The Mena weekly star., 1922-03-23
PRESIDENT HARDING
 TO MEET TROUBLE.
Back From Vacation to Florida, He Finds Row Over Bonus and Army and Navy Appropriations-Some
 Hopeful Issues.
From the Kansas City Star.

From the Kansas City Star.
 Washington, March 17.-When President Harding returns Saturday from his short rest in the Florida playgrounds, he probably will wish that he could go even farther than the Sunny South away from the tangled situation that he will find
 There is nothing sweet or lovely about it. It hasn't improved material ly during his absence, even tho the President, irked at the continuous bickerings and calls on him to smooth out differences over which he had no control, went away not only to rest but to make Congress, for time, face its own responsibilities. Some situa- tions are better-the treaty and the tariff bill; others are worse, the bonus and the military and naval appropria- tions wrangles.
 MT. Harding departed for his vaca- tion determined not to supplicate or plead with the senate for treaty rati- fcation. The situation then appeared OtOl IlC lCAL kOOQ JUL AldQ DtCU done by his delegates to the arms con- it's way clear to accept the splendid results, it would have to take respon- sibility for upsetting them.
 Treaties Sure of Ratification.
 His return will find the treaties as sured of ratification when the vote is taken. The big drive against them has been turned back. Those in the know" in the senate say it is just a question of when the vote is taken.
 More than offsetting the material improvement in respect to the treaties is the fiasco as to the bonus. The house has been keeping the wires hot to Florida in trying to get new ex- pression from MT. Harding as to the bonus; to get him to say the plan it has evolved is all right.
 The house knows MT. Harding does n't think it all right. Mellon, Cris- singer and Harding of the federal re- serve board, all of whom have the con fidence of the president, have told the House it is all bad. President Hard ing has said over and over again that he won't stand for the bonus bill Yet the first thing he will be met with when he comes is that bill, all set for passage in the House.
 Bonus Row Is Sickening.
 If it were not such a serious propo- sition-serious to the taxpayer and te the millions of veterans whose an ticipations of receiving bonus have been sharpened-the performance of the lower body of Congress right now would be first class comedy. As it is, it is sickening performance, about as miserable picture of legislative cowardice as Congress has exhibited in recent years. Both parties are equally guilty in the boncombe game, but the Republicans, having control, have to assume responsibility.
 There isn't the slightest chance that the bill the House intends to pass will get by both the Senate and the presi- dent. It might crawl thru the Senate but if it does it will be vetoed. Yet the House leaders are going to go ahead and pass it. The elections are at hand. They want to be able to go back home and tell the veterans of their district: q voted for a bonus bill"
 And so they'll pass it and let some body else hold the buck. Never has there been such an obvious situation, yet hades and high water couldn't stop that bonus bill or any other go- ing thru the House.
 Tariff Gloom Clearing,
 Some glimmer of light has come in the tariff gloom. The Republicans promised it months and months ago. The grief the Senate finance commit tee has had over the Fordney meas ure passed by the House constitutes several lurid chapters of internal leg islative stomach ache
 From encouragement on the tariff, Mir. Harding will have to face another big row with the House over the de- fense measures. Before he left, the president said he would not stand for a reduction in the army below 130, ,000. The House now is debating the 115,- 900 bill, with prospects of that figure being cut to one. hundred thousand. The president had taken final stand for a navy not lower than eight-five thousand men, itself a reduction of fifteen thousand. The bill about to be presented carries only sixty-five thousand men. Final figures of what Congress will vote for the two branches cannot be given until the navy bill is presented.
 
 HEAvENER TRAIN TO QUIT. The "Turnaround" Local Passenger