The New York herald., 1922-03-04
House Promoters Deter
mined to Push 1t to Save
Their Own Faces.
SUPPORT IS NOT SINCERE
Sponsors Express Belief Har-
ding Will Accept Plan as
avenue Of Escape
by LOUIS sEIBoLD.

by LOUIS sEIBoLD.
Special Dispatch TO THE New YonK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau
Washington, ID. g., March g.
The bill which the promoters OF the
bonus raid on the national finances
and business OF the country will pre-
sent to the House Of Representatives
for passage has provoked another
storm of opposition throughout the
country.
The only persons who appear to be
satisfied with the latest makeshift
venture in this respect are the Re.
publican members of the House Ways
and Means Committee. These, in
their desperation to obey the orders
Of the American Legion and other
bonus propagandists, are engaged In
producing a measure to stage a
$1,000, 100000 raid on the Treasury
Department three years hence. When
completed it will represent the final
effort OF the bonus members OF Con.
gress to put themselves on record in
favor OF a bonus regardless Of its
fate in the Senate or at the hands
Of the President.
Critics of the project do not hesi-
tate to pronounce the latest offering
as even worse than it's predecessors.
Responsible Treasury and financial
experts regard IT as "haphazard,"
"harebrained," "deceitfuI." and as
sert that the chief beneficiaries OF it.
in the end will be pawnbrokers,
usurers and loan sharks.
Veterans Not Enthusiastic.
Ex-service men demanding immedi-
ate cash gratuities display little en-
thusiasm for it, yet they instance a
willingness to accept 1t IL nothing
better can be obtained.
Greater opposition is manifested to
IL in both the House and Senate than
to the previous suggestions which
we're discarded for easily understood
reasons, the most important OF which
was they were not acceptable to the
President and denounced to be uu-
desirable by Treasury officials. A
\ food OF protests against II already
has begun to show on the two houses
Of Congress.
Yet tine Republican members OF the
I House Ways and Means Committee
and the majority of the 435 Represen-
tatives in the lower house purpose Ia
put the "pawnbrokers' bill' through
70 head of political reprisals threat
ened by the organized propagandists.
They believe they can make the
country like. IT," as one OF it's most
ardent supporters put IL tonight.
For some unaccountabIe reason the
sponsors for the new scheme TO raid
the Treasury and demoralize business
conditions throughout tEc country be-
lieve there Is a chance that the Prcsi-
dent may be induced TO accept II.
President stfn Firm.
That impression does not exist In
\ executive departments of tho Govern
ment. This fact was made extremely
clear at the White House this after
noon. It was said there by an au-
thoritative ofiicid that the President
\ still stood by the declarations he made
in his reply TO the appeal of Chairman
1 Fordney for suggestions regarding the
\ financing Of a bonus.
In his reply the President said the
only suggestion he had to offer was
any bonus bill passed or that bonus
legislation be postponed until the
country is in better condition to stand
tho tremendous drain on it's already
strained resources. The Presidents
views remain exactly the same as they
were when he addressed his letter 10
Mr. Fordncy.
Members Of the two houses wto r.
Gently have discussed the matter with
| him have not been permitted to retain
the slightest doubt that the President
would veto any bonus bill which does
not carry the sales tax provision.
Despite this fact. bonus Congress
men appear to think that the Presi-
dent provided them with a loophole
| IN his statements which appeared 20
be both positive and conclusive. The
basis for the hope that he may event.
ually be prevailed upon to accept the
"pawnbrokers' bill" Is twofold.
1 The first is that the President Is
open to conviction that failure OF the
Republican majority to pass bonus
bill in accordance with the promises
OF individual members will expose Ills
party TO defeat In tho Congressional
elections. The second and. IN fact
controlling reason that inspired til