The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-01
MAY N0T CQL !
 k BONUS CAUCUS
Nick LongWorth, Republican Leader, Doubts Advisa-
 biIity Of Conference

l WASHINGTON, Dec. 31.-Advisa. . bility of holding conference oi House republicans next week for the purpose of discussing the soldiers bonus, was questioned today by Rep- | resentative Longworth, the republican leader, on his return to Washington. He declined, however. to go into de- | tails as to his views beyond declaring that there should be some affirma- = tive action on tax reduction" and ex- plaining that he has been unable to discuss the legislative program with other party leaders.
 Despite MT. Longworth's opinion, | former service men among republican members of the House contihuel pre- parations for the conference, which | they proposed should be held January 10. They declared they would have enough signatures to petitions to in- sure the issuance of . conference call, and reiterated their intention of lat- tempting to put the republican mem bership on record in favor of a re- port by the ways and means commtt- tee of bonus bill by January 21 and a vote on the measure in the House before February l.
 Bonus Opponent Admits Passage.
 One of those, who expressed the opinion today that the ways and means committee would report "a bonus bin and that 1t undoubtedly would be passed by the House. was chusetts, a republican member or the committee and an opponent of bonus 1 leeislation, He said he was convincea a majority of the committee and of the House membership favored pas sage of a bonus bill.
 MT. Treadway reported that he had boiled the voters of his district To ascertain their views on the bonus l Returns from 7S.000 letters showed I he said, that eleven out of every II sending in replies were opposed to bonus.
 ,"The result of my poll" said Mir Treadway, "convinces me that ma jority of the public prefers tax re, duction to a soldiers bonus. It must be either one or the other-Congress cant grant a bonus and reduce taxes If Secretary Mellon can sustantiate before the ways and means commit tee his estimates of the cost or the bonus it will be shown that attempted 1 tax reduction in the face of bonus would be farce"
 Tax Bill Needs Democratic Votes. i As to the fate of the Mellon tax bill Mir. Treadway said the republican favoring it's enactment would need the support of democrats to insure its
  crats and republican insurgents would make a fight for higher surtax rates than those provided for in the treas ury draft and to restore the excess profits taxes.
 'If the democrats and insurgents he added, were to unite on such g program a tax revision bill would gc through Congress that President Cool | idge would have to veto." .
 Commenting on the charges of som ( democratic members of the ways ant means committee that an organized propaganda for the Mellon plan was promoted by keeping provisions ; secret, MT. Treadway said that from the first MT. Mellon had favored mak, ing public the bill he submitted tt the committee. This had not beer done, however, he said, because thu committee had always considered treasury drafts confidential until , decision had been reached as to wha changes should be made.