The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-01
HARDING SAYS
He FAvORS BONUS
Commander MacNider of
Legion Confident Bonus
Will Soon Be Passed
KNOWS NOTHING
ABOUT PAYING 1T
Subject Not Mentioned In Interview
With President Lawrence Thinks
Bonus Legislation May BE Put on
Until After Next Election.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
tSpecial Dispatch to The Reformer)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, Mar. President
Harding told Commissioner Hanford Mac
Nider and Il delegation from the Ameri-
can Legion that he is with them heart
and soul.
Smiling and happy, Mr.. MacNider and
his associates walked from the executive
office confident that they had accom-
plished something by their visit to the
White House.
The President authorized MS to say
there wouIdtb be no delay--that he world
sign a bonus BILL said John 4. Taylor,
chairman of the legislative committee OF
| the Legion. 7-
Did the President say how the money
was to he raised?" ne was asked.
| No. not Il woodland we did not ask
| him."
Have You any idea where the money
| is coming FROM
No, but there is not going to be any
delay. The President is in hearty SYM
pathy with us. He told Us 81. II
| Commander MacNider had written Mr..
/ Harding a rather foTccful letter Whlch
! the President was tempted to answer at
once, but he laid it in his desk and lie
cided to think some more on the subject.
! Those who claim TO know what Mr. Mac
| Nider wrote say it probably irritated Mr.
/ Harding. Anyway, the reply was not
| delivered because Commander MacNIdcl
himself appeared in person. .ss
Had Pleasant Interview.
The interview was a pleasant one aHe
was devoted almost entirely to an explana
tion by Mr. Harding to the American
Legion of why he favored Il bonus. liz
has alvavS favored Onc-he made the
pledge when a candidate in the presiden
tial primaries in 1920. The president
told his callers that he believed congress
favored a bonus. too. Everybody Il Ton
the bonuS-the only difficulty has beef
bow 10 raise the money.
| The revenue phrase of the matter hat
been carefully excluded from discussion
by the American Legion men, who fee
THAT congress should find its own solution
The general impression following Nh
! Mac\ider'S visit il that the house vii
report out and probably pass bill favor
| ing the bonus. but not specifying Whe
il is to be paid. This means mdehnlt
| O~tpOnPment OF the cash feature. /
may be that the senate, where sales Ia
is much more popular than in the hduS,
1 will afiN a sales tax provision. II ma
be thafzthd Whole matter viii get tted u
i'm the senate on the expectation that tn
from British bonds. Unduc~tiouably Nj
Harding is for a bonus aud 80 Is congress
hut the President himself is not committe
To any definite date of payment. Gnlcs
. the Legion demands immediate paymen
the chances are the whole question vi
drag on beyond the congressional elC
tionS. The house passed bonus bill
May, 1920. but no funds were provided I
pay il. An identical measure Is beir
urged again.
we simply run down every once in
while to reiterate our position remarke
Commander NIacNider. as he left Il
White House The American Legion
waging a fight for the future-not nece
sarly against this congress. Whetht
funds are available at once or not,
wishes to keep the bonus issue square
before the government so that the momei
any fund does become available throug
any source the same win be promptly NJ
piled to pay the soldiers"