Evening star., 1924-05-18
CUT TAXES, ECONOMY
TO BE COP. SLOGAN
Coolidge's Message, Vetoing Bonus,
Indicates Platform for
Campaign.
ACTION rs DECLARED WISE
Managers Believe President Will
Gain by Course.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
Calvin Coolidge has written his own
paramount issue for l924-tax reduc-
| tion with economy. 1t is plainly to
be read between the lines of his
bonus veto message. It may be diff
ferently framed in the Cleveland
platform, but it will be the plank on
| which he will take his stand in the
coming campaign. 1t Will be con-
| spicuous in the Presidents antici-
pated. veto of the tax bill. There, as
he did in the bonus veto, Coolidge
| Will insist that the country's most
urgent need is reduction of tax bur-
dens. He will insist that it cannot be
met without drastic economies. He
will declare that pension grabs" and
bonus grabs" are not economies any
| more than tax reductions which re-
suit in Treasury deficits. Those are
| the notes on which the President will
| harp incessantly from now until cleo
| tlon day. They will be struck in
the Republican platform, in Cool
idge's speech of acceptance, and in
MS successive campaign speeches.
Managers support Veto.
AS to the immediate issue of the
bonus veto, the Presidents political
managers believe he has done the
wise, as well as the right thing While
secretary Mellon and the TreaSuary
actuarles were counting the cost of
the bonus in dollars, Butler, Stearns,
reynolds ct al. were counting the
cost of veto in votes. They came
to the conclusion that Coolidge would
almost certainly be the gamer by dis
| approving the bonus. Their calcula-
tions are based roughly on the OBJ
V1ous fact that there are more tax
payers than ex-service men. even If
| the American Legion-which is by no
| full soldier vote" against Coolidge.
| There are about 100000 payers of
federal taxes. The highest estimate
Of ex-service men runs between 3D.
| 100000 and 100000.
The Ex-Service Mems Anti-Bonus
| League has asserted that only 100000
| former soldiers are Legionnaires. and
that not all of these are pro- bonus
men. In addition to the service men
| who might vote against the President
on the bonus issue. there are, of
course, their womenfolk, friends and
| Sympa thizers. But putting the bonus
service vote at 100000, which Is
| robably a generous figure and reck-
| oning that 1t might be swollen by
| sympat hiZers to 100000. that total
is admittedly inconsiderable measured
| against the taxpayer vote" of 25,-
100000 or 30,000.0OO.
Veterans Not of One Mind.
Another factor that the Coolidge
analyzing the political effect of a
bonus veto. is that the service mems
vote cannot be delivered" 1t is
widely divided. 1t has never been
unanimous on the bonus. Party lines
have not been maintained. Senator
| David A. Reed. Republican, of Penn
| sylvania is strongly anti-bonus Rep
resentative A. Piatt Andrew, Repub-
lican. of Massachusetts, is strongly
pro-bonus. Both were active fighting
| men in France.
Within the Democratic party there
are just as wide divergences on the
bonus. William G. McAdoo is for it.
Rival presidential candidates. like
Glass. are against it. II Underwood
or Glass is the Democratic presiden-
tial nominee the bonus issue would
not be bone of contention in the
campaign But if McAdoo or RaIston
is the Coolidge opponent the bonus
will provide a clean-cut issue. Raj
ston, like McAdoo. favors adjusted
| compensation" John w. Davis is not
definitely on record. but his affilia-
tions suggest that he, like Coolidge
would mot favor the granting of a
bonus"
/
The American Legion, politician.
expect. will go to the mat with Cool
idge on the bonus and leave no stone
| unturned to encompass his overthrow
on that issue. In the 1922 congress
slona! elections, few weeks after
President Harding had vetoed the
hrst bonus bill passed by Congress
the Legion mobilized its full strength
| against candidates who opposed lad
Justed compensation" Several of
them were overthrown.
Among them were Senators du Pont
Of Delaware, Calder of New York.
France of Maryland and Frelinghuy-
sen of New Jersey. Postmaster Cen
eral Harry New of Indiana encoun-
tered the legion's hostility in his
unsuccessful primary campaign for
senatorial denomination against AL
bert j. Beveridge in May, 1922.
| The Coolidge high command looks
upon Senator William E. Borah as its
chief oratorical support during the
campaign on the bonus issue. If IT
needs to be defended at Cleveland
Borah will be thrown into the breach
During the bonus fight in Congress.
in 1922 the Idahoan's speech in the
Senate was one Of the masterpieces
he said, in a brilliant peroration
demonstrated that there is something
more r1asterful than sheer force; thai
behind the guns is character. tina,
unpurchasable, love Of country
THAT is the only security republic
ever knew, and that service, in my
humble opinion, spurns the idea of com.
pensation, challenges all estimates, anG
defies the sorliid rules of arithmetic
Let those who care to trif1e with tn,
future undertake to write across tha,
record Adjusted compensation
nation whose citizenship has been drug.
ged and debauched by bonuses, gratui.
ties and subsidies has entered upon 3
road over which no nation yet has eve,
beaten a successful retreat
That's the high "moral tone" tha-
President Coolidge and his supporter.
will adopt henceforward, when defend.
ing the bonus veto, linking it up, o.
course, with the cold practical aspec
of the immense cost Of adjusted com.
| nenSafinn