San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-05
LEASE PROBE
! WILL AFFECT
1 O,P,CHANCES
Victory Depends Largely
4 on Work Of Congress in
Z Next Few Weeks.
/. HAS DONE LITTLE
Tax Revision Principal OBJ
stacle Of Bonus Bill
Advocates.
HAS DONE LITTLE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


= downright by The San Antonio Light.
q Washington, ID. C.. March 5.-Yes-
Z tertay ended the third year of Re
!. publican rule. VAL it be one year more
; or five? On the answer to that ques-
: ton the whole machinery of politics is
> at the moment concentrated. And the
!, consensus of opinion is that on the
. record OF Congress in the next few
weeks and the manner in which Presi-
dent Coolidge handles the executive end
of the Teapot Dome controversy VIII
the verdict of the jury-the American
people-be rendered.
Congress has done relatively little
since it assembled last December. APP
propriation bills are delayed. As Sena-
tor Warren, Republican leader. points
Z out, the constructive measures pend
ing are in danger of being sacrificed
{. by the necessity OF getting appropria-
Z ton bills out Of the way. Another fis-
Z cal year begins June 80 and Con-
Z gress is way behind schedule.
President Coolidge, keenly aware
! that the spotlight is on him, has start
ed his fight for Senate changes in the
tax bill passed by the House. He has
let it be known that the House meas
ure is unsatisfactory. He is not ready
TO say on what grounds he will veto
an unsatisfactory bill, but he has
made it plain that the House bill is
not what he wants. Nor is it what
the Senate wants. There will be
changes, but whether they will make
the measure more acceptable to the
President or less satisfactory to him
. cannot be copjectured because opin-
) ion on tax revision has not yet crys-
tailed in the Senate.
Seek Bonus Revision.
Already there is an effort under
way to revise the soldiers bonus bill
so that il will take on more of the
! aspects of a paid up insurance plan
than an immediate cash outlay, and
the American Legion may accept it as
the best obtainable at this session. 1t
would not be so difficult for the ad-
ministration to get through Congress
i'm year or so-or perhaps later
n simple piece of supplementary legis-
lation enabling the ex-service men to
borrow cash from the banks or the
y government with the insurance certifi
Gates as the basis of the loans. In the
! end, the cost to the government would
/, be the same, but the political POSSIBLE
Z ties of success are greater by dividing
: the effort for the bonus and doing
z one part of it only this year. The
scheme would save political embarrass-
ment and enable the Coolidge admins
tration to go to the country with the
record of hoving reduced taxes and
passed bonus bill too.
Say Coolidge Strong.
, The principal obstacle which the
= bonus advocates have encountered is
: tax revision. The impression that the
) bonus bill will make impossible re-
! duction of taxes has sunk in deeply.
) To offset it, the bonus champions are
) preparing a bill that does not mean
: immediate cash outlay. 1t would have
I, not only better chance of passage,
but would permit the cash outlay at a
later date if Congress felt inclined to
make the grant.
AS for the oil scandal, the friends
of President Coolidge believe the
political effect OF it will be felt only
If Mr.. Coolidge is weaker than his
party, or, to put it another way, if
he fails TO acquire prestige which
makes him appear stronger thdh his
party.
Some of his admirers think Calvin
!, Coolidge is toda. stronger than the
Republican party and that the mis-
takes of the party will not be charged
against him. If Mr.. Coolidge can
& force tax revision through the Senate
Z along such lines as are satisfactory to
=. him. the exhibition of leadership will
: make him stronger than his party.
Z That seems to be his objective at the
moment.