The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1922-03-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.
By Wallace Bassford.
Special News Correspondent

Washington, D. c., Feb. 1S.-Mr.
Harding seems to feel that it is politi-
cally expedient, if not necessary, to
provide a bonus for the soldiers. A
week ago he was hot-foot for it. I'm
nediately there appeared on the bull
letin boards in the stockholders
board rooms in all the cities brief
wires from the Wall Street section
.elling how the great money interests
we're getting together to prevent it, on
The ground that it would necessitate
laying an additional burden of taxa
ion or the issuing of more bonds.
Then paid advertisements appeared
in the Washington papers arguing
against the bonus proposition. I'm
mediatelv thereafter the President
came forth with a statement that he
would not favor either additional
taxes or bond issue for the purpose,
whereupon the metropolitan press
expressed the view that this meant an
end to the bonus, as there was no 9TH
er way left to raise the money.
But at this juncture Mr.. Byrnes OF
South Carolina comes forward with a
proposition that should appeal to the
President and everyone else. 1t is
simply this: The Republican leaders
figure that it will take $350,000, 900
Ger year to pay the proposed bonus.
Chairman Madden of the Appropria-
tions Committee says the Administra-
ton. through the new budget system,
has saved 1857 100000 by cutting APP
preparations. If this is true, the prob
EN- is solved and everyone should be
happy. Now it remains to be seen If
the Administration can locate that
1857 900. 900 with sufficient definite
ness 10 lay hold of it, and use it for
the bonus. But right there is where
the difficulty will begin. Of course
there are at least one hundred Re-
pubIicans who would have thought
ue+11 this money If they really be-
lieved it had been saved, but it is like
trying to pay the grocery bill with
money that you found in dream.
| These great savings are fictitious
they result from a juggling of figures
and remind one of the prestidigitatoI
who takes rabbit after rabbit from a
rat which never contained one. The
President makes savings of millions
upon millions in the columns of the
newspapers while quietly sending up
rnrcrriations Committee re-
quests for the passage of more def,
.eucy bills tor twice as many mil
| lions as those saved" Another year
If such economy will force a new
bond issue.
| Senator Lodge, close friend to the
President, went before the Massa-
| chusetts Legislature the other night
and made a statement which proves
him to be ignorant of the most inl-
portant operations of the Govern
ment or else guilty of classifying the
facts. There is no escape from this
Mr.. Byrnes of South Carolina rose in
/ the House and showed this to be true
and no Republican challenged his
statements Lodge said: "Since the
resent Congress has been in they
have reduced the appropriations ask
ed for nv the Departments from So
337, 100000 to $1,42S,0 900" Not the
average citizen. paving high taxes
and thinking the condition of the
Treasury deplorable. would think the
millennium had arrived and that the
Republicans are wizards of finance
That statement would be accepted
from Lodge on the ground that hi
could easily get the correct informa
ton, and that United States Senator
could not afford to falsify the facts
But what are the facts? Mr.. Byrne:
held in his hand the official estimate!
Of the Budget Bureau totaling $5,S01,
100000 and then called attention t.
;he fact that while only six of the an
nual appropriation bills had been act
ed upon by the House, those six hat
already reached figure of $2,90S,000
900. He showed that last year the Re
publican Congress appropriated $3,771
00514.01. being about S3S,000,00I
less than was asked for this year, 81
that in reality the Administration wa
seeking more money to run the Gov
eminent instead of less. In the las
year before the war q916) a Demo
cratic Congress appropriated only 81,
114.000.000 to run the Government
Appropriation for the present fisca
year are more than three times a
great.
Will Rogers, the gentle comedian
whose jokes have no sting, has fel
the disDleasure of the White House
1t is getting to be pretty well under
stood in Washington, where politica
gossip is as nectar and amDroSla I
the people, that the Hardings are YER
thin-skinned, but on the other ham
they delight to entertain at the Whit
House that Forbes person who ha
been publishing articles about tn
home life of the President.
Washington is agitated today owe
the question of what has happneed t
that great warrior, Senator Borah.
is recorded that Saul of Tarsus wa
iourneying down the dusty road from
Damascus to Jerusalem when grea
light struck him. Here is Borah'
message to the head of the Wilso
Foundation. Difference of view o.
some questions of method has not
trust. blinded me in the least to tn
great policies and principles urge
and advocated by eX-President VIII
son in looking to a better and mo"
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