The New York herald., 1922-02-22
BONUS IN DEATH THROES;
CONGRESS BACKERS QUIT

that the head OF the American Legion
had not paid more attention TO the
proprieties than was instanced in his
ultimatum to the President.
That the incident caused a pro-
nounced change OF sentiment in the
bonus fight was pretty well estab-
lished this afternoon by the statements
of several Senators and Representa-
tives who have been counted among
its supporters. Some of these legis-
lators are preparing statements indi-
eating their opposition TO 1t.
Three Senators who frankly admit
that they promised to support the
bonus raid before opposition to 1t be-
gan TO crystalline in THE NEW YORK
HERALD will urge the defeat or aban-
donment of any measure providing 1t
during the present week. One of them
in revealing his purpose tonight
quoted the editorial appearing in THE
NEW YORK HERALD to-day which urged
Senators and members who had
pledged themselves to support bonus
legislation to admit their mistake and
express the conviction that the finan-
cial condition of the country does not
Justify fulfillment.
The impressive statement made by
Democratic Senator Shields printed in
THE New York HERALD to-day is gen.
orally praised by the members of both
parties in the Senate and House. The
arguments presented by one of the
ablest spokesmen for the. Southern
agricultural States We're declared to be
unanswerable. Several Democratic
Senators and members fully indorsed
the position taken by Senator Shields
and indicated that they would soon fol-
| low his example.
| Protests From south.
| One of the most striking features
Of the expanding wave of popular re-
sentiment against the bonus raid is
| the increasingsvolume of protests from
| the Southern States. A substantial
percentage of these remonstrances are
based on economic grounds. In some
of the letters reaching the White
House the employers of negro labor
describe the gratuities provided in the
five point" measure as "craps
money" They say the payments to
negro toilers will be just enough to
| provide them with an excuse to refuse
to work and that the agricultural in
terests of the South would be damaged
greatly as a consequence.
Senator John Sharp Williams
| (Dem., Miss.), made this comment
to-day on the statement of American
Legion Commander MacNider that the
only opposition tc the bonus raid came
from the financial centers of the coun-
try:
why am I opposed to the bonus
bill? Because / am opposed to COM
mercializing and capitalizing patriot
ism. 1 understand the answer to that
is that a great number of people not
in the army profiteered. L cannot see
that it justifies the soldiers in also
proflteering. Some of the soldiers say
that they saved civilization and the
life Of the country. If so they ought
further to show their love for both by
not trying to bankrupt the Treasury
"The soldiers of the american Revo-
luton, wEo undoubtedly not only
saved TIE life of this country, but
established it, waited for some thirty
or forty years before they began tc
ask anything beyond public lands
. WHICH were III lHOSe udyS WORTH Ue%l
to nothing. Mexican war veterans
waited nearly a generation. Even the
Grand Army of the Republic, wtict
We Southerners used to think was
pretty greedy, waited about fifteer
years.
"By the way, even if the boys whit
were in France and Belgium ant
actually under fire deserve all thi:
extraordinary pay, 1 don't understand
how the boys who never left America
but who merely had their health bull
up in training camps, have any righ'
to share the bounty"
During the debate on the retired
officers bill this afternoon Senator
Myers (Dem., Mont.) declared his op.
, position to the bonus bill. Representa-
tive Treadway (Rep., Mass.) also addet
his protest against the bonus raid this
afternoon.