Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-17


move to discharge Q committee from
further consideration of a measure. But
If / were insulting every member Of
the Senate Finance Committee by max
ing this motion, I would do so now,
rather than let the veterans of the
World War die in hospitals or be neg
| lected because we failed to act upon
| this BILL
Senator Smoot replied that he had
called meeting of the Ssnate Finance
Committee to consider the bonus bill at
| 10 am. tomorrow. He also pointed out
that the committee so far had had no
! opportunity to consider the bonus bill
He added however:
Il have no idea but that the bill will
be acted on by the committee to-
morrow
Senator Dill Of Washington suggested
| that 1t would be better to vote to dis
charge the committee, even tomorrow,
than to wait for a report, pointing out
! that If the committee reported the bill
tomorrow, under the rules of the Sem
ate, unless unanimous consent could
be obtained for its immediate considera-
ton, the bill would have to lie over till
Thursday.
1t was at this point that Senator
Smoot declared emphatically that it
I
to play politics with it.
Urges "Horse Sense"
Senator Reed of Pennsylvania. a
member of the Finance Committee,
called upon the Senate to exercise a lit
tie horse sense" He said there were
some amendments which should be
adopted. He added that scant consider
alton had been given to the bonus bill
either in the House Ways and Means
Committee or in the House itself.
The Pennsylvania Senator insisted
/ that the hearing TOMORROW would not
last long and that the committee could
, amend the bill and report it out
promptly.
Senator Couzens of Michigan, one of
those who is insisting on prompt action
| on the bonus bill, another member of.
the Finance Committee, asked Senator
| Reed If he we're not insisting that the
committe hold hearings.
THE Senator from Michigan" re-
piled Senator Reed. thinks that I am
thbustering on action on this bonus
DILL. I am not"
A suggestion that the Senate amend
the bonus bill so as to reduce the rate
OF interest charged in the House bill,
Az per cent, on loans made to veterans
on their adjusted compensation certifi-
Gates was made by Senator Copeland of
New York
In this he was backed up by Senator
| Norris OF Nebraska, who said that when
| the bill was brought into the Senate
whether the Finance Committee pro-
posed amendment to reduce the rate of
| interest or not, such an amendment
| could be offered from the floor. The
| Nebraska Senator insisted that the
Government should not charge the vet
| To nf infa
! Government was compelled to pay to
| obtain money itself. He called atten-
i ton also to the fact that under the
| House bill the interest charges against
| the veterans who borrow the money
will be compounded, and that by 1945
| the compound interest will have practi-
| cally wiped out the remainder of the
veterans bonus.
Wants Cash, Not Loan.
Senator Barley of Kentucky said that
the Government is now lending money
TO shipbuilding companies at interest
one-half as high as it now proposes to
| charge the World War veterans Sena-
tor Caraway of Arkansas urged that
! Congress provide for payment of part
of the bonus to the soldiers instead of
| making them a loan.
Senator Borah of Idaho called at
tention to the fact that when the Sem
ate passed the drought-relief bill re-
Gently authorizing loans to farmers in
! the drought-stricken area, there had
been no limit set on the interest to be
charged the farmers. He said he had
been informed that the interest on some
of these loans would run to z or 8
per cent.
The Idaho Senator suggested that as
the House had been so generous to the
veterans it should not put through a
4ttaf crl, 80 he iy1ko
to be paid on the loans by the drought
stricken farmers.
Senator Dill of Washington warned
the Senate against amending the House
bonus bill. He said that if Senate
amendments were added it might result
in delaying action on the bonus bill I'M
til too late. The House, he said, passed
the bill yesterday by an overwhelming
vote and might refuse to accept any
kind of an amendment.
Senator Barley vigorously criticized
Secretary Mellon. who has expressed his
opposition to the bill. The Kentucky
Senator said Mr.. Mellon had been max
ing estimates of Treasury SURPRISES and
deficits for years and that he had never
been right. He said that the Senate
should not now be moved by the de
ception and false pretenses" of Secre-
tary Mellon.
watson wants Debate.
Senator CouZens pointed out that the
Senate Finance Committee has already
held hearings on proposed bonus legiS-
lation, and had done so in order that 1t
might acc promptly on a bonus bill
when 1t came over from the House. He
said he did not think that further hear
ings were necessary. and that he was in
favor of discharging the committee, if
necessary, from further consideration of
the measure.
Senator Watson OF Indiana, Repub
lican leader, said he thought that the
Senate should know something about
the bonus bill before 1t acted on the
measure. The House, he said, had not
been familiar with the bills provisions,
and it had practically no debate on it.
II am trying to prevent" said Sem
ator Watson, the Senate's acting on
measure about which 1t knows nothing"
Senator Couzens retorted that if
members of the Senate would remain in
their seats today they would know all
about the proposed bonus bill. He then
launched into speech on bonus legis-
lafi0n