Evening star., 1922-09-26
Killing of Bonus Bill Generally Is
Approved.

The veto by President Harding OF
the soldiers bonus bill has met with
general editorial approval. The fact
that Congress failed to make the
slightest provision to meet the finan-
cial requirements Of the measure
made the Legislation impossible, even
In the view OF those who are In
clined to favor it. 1t is accepted,
however, that as a result of the Ian
guage of the veto, and the favorable
vote in the House and Senate. tho is
sue is very far from being a dead
one.
Both courage and wisdom are dis
played in the Presidents veto mes
sage" the Newark News asserts. He
makes his first important use of this
great power of the executive to pre-
vent really insincere raid on the
Treasury by men who seek. for po-
litical ends, to be written down as
lawmakers friendly to the service
the obligation of taxing for the
money to pay the bill" This is also
the opinion of the Buffalo News.
which thinks the attention of the
country has been sharply drawn to
the deficit in prospect" and of the
Lynchburg News, which argues that
the bonus would Establish a prece-
dent which in the end might very
well result in impairing the nations
entire financial structure" The veto.
according to the Springfield Repub
lican. "is no less courageous because
counted in advance. Unfortunately
the bonus has to certain extent a
sectional bias, being most strongly
demanded In sections which will
profit most from it economically"
Whether one agrees with the Presi-
dent or not, the Bridgeport Post
holds that his statement is consist
ent and courageous. Indeed. his stand
is the most definite and clear cut yet
taken by him on any great public
issue, and when it is considered that
lie opposed a majority Of Congress
well organized body Of men who seek
the bonus, the President must be
given credit for a degree Of political
hardihood he was not commonly sup
posed to possess"
There was. however. no other course
Springfield Union holds. because ::if
the people favored bonus to able
bodied soldiers they should be willing
to pay the tax necessary to cover 1t.
The position taken was, and is. per-
fectly logical and sound" And in thus
acting as he did. the Norfolk Ledger
Dispatch argues that "he has seized
the opportunity to regain the conf
dence of the people which has been
81 AIKEN by several actions indicating
of purpose" but 1t feels that "it is
disquieting to think that the Presi-
dent commits himself, and, so far as
he is able to do so. commits the coun-
try to vast pension system at some
future time. Meanwhile. however. he
understands and sets out the fact
that bonus grab today would be but
the first step, and, for that reason,
among others, he disapproves 1t"
Further indor9ing such an opinion, the
New York Globe sets forth that the
veto "is the Presidents most distin-
guished act as President of the United
States" and that he refused to con-
nive in bit Of legislative cowardice
and dishonesty"
Agreeing that the bill was "as poor
Eagle takes sharp issue with its op-
ponents and finds two sad features"
Of the veto, "one that 1t comes at the
behest Of this patriotic Organization
the United States Chamber of Com
merce-that whooped 1t up so loudly
for the boys a few years ago. and the
other that the bonus, now vetoed,
probably never can be revived. This
Is not the opinion OF the Norfolk Viz
ginian-Pilot, however, which argues
that "the bonus bill comes back from
the White House vetoed as to provi-
sions, but approved as to principle. In
a day less preoccupied with retrench-
ment, such a grab. properly financed
through new taxation, will not jour-
ney to the White House In vain."
The WaA Street Journal holds that
the President establishes once and
for all the fact that he does not con-
slider the country under any cash oblt-
cation to those who came unscathed
out Of the war. We all kow how
pensions were legislated in the past.
and we cannot believe that the poll
tician in the future, especially after
this monument Of dishonesty, will be
any more honest than those in the
h haif-century following the civil war.
we may cross the bridge when we
come to It, but in the meantime the
President stands between the politi-
clans and the people, a defender of
tho public honor" To which the So
cfalistic New York Call replies by de-
clafing that .the amount that the bill
called for could have been taken from
the class which made millions out of
the war and legfs1etfon could have
prevented them from passing the tax
on to the people ON whose backs they
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