The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-01
BONUS BILL
OPPOSITION
is GROWING
Is Not Sufficient to Impede
Progress of Bill, However
How to Raise Money
Puzzles Republicans.
Vets PRESS MEASURE
By MARK SULLIVAN

the bonus measure. but there are no
signs that there is sufficient of it to
impede the progress of the bill.
Some of the strongest senators in
both parties will both speak and vote
against the bill, and if the existing
opposition should become better Or
ganized ii may achieve formidable
momentum.
There are many members both in
the house and senate who are op-
posed to the bill, and many others
who take the same attitude now that
President Harding himself took last
July, namely, that for the present, at
least. the treasury is in no condition
TO stand the strain.
II is no more convenient for the
treasury to meet this burden today
than it was last July. From one point
of view. it is less convenient, for the
treasury has Immediately ahead of it
the business of finding money to meet
about $500, 100000 of notes falling
due in the next Is or 16 months.
II those who oppose the bonus on
principle and those who think it
should at least be deferred could get
a sufficient amount of organized back
ing on the part of public opinion that
might conceivably change.
Advocates Organized
Those who favor the bill are highly
organized. The opposition to it is
scattered. Much of this opposition
comes from farmers in the south. If
popular poll were taken in the south
it is doubtful if it would be in favor
of the measure
The farmers and business men in
the south anticipate that if the col
ored ex soldiers were given cash
sums of $500 to S400 each, they would
stop working until the money was
spent and it is feared that the spring
planting season in the south would
be embarrassed by lack of labor.
Much opposition also comes from
chambers of commerce and other or
ganized trade bodies.
Members of congress who have let
il be known that they are going to op
pose the bill and have received a sur
prising amount of support from ex-
soldiers. The number of these who
regard the measure as undesirable is
unexpectedly large. There can be no
doubt, however. that the bulk of the
soldiers want the money, and are
making their wishes known in tie
most effective way.
Attitude of Ex-SoIdiers.
In the demand for the money on the
part of the ex-soldiers, there is a
curious psychological factor. They
saw it is not merely that they want
the money; as they express it, they
don't want to seem like suckers.
AS one soldier expressed it, the
soldiers would gladly have fought Tor
nothing if the patriotism that war DC
manded of them by law had also beee
extended to other classes OF the com,
munity The real leason that most OF
us want and demand the bonus Is not
so much that most of US also happeE
to need it, but it is in resentment
against being made suckers Dy tEe
people who made money ana lols Oh It,
during the war.
Again and again in the arguments
Of the soldiers for the bonus arises
this came note-that they had to &c
avay and fight for a dollar day and
come hack with hardly enough money
10 nav car fare, only to find theiI
friends and acquantances who had MOI
been in the army riding in automo
biles bought out of the four or i've
or six dollars a day which became TIE
usual wages of civilian labor while
the war was on.
Will Be Added Cost.
There is, OF course, not an econom
ist in the country who does not real
ize that whatever We pay in the shape
of a bonus will be just that much AGO
ed to the cost of a war that endeC
more than three years ago.
They realize also that for the mos
part this money will be taken out o
The capital of the country and will b'
spent in such way that, so far a'
the country's capital is concerned, Il
will have disappeared.
If this bonus could be given in The
shape of education to the eX-soldler;
or in helping them to acquire farms o.
homes, or in any other way that woulC
not be substraction from the coun
try's capital, the project would lool
different to many thoughtful persons
who oppose it in the shape in which
II is now proposed.
The chief possibility of effective op
position TO the bonus lies in the diff
Guilty of finding the money to pay it
There is not a representative or sen
ator who is now in favor of the bonu'
but admits that no satisfactory wa!
has yet been found to raise the money
There are no uneXplored area.
where now taxes in large sums car
be laid Most of the possible sour ce!
of revenue have already been search
ed with fine-tooth comb in the max
ing of the tax statutes already in eX
istence.
Some want the money raised by th'
mere sale of government bonds; bu
IL is understood that there is enough
opposition to this method to make j
impossible.
1t has been proposed that very higl
taxes be put upon pleasure automo
biles and some other luxuries; but a
to the automobiles. it is anticipate
that the commercial and other inter
ests opposed to making the keeping O
automobiles more expensive will b
able TO prevent further taxation ol
them.
A few Of those who favcr the bonu
expect TO raise the money by sale
tax AS to some of these, there i
honest belief that the sales tax ol
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