The New York herald., 1922-03-21
$ either locked up or gone dry,

is either locked up or gone dry. !
don't know which" Laughter.
This put an end TO any attempt 10
bring up the bonus bill, though no
formal motion 10 do so was actually
made. The House proceeded with it's
calendar but inside of an hour ad-
journed for the day. Confronted by
the hostile attitude OF both the Presi-
den; and Speaker. the bonus Repre-
sentatives were in no mood TO waste
any time on ordinary events.
Soon after the House adjourned the
Republican leaders, including mem
bers OF the HOUSE Ways and Means
Committee, the steering committee
and some members of the Rules Com
mttee. held an extended conference
in the ONCE OF Speaker Giiiett.
The only definite thing agreed upon
apparently was that the Republicans
will not hold a caucus on the bonus
Issue. and Representative Lineberger
(Cal), who attended the meeting. de-
cided not to press his petition calling
for a conference.
Despite earnest pleas Speaker Gill
lett refused to commit himself on a
plan to bring the bonus question be-
fore the House on Thursday under a
suspension OF the rules. He said
after the meeting that he had not
made up his mind on the subject
There are two plans under consid-
Grafton" said the Speaker, zone 10
suspend the rules. which requires q
two-thirds vote. the other TO bring in
n special rule restricting debate and
preventing amendments"
Conference In Speakers Room.
The conference held in the Speakers
room after adjournment was the most
important in several years. The
Democrats, of course. were excluded.
a circumstance that did not improve
the bonus situation. The participants
in the conference were the Speaker,
Representatives Mondell. Fordner,
Lineberger. Mann. Watson. Coplcy
Undertake. Green 1owa), Chalmers,
Greene (vt.). Treadway. Nolan. Smell,
Mott. Johnson. Frear. Mills. Chandler.
Darrow, Hadley. Hawley. Woodruff,
Anderson, Campbell and Fess.
This conference continued more
than two hours and was characterized
by wide differences OF opinion as to
the course OF procedure to be followed
In handling the bonus bill. The re-
suit of the conference with the Presi-
dent was discussed at length. and 1t
appeared to be the conclusion OF nll
OF the conferees that no more nelp
could be expected from the White
House.
The certificate loan bill was the
only bonus project taken up, and there
was considerably more opposition to II
than had been expected. Representa-
tives Treadway. snell Mills and Fess
are understood to have expressed the
opinion that the House should be
guided by the attitude of the President
and the objections raised by Secretary
Mellon.
Some OF the other conferees strongly
advocated the adoption OF the alterna-
tive suggestion of the President that
bonus legislation be dropped for the
present. The majority of the con-
ferees, however. supported the conten-
ton of Mondell and Fordney that the
House must pass the bill regardless Of
its ultimate fate in the Senate and at
the White House. The chief argument
in support of this position was that
members had promised the American
Legion and other bonus claimants that
they would vote for a bonus bill and
that the pledge must be kept.
After the conference Mr. Mondell
made the following statement:
I'VE shall reach a decision probably
by noon tomorrow as to when and
how the bonus measure shall be
brought before the House. There will
be no party conference or caucus on
the subject. We shall work out a plan
by which the bill can be brought before
the House not later than Thursday"
Chairman Fordney said: I'VE will
so ahead with our program. No new
developments have altered 1t. The bill
will be passed within a few days with
out amendment"
A statement made by Chairman
Campbell of the Rules Committee in
dicsted another element of opposition
in the situation. He said that he
thought satisfactory rule would be
brought in to expedite the bonus bill,
but that 1t would allow liberal de-
bate"
The probable Democratic position
was indicated to-day by the submis-
sion OF a minority report on the GER
tilcate loan plan signed by five OF tie
eight Democratic members OF the
Ways and Means Committee. These
were Kitchin (N. c.. Oldfeld (Ark.),
Crisp fGa.), Carew IN. Y.) and Tague
Mass.
The Democratic minority report
characterizes the certificate loan plan
as "a rain check-borrow money bonus
payment" and as IAN insult to every
world war veteran and q shameful dis
grace 10 Congress and the nation" 1t
says that the bill proposes to give the
veteran a scrap OF paper" and tells
him TO go out and hawk 1t from bank
10 bank in the hope, after being held
up for high rate OF interest. of get
ting a little cash on IL. not, however.
to exceed so per cent. OF what the bill
processes the Government now justly
owes him"
The Democratic report says Presi-
dent Harding and the Republicans
were right in their first proposition,
but whatever kind of bonus bill or
compensation act should be passed
there should be included in 1t a specific
levy of taxation for the payment OF IL.
Preference for Taxation.
The report Is replete with such terms
as gold bricks" II O u" and the like.