The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1922-04-04
BUMPERS AHEAD !
FOR PRESIDENT
AND congress
Army-Navy Bonus or Tariff
Bills Will be Cause of
Break Between White
House and Solons
by Richard Linthicum
especial Correspondence)

NSpesIdi COrftSpOnuence)
WASIilNGTON.-New elements of
discord and division over legislation
continue to arise involving President
Harding with the republican major.
ity in congress. The difference be-
tween the executive and the agricul-
tural bloc which already exist amount
TO Il split which. can only be brought
together again by the president yield
ing the bloc in future legislation.
SO far, either by surrender or by
compromise the president has averted
an absolute break, but it is not too
much TO say that the relations between
the White House and the republican
majority in congress are badly strain
ed at this writing and threaten to
grow worse.
Army and Navy Cuts.
one element Of dscord is the evident
determination of the republican ma.
Jority TO make heavy cuts in the
army and navy; which is opposed
both by Secretary Weeks and Presi.
dent Harding. The little army"
men so-calied want AN army OF lis 900
and the little navy" men so.called,
insist upon cut in that branch Of
the service to 65 900
The provision in the army bill by
which congress undertook To dictate
10 the executive with respect to the
distribution OF troops also netted
The president and his secretaries of
war and navy, and although this pro.
vision was afterwards stricken out,
ii was done 40 with the alleged under.
standing that the president would
recognize The authority Of congress
10 limit foreign gan'isons without any
specific declaration 10 that effect
This alleged understanding lis indig.
ntly denied and repudiated by Sec
tary Weeks, who also voices the
ew of the president in this matter.
Bonus Bill Tangle.
Another element Of discord was the
passage oil the bonus bill by the
house in its present form against the
well-known wishes of the president
who. If he favored any bonus bill at
this time only favored one with a
sales tax provision for payment 1t
was intimated by the presidents ad.
yisers who shared with him recent
delightful vacation in Florida that he
would veto any bonus bill that did
not provide for sales tax. and it
has been generally understood that he
favored q general postponement of
bonus legislation and bonus discus.
sion.
The administration organs are re.
sponsible for the statement that Mr..
Harding has been trusting the senate
10 shelve the bonus bill, but on top
Of this comes the reported determina-
ton Of Chairman McCumber of the
senate finance committee to rush the
bonus bill through the senate Just as
IL passed the house and force the
president to veto it or to surrender
his own views to the republican con.
gressional majority II the senate
passes the nill and the president We.
toes IL he will be in an open fight
with congress. and IL he signs il he
nuts himself IN a position where con.
ness would continue to dominate him
nd force MIS- hand on other matters
Il legislation.
Then the Tariff Bill.
The republican opponents of the
bonus bill IN the senate are trying Ia
have thar measure sdc.tracked fcr the
tariff bill. II they succeed they will
lay themselves open To the hecklng
Of demo'ratir senators for their lack
of courage 10 meet the issue prompt.
~ and squarely, and also to the
pressure Ut the friends of the bill
The tariff hill itself contains several
forms Of pulilical dynamite FOR the
republican majority. Economists the
country oVcr regard the Fordney tar.
iff bill as It passed the house as an
economic iuKc. Importers and the
financial interests are generally op
posed 10 IN" American Valuation
rlan which nobody understands ap
larently and whch apparently ne
one viii even attempt To explain
President Passes Buck.
President Harding has shifted his
position on the tariff many times
since he became u candidate for the
presidency He was first for high
protective tariff NJ once. As prcsi
dent he made 1t u part Of his lcgis