The New York herald., 1922-08-21

mitted to have been largely due to the
efforts of THE NEW YORK HERALD TO
reveal to the people OF the country the
disaster that would result from It's
adoption The bonus bin had fairly
clear sailing until the specter OF taxa
tion began to loom above every other
argument pro and con IN favor OF the
schemA to award Government cash to
able bodied men who served in the
worlG war.
Senators and Representatives at
tached great political Importance to the
bonus measure until the voters OF sew
eral States instanced their disapprovsi
of It. Popular opposition was mainly
due to the failure of the Congressional
supporters OF the measure to devise "a
plan for financing the enterprise with
out resort to a tremendous increase IN
existing taxes against which the country
already Is protesting.
President Harding has informed the
Congressional leaders on more than one
occasion that he would not approve OF
any legislation that did not provide the
SIS. 600. .OoO. 900 which will be needed to
pay the bonus bill from some other
source than taxation of the people.
Legislative supporters of the bonus
scheme have unalterably set their face
fled by the President as the only form
of taxation which he regarded with
favor.
support and opposition to it is nom
partisan. or more correctly bipartisan.
The majority of Democratic supporters
of the bonus plan perceive in 1t tre-
mendous weapon with which to fight
the Republican party. The Democratic
argument Is that it is good partisan
strategy to compel the Republican ma
jority to pile more taxes on the shoul-
ders of the people.
Few Of the Republican and Demo-
cratic supporters of the measure are
credited by their associates with any
sincere motives in urging the bonus
bill Opposition to the bill Is expressed
by some of the ablest men in the SEN
ate-Borah, Wadsworth, Pepper, Moses.
Calder, Frelinghuysen, Nelson. Warren
and Du Pont on the Republican side.
and Underwood, Glass. Williams, Wat
son. Pomerene Shields, King. Owen and
Swanson in the Democratic camp.
Thirty Senator'S Oppose all.
-Four months ago only seven Senators
declared their opposition TO the bonus
scheme. a canvass of the Senate yes
terday revealed that more than thirty
Senators will oppose the original pas
sage OF the measure and from thirty
five TO thirty-nine will be against over
riding the veto expected from the White
House.
The drive for the bonus bill Is being
slIillfully engineered by the officials OF
the American Legion. who claim to re.
! fleet the ambitions of 100000 men and
women who served in the world war, but
who suffered no physical injury. The
legion campaign to put through the
bonus bill equals in intensity that EN-
pioyed by the Anti-Saloon League e
bring about tho adoption of the Eigh-
teenth Amendment and the wonien's
| propaganda 10 pass the Nineteenth.
| Up to date the coal and railway
strikes have not resulted in any partisa
division OF Congressional sentiment oI
exercised any influence on political
thought throughout the country. Re.
ports TO the rival national committees
reveal wide range of influences, main.
| ~ local. which IL expected to dictate
| results In Congressional contests. Among
these are the wet and dry issue, and tho
Ku Klux agitation, which is veerina
| toward religious sect disputes in one OF
| two sections
The wet and dry issue naturally ii
! figuring i'm Congressional contests in ths
larger cities and industrial sections In
one or two States the test of party
regularity and qualification for party
| nomination turns squarcly upon the We
and dry controversy with the support
|, ers Of each claiming the advantage.