Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-15
BONUS RATED KEY
TO EXTRA SESSION
Next Hurdle Congress Must
Surmount to Avoid Re-
turn in Spring.

turn in Spring.
Continued Prom First Page)
rotary Melons letter as q technical
statement" with which he would ind
no fault.
Secretary OF the Treasury and his
ability" said the Speaker, land If he
makes a mistake 1t is not without an
interest in sound finances for the Gov
eminent.
AT best, the cost Of this plan is q
guess do not doubt that any estimate
the Secretary Of the Treasury makes is
on the side of his views as to the sound
ness of Government finances. am not
disputing the Secretary; I am simply
stating my position"
Warnings Are Given.
Statements were issued yesterday by
Chairman Hawley of the House Ways
and Means Committee and Chairman
Smoot Of the Senate Finance Commit
tee, warning the Congress that an in
crease in taxes or q big Government
bond issue would be made necessary If
the bonus bill was put through in its
present form, Attention has been
called by Secretary Mellon to the fact
that, even without the bonus bill. the
country faces the prospect Of a $780,
000, 900 deficit in the Treasury at the
close of the fiscal year, June 80.
But while Hawley and Smoot were
attacking the bonus proposal and the
Mellon letter was being interpreted as
a threat on the part of the President
to veto the bill If 1t came to him,
the great majority Of the House mem
bers were preparing to put the bill
through with q rush. Minority Leader
Garner of the House issued q statement
vigorously scoring Mr.. Melons letter
and declaring that the Secretary Of the
Treasury had invariably been opposed
to soldiers bonus legislation.
In order to meet the deficit in the
Treasury, Representative Frear Of Wis
rates of the Federal income tax. Frear
is one Of the progressive Republicans
from Wisconsin. He proposed to in
crease the SurtaxeS by ! per cent on
incomes up to 100000. Between $780,
and 5000, 900 the surtax rate would be
81 per cent and would reach IS per
cent on incomes Of 100000.
Other Bills Pending.
The Interior Department appropria-
ton bill, carrying the drought relief
compromise, is the second of the usual
appropriation bills to be sent to the
bill. Four other appropriation bills are
In the conference stage, the Treasury
and Post once bill, the Agriculture
bill, the War Department bill, the State.
Justice, Commerce and Labor bill, and
the independent Offices bill. It Is ex-
pected that agreements viii be reached
on these measures promptly, although
some OF them may not be given their
final touches until after action is had
on bonus legislation.
The Senate late yesterday put
through the legislative appropriation
bill and sent 1t to conference, too, and
Is expected to take up the District OF
Columbia bill Monday. The House has
passed the Navy bill, which Is in Sen
ate committee, and there remains for
the House only one appropriation bill
to pass, the second deficiency bill.
The compromise agreement on the re-
lief fund, although reached a week ago
was debated in the Senate for six days
When the showdown came the opposi-
ton had dwindled until only IS votes
were cast against 1t and six Senators
were paired" in opposition, making the
total recorded opposition 81 Senators.
First Proposed Gift.
The &20,o00,o00 relief fund, to be
used only in the drought, storm and
hail stricken areas and TO be loaned
for the purposes Of rehabilitation" in
GLIDING the purchase Of food If neces-
sary, Is q substitute for the Senate
amendment providing $25.000,00 to be
% NJ
the unemployed in the cities as well as
the drcught-stricken on the farms. The
$25, 600, 900 was q gift, not q loan. It
was strongly opposed by President
Hoover.
The compromise agreement, however
provides in effect what the Senate, and
particularly the Arkansas Senators
Robinson and Caraway, demanded In
the first instance, o loan to the people
Of the drought area which could be
used for food and other necessities
Their original proposal called for $751;
100000. The compromise provides $780,
100000. Many Of the Democrats in
sist that they have won q victory In
the compromise, although Senator Glass
of Virginia and few others character
lied it as q Surrender" In view Of the
ultimatum issued by the Democratic
conference of the Senate two weeks ago
In the end, only six Democrats voted
against the compromise, and one was
paired against 1t.
Democratic Senators who opposed the
compromise, TO which agreement had
been made by Senator Robinson of
Arkansas, Democratic leader, said last
night that 1t was not their intention
to start q revolt against the leadership
of the Arkansas Senator and to attempt
to displace him as leader in the next
Congress, despite rumors to the effect
that such move was on.
Lame Duck" Issue Up.
The Republican leadership Of the
House has promised TO permit the So
called Tame duck" constitutional amend
ment to come up later this week. This
La the measure which has been spon-
sored for years by Senator George w.
Norris Of Nebraska, Republican progress
sive, and which has five times been
adopted by the Senate. The House has
before 1t, however, a resolution Of its
own, offered by Representative Clifford
of Massachusetts,, which differs In no
essential from the Norris resolution.
However, II the House leadership really
wished to speed the proposal, It could
have agreed to bring up the Norris
resolution instead Of that of Mr.. Clifford
For If the House sends to the Senate
the Clifford resolution, 1t will be in eff
feet q measure which has to go through
all the parliamentary stages until ii
shall have been passed.
Senator Norris said last night that he
would urge the Senate to accept the
Clifford resolution, wishing to speed the
amendment to the Constitution doing
away with lame duck" sessions of Con-
gress. He made it clear, however, that
he resented the effort Of the Republic
can leadership Of the House TO take all
credit for the amendment" from him
self.
This constitutional amendment reso-
IlItion IL one of the measures for which