The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-20
MAY MAKE FUND
 GENERAL CHARGE
 AGAINST TREASURY
Majority Members of Ways and Means Committee Will Meet Today to Dis
 CuSS Issue
By Aseociated rre.sa

Washington, February 19.-Thc soldiers bonus situation continued today to be so nebulous that repub- hcan House leaders were unprepared to venture even guess as to what plan of financing ultimately would be agreed upon. It was understood to be their disposition to let the question simmer a while longer in the hope that sentimnt would so shape itself as to facilitate the task of those who will frame the measure.
 It developed today that beneath the { surface Of the storm which has ragged around President Harding's sugges- tion that the bonus be financed by a sales tax there has been a lot of quiet talk in support of the proposal ad- vanced by some leaders last week that the legislation be made a gen eral charge against the treasury with expected savings through cuts in reg ular appropriation bills relied upon for the financing of portion of the initial cost.
 Suggested by Mondeu
 When first sugge sted by Repre- sentative Mondell of Wyoming. the majority House leader. this proposal seemed to meet with considerable favor among the rank and file in .he House. but the idea became all but submerged by the wave of talk that swept through cloak rooms and corr riders after the Presidents letter 10 Chairman Fordney, of the ways and meaps committee, had reached the capitol.
 Irrespective of the bonus, there apparently was a determination in the House to reduce sharply the es- inmates for both the navy and the army, and. it was believed possibly s2OO. .OOoo 900 would be cut out of .he supply bills of these departments alone. Such sum, it was said, would go q long way toward meet ines the first years cost Of the cash payments to the former service men,
 VIII Meet Today
 Views Of the majority members ef the ways and means committee on this plan have not yet been publicly developed These members will meet tomorrow to go into the whole bonus question, but an immediate de- cision as to how the bonus will oe financed Is not expected, Proponents of a sales tax, however. are under stood to be prepared to force their fight in the committee at the oariieat opportunity.
 Some opponents of the sales lew concede that there are sufficient votes among the majority membsss of the committee to report 3uf sHch tax but declare the quest or of sx pediency must enter into tha I1ft decision The first consideratifii they said. is the probable effect v such tax on the minds a4 pee pie generally, and the second ti'f known effect that will | eroade among republican memb the House.
 -Wfll Renew Fight
 If such tax s proposed to a party conference the opponents assert that they will renew the fight, which was waged successfully in similar con- ference in 1920 when the first bonus bill was presented with sales tax attached Failing to win in tho caucus, they declare. would mean that their fight would be carried to the floor of the House. with the expec tation of almost solid support from the democrats.
 It is understood to be the hope cf leaders of the agricultural bloc that the committee will report out bin without any specific provision tor raising the funds as the Senate fi nance committee did last year. Pres ident Harding has said that he could not look with favor on measure that did not carry ways of financing it. but 1t was understood to be the thought of some Of the supporters uf such bill that with large sun made available through reductions in the estimated cost of conducting ne regular government establishment a situation would be created whI.h would remove executive objection.