Milford chronicle., 1922-10-06
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
BONUS BILL VETO NECESSARY


Freddie and few other boys in
words that were far from compliment
tary.
YOU'D be angry, mad, peeved and
everything else yourself if you had
just been listening to a bunch of
boobs talk about the President the
way they hame," answered Jack as he
sat down.
whats that hear?" called Uncle
Ted from the next room. Look here
Jack" he continued as he put aside
his evening paper, you may be per-
fectly right but remember that the fell
low who loses his temper loses his
head and his argument at the same
time. Nothing was ever gained in this
world by the fellow who temporarily
his temper. Now just what was the
trouble?" Uncle Ted asked, as he sat
down between the two kiddies.
Just this" answer Jack. Freddie
and bunch of the boys were in our
yard all afternoon having a good time
until somebody started talking about
the President and saying that he was
always against the eX-soldier and has
proved it when he vetoed the bonus
bill not long ago. Of course, 1 couldn't
stand it and 1 did try to keep my tenn
per by telling them all the wonderful
things he has done for the soldiers
as you told us, about the hospitals and
vocational training schools. Well,
they kept it up until, well, 1 got into
a scrap"
Jack" said Uncle Ted slowly, "it
is pretty hard to blame you and it is
pretty hard also to make some people
understand our President in this mat
ter am going to tell you something
about him and try to show you his
viewpoint with regard to the bonus.
We must look into the Presidents
mind and see just why he has follow
ed the course taken.
"In the first place there is no more
kind and gentle man living than War
rem G.. Harding. Nor is there any man
who wants the ex-sOldier to have ev-
erything that is fine and right more
than our President. When the bonus
bill came to his desk for him to de-
eide whether it should be made law
by his signature or whether it should
be turned back to Congress he did
some mighty careful thinking. He
wants to join the rest of the country
in showing the nations gratitude to
those who served during the world
war, but he could not sign a bill even
for that purpose which provided no
means to raise the money with which
to pay the bonus. No man is more
conscious or appreciative of the work
of the ex-sOldier than President Hard
ing This is proved by the fact that
in the current fiscal year the govern
ment is spending $510,000,000 on hos
pitfalls, care for the sick and wounded,
vocational training and insurance.
And this figure does not include $685.
100000 being spent on new hospitals.
He stated in his veto message that
The estimates for the year to follow
are approximately $470,000,000, and
the figures may need to be made
larger
eve can start off with that infOr-
nation to prove that President Hard
ing's administration has accomplish
ed something real and worth while
for the ex-sOldieF Now just think a
minute. How would you like some
body to make you a gift which left it
up to you and all your friends to
raise the money with which to pay for
it? Wouldn't it be nothing short of
foolish?"
"I'll say itwould," answer Jack.
"Well, that in a small way is just
what the bonus bill as it came to the
President would mean. Besides being
perfectly normal human being with
a full sense of appreciation for what
the soldiers did, President Harding is
also the head of this great nation and
the man upon whose shoulders rests
the responsibility of seeing that this
country is kept upon a basis as near
business like as possible4 The bonus
bill would pay the veterans more than
$4,OO0,000,O but it provided no way
to raise the money! More and heavier
taxes some place would necessarily
have to be levied to pay it and the
majority of the men who would re-
ceive the bonus would be paying for
it along with the millions of other cit
liens, already necessarily taxed heaV-
lily to the natural results of war.
Let me read you few strong
points from the Presidents message:
Clearly the bill returned herewith
takes cognizance of the inability oil
the government wisely to bestOw, and
SAYS, in substance, we do not have the
cash, we do not believe in q tax levy
to meet the situation, but here is cur
note; you may have our credit for
half it's worth. This is not cOmpen-
sation, but rather a pledge by Con-
gress, while the executive branch OF
the government is left to provide for
payments falling due in ever increas-
ing amounts
OF course, the fellow who gives and
spends is always more popular than
the fellow who saves and denies. So
it is with President Harding today.
But he is looking at the country as
whole and presents a sane and logi-
cal argument when he said: The
pressing problem of the government
is that of DIMINISHING OUR BUR-
DENS, RATHER THAN ADDING
THERETO. 1t is the problem Of the
world. War infatiOns and war eXpend-
itures have unbalanced budgets and
added to indebtedness until the whole
world is staggering under the load
Gould we ask our President to put
through such law, kiddies, after the
months of hard and unpopular work
he has INDUCED in to cut down ex-
penses in every corner of the govern
ment? The work of year and quar-
ter to reduce government expenditure
to a minimum would be wiped out in
an instant by this bill. Probably the
5;,,cr -4o4a1,oonf Of hic TOnCsa0p