The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1922-03-20
Places All Responsibility for
Fordney Measure Squarely
Up to Congress After Long
Conference t White House.
House Leaders Fail in Effort tc
Win Presidents Aid as He
Listens to Argument With
out Offering Comment.
By David Lawrence.
Especial Correspondent of the Eve
ming Worldly

ntng World.)
WASHINGTON, March 20 Copy
right, 1920 President Harding has
passed back to Congress full respon-
sibility for enacting a soldier bonus
bill.
The efforts OF House Republicans to
secure hts Endorsement OF the Ford
ney bill have failed. The House Will
go ahead and pass the bill. Thr
Senate may or yaay not adopt Us ~
any event. the President Indicated TO.
day clearly that he would reserve de-
cision until Congress had acted.
This is tue upshot of the conferenc,
held at the White House between the
President and Chairman Fordney 0t
the House Ways and Means Commit
tee, Chairman Campbell of the Rules
Committee, Representative Long
worth and other House leaders vino
have been insisting on the passage of
bonus bill despite the advice Of Sec,
retary Of tine Treasury Mellon and
others in the executive branch of the
Government.
Mr., Harding's views on the question
have been expressed again and again
and even before the leaders came TO
the White House 1t was made plain
that the President favored either u
sales tax as Il means of raising the
revenue for a soldier bonus OF thc
postponement Of the question alto
gether.
The House bas discarded the sales
tax proposal and has ignored the sug-
gestion of postponement.
In view Of Mr.. Harding's announced
position, it was necessary to go to the
White House and enlist the neutrality
OF Mr.. Harding while the House lead
ers pushed the bill through For il
was evident that many members OF
the House would decline to act until
they knew definitely whether IL,
President favored the bonus In the
tordney bill.
Already much opposition has been
stirred up through the use OF tn
President name. To reconcile the
desires of the House leaders for soG'c
kind OF legislation and the demands
Of an insurscnt Republican group tha,
the Presidents views be obtained an
needed, the plan Of holding a confer
enCe was evolved The purpose OF IL,
conference was TO throw the question
Of Presidential veto up in the AR
and leave the House free to act on H.
own responsibility.
The President listened TO the eX-
plantations made Of the new Fordney
bill, which has been changed since he
left Washington, and while Mr.. Hard
ing offered no objections. at the same
time he did not utter word Of ap-
proval. lie simply insisted that Con
gress must assume fun responsibility
for the legislation without any recon-
mendation from him.
Asked to interpret that statement
some OF the Presidents callers pointed
out that II might mean Presidential
signature ultimately on the same
ground, that Congress had by ma
jority vote expressed itself and that
the Executive would hnd hlmscl;
persuaded 10 follow the will of Con-
grcss. Others Contonded, however,
that tho President was free TO veto
tho measure and compel Congress to
enact the law b" a two thirds vote
of both Houses something which ad-
is doubtful for the pro
poncnts Of the bonus VIII have diff
Guilty mastering a simple majority in
the Senate.
1t is precisely this vagueness which
helps the House leaders. The GER
tainty Of a PRESIDENTIAL veto has been
TOR the moment. The Execu~