The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-21
REPUBLICANS
SPLIT ON TAX
TO GET BONUS
May Result in No Legislation
Believe Resentment
Vote" Might Be Larger than
Soldier Vote.
ANYTHING MAY HAPPEN
BY MARK SULLIVAN

WASHINGTON, Feb. 21.-The out.
come of the present bonus situation
might be anything. 1t might be no
bonus Legislation at all, or it might be
so recklessly unqualified that presum.
ably Harding would veto it.
Oficially, for the moment, the mat
ter is waiting the disposition of the Is
Republican members of the ways and
means committee; and hardly any twu
Of them are of the same mind about
the form of the bill and the best way
TO raise the money
They have long been divided into
factions on some aspects of the tariff,
and on the present subject they are
divided worse yet.
Under the circumstances, unless
they can come to an agreement, the
only way for any bonus bill to get
headway would seem to be for some
one to start something" on the floor
of the house. Some one might move
TO discharge the committee or other
wise get the subject out of the com
nittee room and into the open house.
OF course, if the Republicans should
show any skill in party management
and party discipline they will try 10
prevent this. If the thing should get
out into the open house, the outcome
might be almost any sort of bill.
Hardine's Position
Presumably, if the bill were reckless
and ill-advised,. Harding would veto
it. The commonly held theory is that
Harding will not give his approval to
any bonus bill that doesn't carry a
sales tax to provide the money for it..
That is the general understanding of
Harding's position in advance of the
event
II Harding is willing to stand in that
position straight through to the point
of willingness to veto any other kind
os bill. then the probable outcome
would seem to be no bonus bill.
Whether Harding would veto any
bill passed by a Republican house and
senate is the subject of good deal
of speculation here.
The sales tax, which Harding seems
TO indicate as the only method ac-
ceptable to him for raising the bonus
money. continues to be very unpopular
in the house.
If Harding should stand firmly on
the position, Bonus bill plus sales
tax. or no bonus bill at ALL" the latter
would seem to be the more likely out
come.
Unfortunate Matter
The whole thing is about as unfor-
tunate from the Republican point OF
view as anything possible could be.
There is no political advantage left
now in passing the soldiers bonus
legislation.
The opposition that has been stirred
10 as a greater political liability thar
the bonus bill would be as an asset
anyhow Every politician knows that
he gratitude vote is less to be counted
on than the resentment vote.
II the soldiers get the bonus now
they will take the money and theT
vote the way they feel like voting or
other issues. whereas the opposition
20 the bonus will keep their -animu'
alive and vote against those represent
atives and senators who favor The
bonus measure.
The sentiment against the bonus j!
growing undeniably. The recent ant
interesting manifestation of it is {
movement within the American Leg
ion itself in opposition to the bonus
Representatives and senator's fee
there has been q change in public
sentiment since the vote in OHIO las
fall which was the event that haC
most to do with Harding's change o
position of the bonus. That was ;
statewide, popular vote on loca
tate bonus The bonus was carrioC
by vote of over 8 to l.
Feeling May Change
That majority seemed pretty con
vncing as test vote to the natiola
leaders of party eager to keep il
self in power. But il is quite conceiv
able that if the voters of Ohio wer
asked today to say whether having
already given the soldiers 500 eacl
of state money, they would now favo
giving them an additional 5000 to $50
of federal money Ohio might answe
in the negative.-Copyrigh by tn
New York Evening Post.