The New York herald., 1922-03-18
SPEAKER OF HOUSE FIRM
AGAINST BONUS GAG RULE
Continued from First Page.

ment in the Senate Indicated a belief
that President Harding would stand
by his guns and refuse to be further
involved in the Congressional mess
over the bonus.
At any rate. Senators of both parties
seemed to think that the scheme to
raid the Treasury for the benefit of
able bodied men would be held up. as
the sales tax proposal is Congression-
ally unpopular. The only avenue left
open by the rejection of previous sug-
gestions for financing the bonus and
the pronounced opposition from all
sources to the certificate loan plan, in
Senatorial opinion, was to postpone
legislation as suggested by the Presi-
dent.
The feeling that this would finally
be the outcome of the vigorous assault
on the Treasury conducted by the
bonus claimants also gathered force
in the House. The opponents of the
certificate loan plan there hoped that
it would eventuate in that result at
any rate and even some of the most
ardent bonus Representatives feared
that 1t would.
Their appeals to Chairman Fordney
of the Ways and Means Committee
and Leader Mondell for information as
to the prospects of roll call-which
after all is the chief concern of the
vast majority of members-brought
| little comfort.
Fordney Passes the Buck.
The fact was Mr. Fordney. who has
been compelled to shoulder the burden
of providing the straw for making the
bonus bricks. did not appear to be
quite as interested in the outcome OF
the fight as he was week ago. He
gave the impression that he had per-
formed his job when he induced the
Republican members Of the Ways and
Means Committee to put over the cer-
tif1cate scheme after abandoning the
cash bonus feature of previous meas
ures. In other words. the buck" was
automatically passed to Majority
Leader Mondell, whose attitude on not
only the bonus fight but other Iegisla-
tive projects has reflected open an
tagonism to the President, his opposi-
ton to the army bill to-day being the
latest example.
The Wyoming Representatives.
Messiah of Green River" as the
bonus propagandsts style him-as-
sumed full responsibility for manag-
ing the fight beyond the stage where
the Ways and Means Committee has
landed it. He did not, however, ap-
pear to be as optimistic as some of
his distressed associates expected.
He insisted that he would go through
with the plan agreed upon by himself
and Mr.. Fordney because no alterna-
tive was possible. The majority leader,
whose Senatorial aspirations are held
by Democratic critics to depend on
the favor Of the politicians in the
American Legion, said bluntly that he
would try to bring the bill up on Mon
day under suspension of the rules.
He admitted that If the attitude of
Speaker Gillett continued to be as rep
resented the only avenue open would
be to bring in new set of rules which
would hog tie the House." as one Of
the Democratic opponents of the bonus
scheme characterized it.
Barring of Amendments.
Under this plan the new rules would
limit debate to a couple of hours and
prevent the introduction of amend
nents to the certificate loan bill. The
chief reason urged in support Of pro-
venting amendments, which sugges-
ton is decidedly unpopular with the
members who desire to make speeches
for campaign purposes. is that it will
head off many members who favor
the restoration of excess profits and
other war time taxes which were
abolished last year.
The Republican leaders OF the House
believe that to open tn way for the
amendment of the bonus bill would
he to encourage a powerful group Of
members to tack rider on the bonus
bill providing for the raising of the
necessary revenues by restoring these
forms Of taxes. There are 131 Demo-
Gratis in the House. The majority Of
them have frequently indicated their
preference for return of war taxes or
FOR the use of the foreign debt
Some of the Republican leaders as
sert that there are approximately 100
members of their party Who would
support the Democratic tax program
IL an opportunity were provided. For
this reason Mr.. Mondell and the other
House leaders believe 1t would be in
discreet to permit amendments to the
bonus bill.
Incidentally it developed to-day that
i'm the interview which the leaders
expect to have with the President they
will point out this danger and in
yite him to take his choice between
the certificate loan plan (Which does
not provide for any revenue) and the
restoration of war time taxes.
had Attack sf Nerves.
Sentiment among bonus Representa-
tiyes to-day reflected an almost pa
thetic condition Of nerves. For some
reason they appeared to think that
they had been misled as to the attitude
OF the President by some OF their
leaders and bonus propagandists who
have asserted that the President would
be brought into line and induced ulti-
mately to accept the certificate loan
scheme.
Not many OF them appeared to hold
the same degree Of confidence in this
respect as formerly influenced their
optimistic predictions that "the White
House will take this BILL" The clear
cut and convincing facts and argu-
hA rnxtta tn