Evening star., 1924-01-01
PLANNING FOR G. 0. P.
RECORD ON BONUS
House Republicans Who Served in
War Circulate Petition for
Party Caucus.
LONGW0RTH HAS DOUBTS
Sees Need of Affirmative Action on
Tax Reduction.

While former service men in the
culating their petition for a repub-
lican caucus January 10 and predict
ing favorable action upon a soldiers
bonus bill, House Leader Longworth
questions the advisability of holding
such a conference.
The former service men confidently
state that they will have enough sig
natures to their petitions to insure
a conference call, and insist that they
will put the republican membership
on record in favor of a report on the
bonus measure by the ways and
means committee by January 21, and
a vote in the House before Febru-
ary 1.
House Leader Gives Views.
House Leader Longworth, just back
from a holiday visit to Ohio. while
declining to go into details regard
ing his views on bonus legislation,
said that there should Sc some affirm
ative action on tax reduction. he
explained that he has not yet been
able to discuss the Legislative pro-
gram with other party leaders.
One of those who expressed the
opinion that the ways and means
A committee would report a bonus bill
and that 1t undoubtedly would be
passed by the House was Represent
atfve Treadway of Massachusetts. "A
republican member of the committee
and an opponent of bonus legislation.
He said he was convinced a majority
of the committee and of the House
membership favored passage of a
bonus bill.
Mr.. Treadway reported that he had
polled the votes of his district to
ascertain their views on the bonus.
Returns from $4,000 letters mailed to
his constituents showed. he said that
eleven out of every seventeen sending
in replies were opposed to the grant
ing of bonus.
Majority for Tax Reduction.
1.-The result of my poll" said Mr..
Treadway, "convinces me that ma
jority of the public prefers tax re-
duction to a soldier bonus. 1t must
be either one or the other-CongresS
can't grant a bonus and reduce taxes.
If Secretary Mellon can Substantiate
before the ways and and means com
mittee his estimates of the cost of a
bonus 1t will be shown that attempt
ed tan reduction in the face of a
bonus would be farce"
AS to the fate of the Mellon tax
bill. Mr.. Treadway said the repub-
licans favoring it's enactment would
need the support of democrats to in
sure its success. He predicted that
some democrats and republican in
surgents would make fight for
higher surtax rates than those pro-
vided for in the Treasury draft and
to restore the excess profits taxes.
IF the democrats and insurgents"
he added, were to unite on such a
program a tax revision bill would go
through Congress that President
Coolidge would have to veto" -.
Sees Much Merit in Mellon Plan.
Although expressing himself as
strongly in favor of practically all
of Mr.. Melons suggestions. Mr.
Treadway said he favored repeal of
more special taxes than has been
proposed by the Treasury Secretary
and thought the tax could be removed
from auto trucks if provisions We're
made for them to contribute through
local levies toward the upkeep of
highways. AS to special taxes, the
Massachusetts member said =. he
thought it advisable to remove the
tax now levied on various. pieces of
Jewelry which could not properly be
classed as luxuries.
Commenting on the char ges of
some democratic members of the
ways and means committee .that an
organized propaganda for the Mellon
plan was promoted by keeping it's
provisions secret, Mr.. TTeadway
said that from the first Mr. Mellon
had favored making public the bill
he submitted to the committee This
had not been done, however, he said.
because the committee in the past had
always COZ .sidered Treasury drafts
confidential until a decision had been
reached as to what changes should be
made.
Contents Practically Public.
The man of the street." he added
although not familiar with all Dro-
visions in the bill, knew from pub
lished statements as to it's contents
what relief would be afforded by its
enactment He didn't care a rap for
the details, and it's pure bunk to
charge that the public has been mis-
1al