Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1923-12-20
Edwards Not Disturbed
BY New Jersey Criticism
Not Perturbed Over Attacks
on his Federal Bonus Stand
or on Dry Legislation
BY GEORGE III. MANNING
(Washington Correspondent of the
Perth Amboy Evening News)

WASHINGTON, Dec. Ex-senator
Edward |. Edwards of New Jersey
appears not one bit perturbed over
the criticism which has been di-
rected towards him within the past
few days for his failure to present
to congress as soon as he reached
Washington for this session a bill to
lberalize the Volstead law and to
make a speech calling to the atten-
ton of congress and the people the
wisdom of having a truly American
enforcement system.
Neither is he disturbed apparently
over the criticism of his stand
against the soldier bonus bill which
has been a considerable disappoint-
ment to many thousands of people
in New Jersey who believed he would
line up with the advocates of the
soldier bonus legislation.
He is still thinking about and
studying the prohibition enforcement
Question, Senator Edwards stated to-
day. and may present some kind of a
bill to congress shortly after the
recess that would carry out his
views for liberalizing enforcement
OF the eighteenth amendment.
with the senate not yet organ
lied there has been no opportunity
to present any bill to the congress
with any view of getting any
where with it - declared Senator
Edwards today. "What would be the
use of presenting a bill now 1t
could not get anywhere. Then. also,
| have not yet decided what is the
OF tuly fn on al l.
izing the present law. There is
nothing worth while to be gained by
undue haste about this matter. Hun
dreds of bills have been presented
to congress dealing with prohibition
enforcement, but they have got no.
wnere. A bill aimed to liberalize the
Volstead law ust be "A good one and
have merit, or it will not get any
where. | want to have a good bill
before l present anything"
Senator Edwards declared there is
nn reason for anyone to be amazed
or disappointed over the Statement
he issued last week asserting he was
opposed to "a cash bonus. There was
nothing in the platform on which he
was elected to the senate declaring
tor the bonus and he did not make
a single declaration throughout the
whole campaign that he was for a
federal cash bonus bill.
While in Washington a few days
ago, former u. S. Senator James t..
MARITIME of Plainfield declared he
was sorely disappointed over Senator
Edwards opposition to the bonus
bill. MARITIME asserted that Edwards
vas elected on a bonus platform
and that for him now to be against it
was unthlnkable. He met Senator
Edwards on the floor of the senate
and insisted that the latter must be
for the bonus.
Friends of Senator Edwards inti-
mate that the belief that Edwards
would be for the bonus grew out of
the fact that he signed the state
soldier bonus bill passed by the Jer-
sey legislature. The fact that he
signed that is all the more reason
why he should not be for the federal
bonus, they point out.
Senator Edwards takes the posi-
tion that the state of New Jersey
has passed a bonus for the service
men of its own state, and that to
make a federal levy on the people of
New Jersey now to pay bonus to
the veterans from the other states
would impose an unfair burden on
the people of Jersey.
There was nothing in my plat.
form, pledging me for the fedora
soldier bonus, and | said not a single
word during my entire campaign to
the effect that I was for the federal
bonus" said Senator Edwards today