The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-25
BONUS NOW SURE
Republican Leaders Disregard
Objections of Sec'y Mellon.
Party Caucus Called to Decide
on Action.
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS CALLED
House and Senate Leaders De-
termined to Keep Pledges.
New Compensation Bill to Orig
mate in House.

! Washington, Jan. 25.-Despite the
renewed opposition of Secretary Mel
! lon to a soldiers bonus, it was agreed
at a joint meeting of the Republican
steering committee" of the senate
and house today to push ahead the
Republican plan for adjusted com
pensation for ex-service men with all
possible speed.
! Republican leaders who took part
in the meeting indicated that the OBJ
! jections raised by Mellon to the utili-
zation of either principal or interest
of the foreign debt to finance sol
diers' bonus would be ignored.
G. o. p. Caucus Called.
| It was also decided that the bonus
ways and means committee should at
once undertake the task of writing
new soldiers bonus bill to be passed
first by the house and subsequently by
| the senate in accordance with the con-
stitution that financial legislation
must originate with the lower cham
bers.
A caucus of the entire Republican
membership of the houses is to be
held tomorrow night at which party
action on the soldier bonus is planned
and at which an overwhelming ma
jority of the house Republicans is ex-
pected to swing behind the Republi-
lean bonus plan.
Mellon Drew Dark Picture.
The dark picture of the nations
finances drawn by Secretary Mellon
and the hard jolt he administered to
the Republican plan for a soldiers
bonus financed by taxation and the
/ foreign debt. threw grim shadows over
a joint meeting today of the Republi-
can steering committees of the senate
and house which was held in an at
tempt to break the legislative log jam
confronting congress.
Melons renewed opposition to a
Isoldiers' bonus did not surprise the
Republican leaders. Mellon has re-
Ipeated1y opposedi a soldiers bonus on
the grounds that the country cannot
afford one, and that if one were un-
dertaken, it would result in disastrous
financial consequences
No Indirect Means Available.
But it proved disconcerting to the
/ Republican leaders when they are
seeking to push thru legislation coup
Hing the funding of the foreign debt
with a soldiers bonus, to have the
secretary of the treasury warn them
sharply that no indirect means of fl
nancing soldiers bonus by using
either principal or interest of the for
eign debt, could make it any less an
expense that will have to be borne in
the long run by the taxpayer
that such means would jeopardize the
Irefunding of liberty bonds. victory
lnotes, certificates of Indebtedness and
other outstanding obligations of the
government, running into billions,
equally embarrassing despite the
knowledge they had previously that he
was prepared to again stand in the
way of the Republican pledge for ad-
Ijusted compensation for ex-service
Must Carry Out Pledges.
They were insistent, however, that
a way must be found for. carrying out
that pledge despite the serious obsta-
icles suddenly conjured by Mellon, and
as the Republican steering committees
bent themselves to the task of work
ling out a legislative program on Whlch
the senate and house might both agree
1.-THE thought of this years congress
sionaI elections and of the effect of a
Republican failure to put thru sol
ldier's bonus would have upon them
was uppermost in the minds OF not
only the party whips" but of the Re
publican rank and file of both cham
bers.
Disregard Mellon Advice.
House Republican leaders expressed
the opinion that the house ways and
means committee ought to be able tc
report a soldiers bonus bill within
three weeks.
There is but one answer to Mel
Ions Ietter-there is going to be a
soldiers bonus was the consensus OF
| opinion expressed by senate and
house Republican leaders,
The postponement of senate actor
on the treaties evolved by the arma-
ment conference until after the legis-
Iative jam confronting congress is
broken, was strongly urged by house
Republican leaders. Senate Repub-
: lican leaders promised to take the
proposal under consideration.
Senator Curtis of Kansas. Repubii-
can whip of the senate, expressed the
belief that the senate finance commit
: tee would be able to report a tariff
bill early next month.