The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-03-24
Real Fight Over Bonus Has Begun
Vote Of House 333 To 70 -L e a d e r S Seek Method Of Payment Of Debt To Soldiers Bv Various Methods.

Washington, March 24-The real fight over the soldier bonus bill passed, late yester- day, by vote of 333 to 70, be gan today. Passage of the much maligned bill by the House and its transmission tC the Senate today is only one phase of the intensive battle which will be fought out be- tween now and next November
 A Long Delay.
 The. new fight has for its primary object a long delay that will enable the administration to perfect other arrangements for the payment of the bonus than are contained in the cer- tificate plan brought out by the House Ways and Means Committee
 Republican SenatoriaI leaders have project of making the s11,0o0.00o. poo foreign indebtedness of the United States pay the adjusted compensat tion demanded by World War veterans. Either through interest payments, or through some scheme of foreign bond issuance, they believe the nation can discharge it's obligation to the form CT soldiers and at the same time refrain 5ng from putting more burdens the already overburdened taxpayer. Pres1- dent Harding and certain of his ad- Visers, who are frankly opposed to the bill as 1t passed the House, are known to look with favor upon. a bonus bill that could be framed un- xi these conditions
 The official announcement in the House of Commons that Great Britain interest this fall and thereafter will pay the United States six months in- qerest this fall and thereafter will make interest payments with some regularity has given renewed hope to administration leaders that ultimately matters can be arranged to let the .foreign indebtedness carry the bonus load.
 In another few months the admin istration's debt funding commission will be at work. Before fall, it is hoped the commission will have got 4he foreign debt of the United States down to a solid basis, upon which lnreasury officials will be able to count upon certain fixed payments from HIarding and his Republican friends in the Senate believe a bonus bill should be drawn and passed. and not now, when conditions are uncertain when the terasury is faced with a half billion dollar deficit this year, and when business conditions are not too good anyway.
 Whether the administrators pol Hey of delaying matters can be suc- cessfuly put through is problemaIicaI it was admitted today. While it is doubtful if the Senate would pass the bonus bill as 1t stands today. there are nevertheless many friends of the bonus in the Senate. and it is pre- dioted that it is only a matter of days before these again begin agitating for lSenatorial action. The policy for the time will be to give the bonus bill a good long rest while the Senate disposes of the bal lance of the conference treaties
 Legislators Leaving.
 n nr0 1ay-elI EI,r.- -E House members from Washington to- day. following passage of the biN Many had been held here for days against their wishes in order to en- sure passage of the measure, but with il out of the way there was in pro- gress today a general scramble to set back home where primaries are looming up and where political fences need mending-