Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-06
COOLIDGE FACING
ACID TEST Of HIS
ABILITY AS LEADER
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(SpeciaI Leased Wire to The Journal)
(Conyright 1924 }


(SpeciaI Leased Wire to The Journal)
Copyright, 1924
WASHINGTON, May 3.-Presi-
dent Coolidge's opportunities for
leadership, for assertiVeness, and
for curbing the multifarious tenden-
cies of congress in the present SEES
sion are coming in a bunch-all in
the next six weeks.
Not since the day he succeeded the
late President Harding in office has
there developed such an occasion
for decision on policy. The course
of the whole Coolidge administra-
ton, it's character and obJectlVes,
will be charted now and may furnish
the basis for discussion in the COM
ing presidential campaign. For Mr.
Coolidge has before him these essen.
tial things to decide:
First, whether or not to sign the
soldier insurance bill.
Second, whether to use This In
fluence in the conferences between
the two houses to prevent the publ
cation Of income tax returns and the
removal Of other features of the bill
which are contributing to business
uncertainty.
Farmers Bill Next
Third, whether he will sign the
McNary- Haugen bill, providing for
the creation of an agricultural eX-
port corporation and machinery
whereby the price Of wheat and 9TH
er products shall be arbitrarily
raised to come up to a fixed ratio
with other commodities.
Fourth, whether he will sign the
LII n ale in
giving direct offense to Japan and
impairing the good relations which
existed with that country, especially
since the armament conference ana
the recent earthquake.
He already has vetoed the Bursum
bill, passed by both houses, proVid-
ing for increased pensions Tor vet
Grams of the sixties and the Spanish
American war.
There are dozens of other bills in
YolYing important principles, but the
foregoing constitute the outstanding
measures. Mr.. Coolidge said at the
outset of his administration that he
did not care to indicate in advance OF
action by congress what his policy
toward specific proposals would be.
AS consequence congress has gone
ahead in many instances and legls-
lated without regard to possible &C
ton by the president.
Might Have Nipped Some
Now Mr.. Coolidge must face the
problem Of rejecting bills, some of
which might have been nipped in the
bud if he had indicated his firm in
tention to disapprove them.
The president had taken no action
n 70 no III of
income tax returns public. The sec
rotary Of the treasury has opposed
this provision, but Mr.. Mellon does
not have the veto power. The SEN
ate has just gone ahead with the
very provision which house leaders
succeeded with difficulty in defeat
ing. Whether the provision which
permits anyone to see income tax re-
turns will be retained after confer
ences between the house and senate
is doubtful, but already there is so
much left to conference that the adj
ministration's effort to get a good
tax bill has been thwarted.
Publicity Of income tax returns in
order to prevent corruption is APP
proved, but the opportunity for in
dividuals who are not law makers to
get trade secrets is the chief objec-
ton. Under the house bill, the in
formation would be available to con-
gresSional committees under regula-
tons which would safeguard the mis-
use Of the data by business competi-
tors. Under the senate bill, there is
no such preoaution. Anybody who
wants to walk into the treasury and
find out what his business opponents
are doing can look at the income tax
II, HI HI H.
library books.
Harmful Changes Threatened
The interesting thing about the
whole tax situation is the way the
prediction of Senator Smoot last au-
tumn has been verified. He was
against tax revision this presidential
year because he felt that politics
and radicalism would supercede and
plan for tax modification. He said
then that a combination of insurgent
Republicans, together with the Dem
ocratic minority, would be enough to
defeat the administration proposals
and might result in tax bill that
would do more harm than good. But
public opinion insisted almost unani-
mously that an effort be made to
revise the taxes.
The Republican leadership has
been struggling with insurgency.
Many regular Republicans have fail
ed to attend sessions of the senate,
at which their votes were badly need
ed The senate bill in the end will
be a hodge podge more radical than
the house bill. The supposition that
conference between the two houses
will make a satisfactory bill is rapid
ly growing less plausible. Mr.. Cool
idge himself has not interfered in
what congress has done. AS re-
suit. he will receive a bill with many
features in it which would justify a
veto.
In the desire for an early adjourn
ment of congress and the fear that
the president cannot overcome the
radicals who hold the balance of pow
err. the measures presented to him
xyorN lil.oIv will no sion cd