The New York herald., 1922-06-17
He Meets Legion Chiefs,
Who Now Will Take Any
thing They Can Get.
BILL MAY BE DROPPED
Author of Measure Does Not
Even Consult the Death
Battalion
by LOUIS sEIBoLD.


Washington. ID. c.. June 10. !
The first test in the Senate over
the 5.oo0,oO0.oOO bonus raid has es-
tablished the leadership of President
Harding in his party.
The quiet courage" for which he
was praised by Dean West of Prince
ton last week has prevailed against
the political hysteria OF Republican
Senator's. who We're determined to
sweep aside the tariff and enact at
once the bill to further tax the people
for the benefit of ablebodied ex-ser-
vice men.
The ease with which the rout of
the bonus Senators was accomplished
to-day justified the admirers of the
President in declaring he will sue
ceed in convincing the members of
bill should be dropped in the present
financial condition OF the country.
They were supremely confident to-
night that his sound position on the
bonus would be. completely vindicated
by ultimate results.
The test to-day came over the plans
of the bonus Senators to set aside the
tariff for the so-called adjusted COM
pensation bill. Those plans were aban-
doned after Majority Leader Lodge
canvassed the Senate and convinced
Chairman McCumber, leader of the
bonus bloc. of the futility Of pressing
them. Forty of the sixty Republican
Senators notified Mr.. Lodge that they
would support the Presidents first
definite venture in the direction of
party leadership and oppose the plan
to advance the bonus ahead of the
tariff
McCumber Gives In.
Throughout day of conferences
between the various groups over the
bonus Chairman McCumber persisted
in his statement of yesterday that he
would disregard the wishes of the
President. He reluctantly acquiesced
to the Lodge plan when he found that
even a majority of Ills bonus associates
were against him.
without consulting the valiant band
of nine Republicans in the death bat
taion,' Senators who urged him to go
ahead with his plan for advancing the
bonus ahead of the tariff, or the
eleven who refused to commit them
selves, the Finance chairman agreed to
back down from tie arbitrary stand
he assumed yesterday.
He could not do so however, until
he had consulted John Thomas Taylor,
legislative representative of the Amer
ican Legion officials ,wEo claim to con-
troll the votes Of all the ex-service men
in tie country. AS the legion officials
have surrendered point after point in
their fight for bonus. this. of course.
permitted Mr.. McCumber to agree with
the Lodge program. The position of
the American Legion officials who be-
gan by demanding a spot cash bonus,
indicates they now will take anything
they can get. Their chances for get
ting anything at present cannot, by
the widest stretch of the imagination,
be called rosy.
johnson Displcased.
Mr.. McCumber's surrender to the
leadership of President Harding was
not characterized by any great amount
of harmony or good feeling. Some of
the more ardent bonus Senator'S. in
Guiding Johnson (Cal.) and Capper
(Kan), millionaire leader of the agri-
cultural bloc. expressed disapproval Of
the deal into which Mr.. McCumber
had entered with Senator Lodge.
It is not quite certain that these
two. and perhaps other bonus Sena-
tors. will assent to the Lodge McC Cum
ber agreement which is 10 be acted
upon at the conference of Republican
Senators on Monday. It is not i'm
probable there will be several oral ex-
plosions at that gathering to add to
and complicate the already murky
muddle over the whole bonus situa-
ton.
or the two or three outstanding
features OF this muddlc the attitude of
the Democratic Senators is perhaps
the most disturbing to the Republican
Senators who solemnly agreed to set
aside the tariff in order to pass the
bonus bill The Democrats, of course.
are not party to the deal between
the two Republican groups. On the
contrary, they cordially disapprove of
It. This was clearly revealed by Sem
ator Walsh MASS. Dem.). leader Of
the bonus group in the minority. who
declared he would force the fighting
to bring forward the bonus If Mr.. Nc
Cumber failed to do go.
I'm my Judgment" said Senator
Walsh, I'VE have given Mr.. McCumber
Continued on Page Two.