
| gardng the Presidents attitude with
! the sentient observation that "all this
! talk about the President vetoing the
bonus bill is poppycock." They are
certain they eventually will produce
measure which will meet his approval
Senators who are opposed to the
bonus on general principles think
otherwise. They are absolutely Ger.
tain the President will give deeper
consideration to the pledge OF his party
TO practice economy and retrenchment
in the administration OF Government
1t is their further conviction that the
President has not shifted his viewpoint
to meet the dire political emergencies
Of few Senators and Representatives
who seriously believe the American
Legion can elect or defeat them.
The only point on which Senators
and Representatives favoring or op-
posing the bonus are in agreement is
that the President will sign a bonus
bill il a sales tax is enacted to finance
it. His suggestion in this respect was
contemptuously discarded by the man.
ayers of his party in the lower house
and has not up TO date figured in the
plans of bonus raiders in the Senate.
That it will pop up again, however
is quite probable, particularly If the
President, as is expected, rejects out
of hand the bill which Mr.. McCumber