The New York herald., 1922-05-22
BATTLE OYER BONUS
Is NEAR A DECISION
Continued from First Page.

hurdles in the way. notably the mis-
At tariff bill now under consideration
This confidence Is Justified to the
extent that II will receive the sup
port Of SUFFICIENT number Of Demo-
Gratis TO insure its passage. 1t Is OBJ
vious to both sides In the bonus fight,
however. that any move to set aside
the economic bludgeon" Gas the tariff
bill has been described) will be op-
posed by majority Of Republican
Senator's.
Would Like to sidetrack Il.
II has also become apparent, since
the adverse decision OF voters In re-
cent primaries. that there is now very
little numerical difference between the
two Republican groups advocating and
opposing the bonus. We're IL not for
the insistence of the Democratic SEN
ators seeking political advantage the
great majority Of Republican Senators
would like to sdetrack the scheme in
definitely.
This ambition is indicated mainly
by the realization that some Republi-
can Senators who unaualifiedly were
in favor Of the bonus a month ago
recently have indicated their purpose
to support the consistently maintained
position Of the President that the leg
islation be set aside unless financed
with the sales tax. There is prac-
tically no hope that Senators repre-
senting agricultural sections can be in
duced to accept the sales tax project,
at least under existing conditions.
The most logical guess Is that a
move will be made In the next two
or three days to bring the bonus bill
before the Senate by discharging the
Finance Committee or the employment
Of some other legislative process un-
der agreemnt. A gesture in this di-
rection would precipitate test Of the
relative strength Of bonus advocates
and opponents and determine the pros
poets Of the bill.
Hoping for Riddance.
There is scarcely a member Of the
Senate who does not wish that the
most vexatious political problem that
has confronted Congress in many years
could be wiped off the slate, either by
passage, rejection, or withdrawal.
Officials OF the American Legion,
who naturally do not admit popular
disapproval Of their claims which Is
now obvious to members of the two
houses. will continue their propaganda
until some decision has been reached.
Their confidence that Congress will
pass and the President sign bill to
Compensate" all ex-service men from
an already overstrained Treasury Is
much less pronounced than 1t was be-
fore the voters reflected their disap-
proval Of the enterprise.
Present predictions appear to be
based mainly on hope rather than
substantial reasons. Senators who were
eager to win the support Of the soldier
element at the expense Of the taxpay-
ers are not nearly SO susceptible to
professional political influences which
repeated popular tests have shown do
not exist.
The attitude Of the lobbyists and
propagandists who have been urging
the bonus suggests that of supplicants
rather than dictators- In their present
chastened frame OF mind they appear
to be willing to take anything In the
shape Of a bonus that Congress may
be coerced or cajoled into giving to
them.
Meantime tho people continue to
register their protest against the en-
tire bonus scheme. Voters who have
not had an opportunity to express
their disapproval Of it at the polls con-
tinue to fiood Senators with vigorous
denunciations Of the bonus.