The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-03-08
Chairman Fordney Does
Not Expect To Encoun-
ter Much Objection In
House : Thinks Presi-
dent Will Favor New
Plan - Expects Few
Changes Before Pass
ing Senate

Washington. March S.-After weeks
Of work and worry the House ways
and means committee majority has
evolved a soldiers bonus bill on which
it apparently intends to stand pat
Despite some criticism of the meas
ure in and out of Congress Chairman
Fordney and his co-workers believe
it will encounter only comparatively
feeble opposition in the house unless
there is an unexpected reaction
among the great majority of members
who have been insistent that some
sort Of bonus legislation be enacted
at this session
Just what will happen to the bill in
the Senate appears at this time to be
more or less problematical There the
measure will be open to amendment
and also to unlimited debate and it !s
regarded as more than probable that
it will be subjected to change in some
important particulars. Since Presi-
dent Harding advised the House COM
Eittee to pay the bonus with sales
TAX or postpone the legislation it is
expected that the sales tax propon.
cnts in the Senate will renew their
ijght for that kind of a levy.
, Among house members generally
there was more discussion today as
10 how the president viewed the bill
than there was about its probable fate
after it left the house on its second
start for the statute books. Trainers
Of the measure appeared to be fairly
confident that it would not meet with
the executives disapproval because it
removed what that said was the fun
dGmcntal objection to the cash bonus
plan-an immediate drain on the fed
eral treasury. Some opponents OF the
measure in the House predicted that
the bill would be Unsatisfactory to
both the country and the Service men.
They contended that il would not en-
able the men to get as much cash in
three years as they would have re-
ceived under the original cash plan
and that the proposed advances by
the banks. if made. would initiate
credit to the extent of half billion
or more dollars over the period OF the
bank loan, thus increasing living
costs.
Proponents of the bank loan plan
argued that through this provision the
men could obtain Immediately a larg-
er sum than they would have received
under the cash installment payment
rlan originally proposed and this
without the imposition of any addi-
tional taxes on the country They
contended also that when the treasury
would have to begin to paying out
money it could reasonably be assum-
ed that there would be funds to meet
the payments through reduced gov.
ernment expenses and receipts from
the refunded foreign loan.
While discussions for and against
the bill were continued in cloak rooms
and corridors. members generally be-
gan a study of the full provisions of
the measure which appeared today
for the first time. Thus prepared not
only for House consideration of the
hill. but also for answering the many
inquiries which they have received
from constituents.
The time for the calling up of the
bill in the House will not be definitely
fixed until Chairman Fordney returns
10 Washington from trip to the
Middle West on which he started YES
terday. II could be taken up Monday
under suspension of the rules which
would preclude amendment and if not
taken up then a special rule could be
brought out for its consideration un-
Ger parliamentary situation which
would permit of only such changes as
the committee might desire to make
Washington, March S.-Republican
leaders disclosed today that they were
considering plan to put the soldiers
bonus bill through the House under a
suspension of the rules which would
shut out amendments Of any kind and
limit debate to forty minutes.
Under this plan a two-thirds vote
would be necessary to pass the meas
ure but leaders believed on the basis
OF present sentiment among members
that this majority could be obtained
with votes to spare. Monday, March
20, viii be the next rules suspension
day. The army appropriation bill will
be taken up before the bonus meas
ure, il was said, probably on next
Tuesday This probably would mean
that in any event the bonus bill would
be put over until the week following
Representative Mondell, of Wyoming,
the majority leader, said today he
did not think the statement made YES.
terday at the White House that Pres
ident Harding had not changed his
position set forth last month In his
letter to Chairman Fordney Of the
ways and means committee was to be
taken as an indication that Mr.. Hard
ing was prepared to veto the bonila
measure as now drawn with Ats h1ff
loan provisions in lieu Of the eash
bonus. "