Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-01-24
CONGRESS RE.EKS
WITH POLITICS
TAXATION AND BONUS MEASURES
CREATE EMBARRASSMENT
FOR BOTH THE PARTIES.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK


so in convention year, but this win
ter seems to set thigh seething'
mark. There are reasons.
AS everybody knows, there has been
remarkable response from the coun-
try to the plea of the secretary of the
treasury for tax reduction legislation.
The Democrats are afraid to allow the
Republican party, which is nominally
in a majority in both mouse and SEN
ate, to reap the full benefit of praise
for reduction legislation if it is enact
ed On the other hand, the Repub-
licans are afraid that they might not
be able to get credit for reduction leg
islation because quite a number Of
their party men in house and senate
are opposed to the legislation in the
form in which the leaders wish to see
it enacted.
1t is barely possible that combina-
ton Of Democrats and Republicans will
force the passage of legislation which
will not meet the approval of the lead
ers of the Republican party, and which
therefore will not make entirely salts
factory achievement material for use
as a campaign issue.
There is something almost amusing
in the plight in which some of the
members of congress find themselves !;
notably, it is only proper to say, the
plight in which some of the Demo-
cratic members find themselves. The
Democrats, like the Republicans, have
heard from the people at home and
In strong Democratic districts, as in
strong Republican districts, the same
insistence on tax reduction is evident.
Democrats in Quandary.
The Democrats would like to change
the form Of the legislation so as to
get support for their plan from suf-
fcient number of Republicans, but they
are afraid that if they yield enough in
their opinions on the subject to Sc
cure support from bloc of the Repub-
licans, the resulting legislation will
not meet with the approval of their
constituents.
There is politics in the bonus and
there is politics in tax reduction, and
one does not have to be partisan to
understand the somewhat sorry plight
In which both parties in the legisla-
tive branches find themselves. They
want to meet the wishes of the peo-
pie for their own safety's sake, and
yet they do not see how they can put
through a bonus bill, along with tax
reduction bill which will mean much
49, of% hn 70
That legislation of some kind will
result, there can be no question. Of
course the bonus bill will be passed.
If it is vetoed and the senate shall de-
cline to override the veto, tax reduc-
ton legislation will be comparatively
easy to pass, and probably in fairly
satisfactory form.
The great problem of the legislators
today is to find means to save the tax
payers money and yet to compel them
to pay as much in the form of taxes
as they have been paying. 1t sounds
like an impossible proposition, but a
lot of impossible things frequently are
attempted by Uncle Sans legislators,
and as one senator has said concern
ing this whole matter, we will know
what is to happen when II happens"
Campaign Moving Briskly.
The plans for the Coolidge, McAdoo,
Johnson and Underwood campaigns
for the presidential nomination of one
party or the other are going forward
apace. Headquarters are being
opened here, there and elsewhere
throughout the country in behalf of
each of these candidates. President
Coolidge's friends say that he has the
nomination assured, while Senator
Hiram Johnson's friends declare that
the President has the surprise Of his
life in store.
On the surface of things today, as
Washington sees them, William 6.
McAdoo holds the lead in the Demo-
cratic race, but Senator Underwood's
friends say that the Democratic can
didate apparently now leading also has
a surprise in store.
Already there is talk in both party
camps here of the possibility of the
entrance later Of dark horses who may
be successful. Friends of David F.
Houston, one time secretary Of agri-
culture and later secretary of the
treasury in the Wilson administra-
ton, are grooming him for entrance
into the contest. The friends Of Mr..
Houston say that he can command not
only the farmers support but that Of
business men and of financiers.
Washington is wondering whether
there is solid basis of truth in the
seemingly authentic information that
William J. Bryan believes his brother,
Charles w. Bryan, will make COM
peHing candidate for the presidency
on the Democratic ticket. William J.
still has tremendous influence with
in his party, but whether it is suffi-
cient In connection with the generally
acknowledged good record of his broth
err to compass what 1t is said that he
desires, a good many Democrats doubt.
Box Contest Annoys Senators.
Now it seems that under the SEN
ate's special resolution providing for
an investigation of propaganda to con-
troll or affect the foreign or domestic
policies Of the United States there
probably will be conducted an inves-
tigation into the genesis Of Edward
Bok's peace plan, and whether or not
it is intended as League of Nations
propaganda"