The New York herald., 1922-02-26
BONUS PROMOTERS TO MAKE
MELLON THEIR SCAPEGOA T

gained by favoring bonus will be at
least Offset by votes of other soldiers
and citizens who are opposed 10 it and
that this will be increasingly so as
the country comes TO realize more
clearly what they are getting in for. /
am no politician, but ! should be
greatly surprised if the bonus, as a
vote getter. does not turn out TO be a
political boomerang"
Government officials and members
of Congress who have been analyzing
Mr.. MacNider's remarkable telegram
TO the President call attention to other
inaccuracies appearing in it. In one
place the legion chief calls attention
10 the fact that the Chicago Reserve
Bank the Chamber of Commerce in
Secretary Melons home city, Pitts
burgh. and Cleveland, the largest city
in the Presidents own State, favor the
immediate passage of the bonus bill.
He includes in his list OF supporters
for the bonus men of wealth and in
fiuence.
Inconsistency Pops Up.
But in another part of his telegram
Mr.. MacNider says:
The negligible minority in opposi-
ton can be traced in nearly every
case TO certain selfish interests in
trenched in great financial centers
who had the most to lose financially
by defeat and who profited the most
by victory. They show sordidncss
not in keeping with Americas feelings
for compensation to her veterans OF
previous wars"
Further Inconsistencies in Mr.. Mac
Niders statement are clearly revealed
by an analysis Of the referendum vote
conducted by the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States on the
subject of bonus legislation. The COM
plete figures show that the cash bonus
recommended was opposed by bust
ness organizations having total
membership of 2S2,372, and that it was
favored by organizations with men,
bership of z,455. In other words, the
vote against the bonus was three TO
one.
The tabulation of the Chamber Of
Commerce vote showed the greatest
opposition to ii is not in the Northern
and Eastern States by any means.
Texas, Utah, Arkansas, Idaho, Mon
tana and California showed majori-
ties-some of them large major'ies-
against the bonus. Most of the States
that approved the bonus were ali west
OF the Mississippi. In the East only
Vermont and Mississippi chambers
were for the bonus. and in each case
the vote was light.
Results Sent to President.
The results of the referendum were
transmitted TO the President and
members of the Senate Finance Com
mittee and House Ways and Means
Committee to-day. The attention OF
that a two-thirds majority vote was
against the bonus. despite an inten-
sive campaign, reinforced by threats
of applying the boycott TO business
men i'm many States and OF political
reprisals OF the sort implied in the
MacNider telegram TO the President
and to members OF the House and Sem
ate.
The rebuke administered by Sena-
tor Carter Glass (Va.. DEM to an
eX-service man who attempted TO in
ftuence his vote is an example OF the
form of campaign resorted 10 by the
bonus raiders. No communication
penned by Senator in a long time
has attracted as much attention as
that sent by the Virginia Senator to
the ex-service man who attempted to
coerce him into voting for the bonus
bill. 1t brought to Senator Glass a
shower OF kilograms congratulating
him upon his courageous declaration
of independence and his contempt for
threats OF political punishment.
Combined with the statements OF
Senator'S Moses of New Hampshire
and Ernst of Kentucky, the Glass let
ter did much to encourage opponents
OF the bonus raid and to disconcert
the supporters OF It. 1t is quite prob
able that during the next four or five
days several Senators of both parties
will follow the example Of Senators
Noses, Ernst and Glass.