The New York herald., 1922-03-05
BONUS RAIDERS DEFY PUBLIC
OPINION WITH GOLD BRICK


predicting favorable reception for it.
Bonus Congressman VINO hope that the
hopes OF Mr.. Fordney are realized are
not nearly so optimistic, however, as
they were week ago. Mr.. Fordney
has made so many promises and opti-
lnistic predictions which have "fiiv-
vered" that there is much skepticism
over his present venture.
Consequently the bonus Congress-
men who are still trembling in their
boots over the threats of the American
Legion and other bonus propagandists
and who win vote for any bill that
comes out of the Ways and Means
Committee-manifest tendency to re-
serve judgment in the present in
stance.
The Democratic members who were
for the bonus are even more skeptieal
than their Republican colleagues. This
was established to-day by the comment
o. Representatives Garner and Oldfield.
who We're excluded from the confer
ences arranged by Mr.. Fordney all
though they are members Of his COM
mittee.
Resources to BE Tied Up.
Mr.. Gamers opinion was expressed
| in these words:
"The latest suggestion for raising a
bonus for Soldiers-by the issuance of
an insurance certificate with a cash
value-is the worst plan yet advanced
from the standpoint of the Govern
ment. and the least desirable for the
soldiers. 1t will tie up the first three
years from $500 900, 900 to $400, 600, 900
annually, which will be lent to soldiers
en- their certificates by the banks, and
at the end of three years from $4,000
c00,00 to $4,000, ,000. 900. which will be
needed to finance the project by the
Treasury Department. In my opinion,
the plan VIII add to the depression of
the country in that most Of the money
needed for business activities will be
tied up in bonus certificates"
Representative Oldfield's comment
was this:
THE new bonus gold brick means
that the soldiers are to be paid an
eighty-five cent dollar. There is no
doubt that most of the soldiers will
cash their certificates at the end of
three years IL not before. 1t would
have been a much fairer proposition
to have issued bonds to the boys and
let them sell them.'
Crisp Suspects Joker.
Representative Crisp of Georgia, an
other Democratic member of the Ways
ard Means Committee, who was shut
out of the Fordney conferences, said:
There is joker in this plan some
where. / think it is in the interest
rate provided. That is too liberal for
the banks, but not liberal enough for
the soldiers"
If Mr.. Fordney and his bonus asso-
ciates believed their latest scheme for
raiding the Treasury would appeal to
the country they were disillusioned to-
day by new mail and telegraphic
blizzard that set in not only against it
but the whole bonus project. The
downpour of protests against any bo-
nus raid at this time seems TO have
gained in force and volume since the
Fordney scheme to adopt the insur-
ance certificate loan idea was made
public.
The greater volume of these pro-
tests descended on the Senate. which.
individually and collectively, refuses
to become excited over the recurring
maneuvers of the bonus promoters
in the lower house. The fact is the
Senator'S are not paying the least at
tention to the manipulation of the bo-
nus scheme in Mr.. Fordney's wing of
the Capitol. But they are becoming
very much impressed with the unpop-
ularity of the whole bonus scheme.
A sample of the protests coming to
the Senate was received from John A.
Miller, veteran of the civil war and
now living in Maryland. That old SOL
der expressed this opinion OF the
bonus:
"That troublesome bonus question
now before Congress, causing some
sleepless nights for straddling poll
ticians, could be easily and amicablv
settled without any injustice to my
one if everybody would revert back in
the history of our country. Tie sacri-
fees made in the world war were no
greater than our great-grandfather
made when they threw off the Eng
lish yoke, or when our grandfathers
fought TIE battle of 1s12-14 to MAIN
tain the honor OF our flag, or when
our fathers laid their lives on the
altar of our country for the preserva-
ton of the Union.
Suggests Substitute.
"I believe Bill Bonus could easily
be kicked out OF Congress il some
astute statesman would offer as sub
stitute fair pension to those inca
pacitated for manual labor. and to
every soldier whose sickness may be
! due to service (not vice) in the army,