The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-06-14
Bonus Will
Delay Action
Upon Tariff
By DAVID LAWRENCE
(CcpyriEht by The IateiiiGencer)

washington, June l3.-The bonus and
the tariff are getting Intcrtw!ncd. To
make way for the one the progress or
the other may be dangerously retarded
Yet the bonus will win QUIT Will DC
passed by the senate during the present
session OF congress whether or not con-
Sjderauon OF the tariff is concluded.
All thought of jammirg the bonus
through In a few days Is being abandon
cd. Senators who oppose the measure
DO not wish to tilbNSter or otherwise
delay It's passage. but they do want an
opportunity 10 tell their constituents
Why they are against the proposal!
Usually IL takes q member OF congress
more time TO explain why he IS light
ing something than why he tavors II
Especially IS this true with measure
such as the bonus. which interests 50
many thousand OF eH-Scrvicc men. The
senator who is planning TO vote against
the bonus wants TO explain comprehen-
sively his reasons for so voting.
There are at least thirty senators who
viii vote against the bonus. Nearly
everyone viii make q speech. The ad-
dresses will vary in length. Many OF
tho arguments Will have to be answered
by those sponsoring the bill. Those
who favor IL viii also want to show
their constituents how actively they
Champoined IT. All this takes time.
This means that II the tariff gives way
on the calendar to the bonus the latter
may take tnTse or IOuE "eeNS ~ pass
through the senate.
Tariff Delay.
Should the tariff be sidetracked for
three or four weeks II win be difficult
20 get back the momentum already
achieved through night sessions in the
last month. Relatively little progress
has been made thus far. The interJect-
ton Of the bonus debate will delay finai
action on the tariff bill SO that congress
will be In almost continuous session.
As for the debate on the bonus there
is talk OF a presidential address 10 the
senate waen the mea sure reaches the
floor CT the senate. Mr.. Harding wait
cd last year until the bill was in the
senate. and II was finally reported back
10 the committee after h" made his
plea.
Mr. Harding has lor II ," known
hal; dozen times recently that his atti-
tuds toward tho bonus has not becr
changed since he asked the house 20
drop, the matter II the sales tax could
not be enacted. The house ignored tho
Presidents wishes and the senate has
before il a bill substantially the same
as the one adopted by the house.
RardIng May Sign.
Close friends OF the President N the
senate. including Jim Watson. Of Iudi-
ana. predict that Mr.. Harding will
poin; out that Mr.. Harding has never
said publicly he would veto the measure.
and that ne has not said veto" in so
many words TO members OF congress
The argument Is made on Capitol hill
that when Mr.. Harding sees the over
whelmng majority cast for the bonus
he will gracefully bow to the mandate
OF congress and sign the measure on the
ground that a veto would be futile.
So strongly entrenched has the idea
become OF having the President follow
instead OF leading congress that Capitol
hill tmaSines the President will find
some reason Tor accepting the will OF
both houses on the bonus. II this is TO
happen, In justice to Mr.. Harding let IL
be SAID that he has not given a hint Of il
10 any correspondent. On the contrary
he has assiduously cultivated the i'm
preston that ne has not changed one
!ota on the bonus. and by Inference
therefore that It vii not earn his sigma
turo.