The New York herald., 1922-06-14

pie of the country has been provided
than the division Of opinion as to the
scheme to give it precedence over the
tariff measure. A month ago probably
two-thirds of the Republican Senators
were in favor of the bonus. 1t was
the only legislation for which they in
dicated a personal interest. They
would have supported any move to ad-
vance it to the head Of the Senate call
endar with every assurance of their
ability to pass it. The majority Of the
Democratic Senators, of course. would
have cooperated with their Republican
bonus colleagues in such an under
taking.
The firm and consistent stand as
sumed by President Harding against
the bonus under present conditions.
reinforced by public opinion, has since
wrought a tremendous change in Sem
atorial sentiment. Opponents of the
bonus as we'll as a number of Senators
who held a neutral position with the
tendency toward az rowing it now ex-
press confidence in their ability to
line up enough of the members of
President Harding's party to defeat
any move to improve the strategic po-
sition of the bill. They. feel fully justi-
fed in predicting that any gesture in
this direction on the part of Mr.. Nc
Cumber or the Democratic bonus Sem
ators will be decisiyely beaten by Re-
publican votes.
AS far as the ultimate fate Of the
bonus itself is concerned the impress
sion is most pronounced that the Pres
ident will veto the McCumber project
which was recommended by a bi-parti-
san combination Of Democratic and
Republican members of the Finance
Committee. A careful check of the
Senate confirms the prediction of
bonus opponents that they will be able
to recruit sufficient support to prevent
the repassage of the measure over the
Presidential veto.
Another point which an intimate
scrutiny of Senatorial minds has re-
vealed is that without Democratic
votes the bonus bill cannot be passed
in the Senate. 1t will require probably
forty-six votes to get the measure
through. OF the sixty Republican Sem
ators not more than thirty eight or
forty at the outside are in favor Of the
bonus.
The position of Republican Senators
who are opposed to the scheme has al
ready destroyed the strategic advan-
tage sought by the majority of Demo-
cratic Senators. who want the Repub-
lican party to assume full responsible
ity for the tax burdens it would i'm
pose on the people Of the country.
From present indications It will re-
quire almost as many Democratic as
Republican votes to put through the
bonus bill, which the advocates Of the
raid are apparently still determined
| to do
The change of sentiment regarding
! the bonus in both parties has been
more pronounced in the last week.
The attitude of President Harding, in
which he expressed doubt as to the
wisdom of now enacting bonus legis-
lation, and his stand against sr6sti-
| tuition of the bonus for the tariff to-
| day, have won to his support several
Republican Senators who had not pre-
! viously reached a final decision re-
| garding it.
The alignment of this unexpected
support for the Presidents position
has placed the bonus Senators in de-
fensive position and put the opposi-
ton into one of commanding influence
The bonus advocates have entirely
abandoned their scheme of seeking
unanimous consent to advance their
measure. They know it would be
nailed on the spot. Their hope that
the majority of Republican Senators
would vote to set the tariff aside was