The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1922-02-02
REFU|W)|NG BILL
ANOTHER ISSUE
McCUMBER SAYS 1T WAS DECID-
ED TO HAVE QUESTION ORR
GINATE IN HOUSE.

Washington, Feb. Discussions
OF the long pending soldier bonus
bill was renewed today.
Before the house ways and means
committee, which by agreement of
republican leaders in congress, re-
opened hearings, officers of organ
izations of former service men urged
immediate action on the bill, and in
reply to questions said that the prob
lem of raising the necessary funds
was one for congress to solve.
In the senate republican leaders
frustrated attempts of the democrats
to add the bonus bill to the allied
debt refunding measure. After brief
but heated debate the senate adopt
ed, AZ to %, a motion by Senator
Watson, republican, Indiana, TO lay
on the table an amendment offered
by Senator Simmons, democrat, North
Carolina, Incorporating the Five
way adjusted compensation plan.
The amendment would have pro-
vided that the bonus be paid out of
the interest on the foreign debt and
that il this should prove insufficient
the secretary of the treasury should
issue certificates of indebtedness to
be redeemed out of future interest
payments. or with the approval of
the president, to sell so much OF the
foreign bonds as might be neces-
sary.
Later the senate rejected: Az to
81, an amendment by Senator Jones,
democrat, New Mexico, which carri-
ed the ''five-way' plan but had no
provision for raising funds.
In offering his amendment, Sena-
tor Simmons declared that when he
had proposed the bonus bill as an
| amendment to the tax revision mea-
sure, he had been told it was the de-
sire of the majority to act on the
bonus in connection with the debt
refunding bill, but now the republi
cans had decided that the bonns fflea-
sure should be acted upon separate
ly.
Opposing the amendment, Chair
man McCumber of the finance COM
mittee, declared 1t had been decided
to have the bonus bill originate in
the house, because IL would be a
revenue raising measure and that
everyone knew adjusted compensa-
tion legislation soon would be enact
ed. He deprecated what ne called
the injection of party politics into
the question and said he objected TO
adding the bonus to the debt bill
because the president had declared
his opposition to any bonus measure
that did not provide funds for imme-
diate payment to the former service
men.
Senator Watson of Indiana, cut the
discussion short with motion to
lay it on the table stating everyone
knew a bonus bill soon would be
passed. The motion brought pro-
tests from the democratic side, Sena-
tors Ashurst, of Arizona, Pittman of
Nevada, and other declaring 1t vio-
lated the spirit of the unanimous con
sent agreement, which was designed
they said, only to limit debate.
After considerable wrangling the
point of order against the motion
was overruled by Vice President
Coolidge The senate then adopted
the Watson motion with three re-
publicans- Johnson, LaFollette and
Norris--voting against 1t and two
democrats, King and Myers, support
ing it.
In his statement before the ways
and means committee, Hanford Mac
Nider, national commander Of the
American Legion, attacked Secretary
Mellon for opposing the bonus legis-
lation at this time. He declared that
instead of opposing this bill by point
ing out the difficulties of financing 1t
Mr.. Mellon would do better to find
and suggest proper methods of rails
ing the money"