The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-05-23
Warned BY
PARTY'S
HEADS
Passage of Measure Over His
DisapprovaI Predicted Plat
form Makers Worried
BY GEORGE R. HOLMES.


international News Service.
President Coolidge was warned
today by Republican leaders in
Congress that if he follows the
advice of Secretary Of the Treas
ury Mellon and vetoes the new
tax reduction bill it will be
passed over his Veto-as was the
bonus land the party will reap q
political whirlwind in the forth
coming campaign.
! A quiet poll Of both houses,
conducted by leaders who are wor-
.ried more than they care to admit
publicly, has shown that the
chances for either the Senate or
House to sustain Presidential
veto are virtually nil.
Best Bill Obtainable.
The Republican leaders who are
advising the President to sign the
tax bill do not pretend that It Is
perfect, or that it is necessarily the
kind of a bill they would have put
through had they possessed suffi-
cient working majorities in Con.
gress to enact their own views.
Their contention is that the bill
as written represents the best bill
obtainable in this Congress-which
stil1 has a year to stand that
unless the present bill becomes law
there will be no tax reduction for
another year at least.
A Republican administration, they
declare, even though not possessed
Of the powers 1t would like, cannot
AffnVA +n al -.
deferring tax reduction another
year.
Party leaders are almost a unit
n believing that political retribu-
ton would be swift and certain In
such a contingency.
President Coolidge, therefore, was
confronted today with an awkward
INSTRUMENTATION to follow the ad.
vice OF Secretary Mellon, fiscal
authority whose judgment is sound
~ respected, or whether to accept
the seemingly inevitable and 60
along with his party.
The Democrats are sitting on
the sidelines and snilingly watching
the Administration go through the
agonies of a decision.
They believe they stand to win
either way-if the President vetoes
the tax bill their orators can go
into the highways and byways OF
the country for the next six months
telling the electorate that q RepHb.
lean President tried to keep taxes
/. from being reduced, IL he signs 1t
they can claim fifty per cent au-
thorship of the bill and when 1t is
passed over a Presidential veto they
can tell the country that 1t was
Democratic votes that made tax re.
duction possible.
Seeking Record Vote.
In anticipation Of a possible veto.
the Democrats planned today to
force a record vote on the, bill when
it is called up in the Senate by
Senator Smoot Rep.) Of Utah, prob
ably tomorrow. A record vote is
not necessary, for it will be accepted
in both houses with very little op.
position, but the Democrats want
to put all of the Republicans on
record in favor of it, SO that should
q veto come and some Republicans
switch their votes on the question
OF sustaining the President their
constituencies can be told who voted
against tax reduction.
@SOPOOAACdn AcdO0IS udVO also aO.
vtsed Mr.. Coolidge that the writing
of a Republican platform at Cleve.
land three weeks hence will become
tremendously involved il he writes
"Disapproved" across a measure
that is approved by the party rank
and file in Congress.
The g. o. p. platform trainers are
going to have trouble enough claim.
ing credit or discIaiming RESPONSE.
bility for the bonus in the quadren-
NAL pointing with pride" and
viewing with alarm"-let alone s..
Ing confronted with the same situa.
ton with regard to tax reduction.
: How can the party claim credit for
tax reduction in the platform, they
ask, II the candidate on that plat
form vetoes the bill?
The President has nearly two
weeks yet In which to make up his
mind. It will take that long for
the bill to reach him. q