Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-19
The Political Mill
By C. Could Lincoln.

senator, VINO snail De nameleSS,
was asked whether he proposed to add
luster" to his record of service by vot-
ing against the soldiers bonus bill. now
on the verge OF being damned through
the Senate. With a smile he replied
that he proposed for the present to be
guided by expediency"; that after he
had been longer in the Senate he would
give his allegiance to craftsmanship" {:
that, in fact, he intended to vote for
the passage of the bonus bill. Perhaps
the Senator was speaking in jest But
frequently jest gives point to very
real situations "Expediency" today is
accounting for its share of the votes
cast for the bonus bill. The first duty
of a man in political life, to himself, is
to see that he makes as many votes as
he can for himself. and coupled with
this is his duty to obtain reelection, as
cynical observer has remarked. The
popular belief in Congress today is that
to vote against the soldiers bonus bill
is a measure of political suicide. Even
some Of those members who have the
courage to vote their convictions and
oppose the bonus bill have chills run
ming up and down their backs. How
ever, the end is not yet. The organized
veteran vote, If 1t is organized which
is exceedingly doubtful, like the or
ganized dry vote or the organized wet
vote, Is doubtless powerful, holding a
balance of power. That is what the
members of Congress are afraid of.
Not all the veterans of the World
War are in favor of this proposed
bonus BILL which permits the veterans
to borrow up to so per cent Of the
face value of their adjusted compen-
stands Is something of gold brick
any way you look at it. The veteran
must pay 4ia per cent on his loans.
If he does not pay back the loans, and
comparatively few of them will do so.
the interest will accumulate against
him, so that when his bonus certificates
become due and payable in 1945 there
will be little left for the veteran to
collect. The bonus was established by
law back in 1924 for the benefit of all
the veterans of the World War on the
theory that while they were at war
the rest of the country was making
high wages. Hence the name adjusted
compensation certificates. President
Coolidge, then in Office and on the eve
Of a presidential election, vetoed the
original bonus bill. It was passed over
his veto. It is not clear, however, that
President Coolidge ever lost the regard
Of the veterans as general PROPOSE
ton because Of his stand against the
bonus. Certainly he was elected Presi-
dent with the votes of great many
of the veterans in the Fall of 1924.
X 4
In the House when the bonus bill
came to vote on Monday, SO men,
bers raised their voices in opposition
to the measure. Among them was Rep
resentative Edith NourSe Rogers of
Massachusetts. No member of Con-
gress has done more for the veterans
Of the World War than has Mrs. Rogers
and probably no other has done as
much. There Is not the slightest doubt
that Mrs. Rogers was thinking of the
veterans and their real interests and
the interests of their wives and chill
dren when she cast her vote in opposi-
ton to the bonus bill. Mrs. Rogers
served with the American Red Cross in
the care of the disabled soldiers, from
the time of the entry of this country
into the World War until it's close. In
1922 she was appointed by President
Harding as his personal representative
in the care of the disabled veterans
and later she was similarly appointed
by President Coolidge. She Is today q
member OF the Veterans Committee OF
the House and chairman of a subcom-
mittee on disqualification of the vet
Grams. How many thousands of these
veterans owe something to Mrs. Rogers
for her interest in their welfare and
their comfort is a mere conjecture, but
the figure Is exceedingly high. It ap-
pears that Mrs. Rogers was thinking OF
something beyond mere "expediency
when she voted against the bonus bill
mat frNr 4H
Grams OF the war, to whom the first
duty Of the country must flow. And
too. she was thinking of the interests
OF the veterans sound in wind and limb
whose bonus certificates are. apparently
about to be reduced in value through
the loan route, for the sake of "ex-
pediency." The Massachusetts, Con-
gresswoman has the courage of her con-
victions.
The fiocking of members Of the
House and the Senate to the support
OF the House Ways and Means Com
mittee bonus bill Is band wagon"
stuff very largely There are ex-
ceptions to this rule, of course There
are members of Congress who believe
that 1t is possible to make bricks
without straw" Sooner or later, how
ever, the straw, in the shape of IN
creased taxes at a time when business
is depressed enough, or governmental
financing that may we'll halt a return
OF business to normal, must be pro-
duced. Some of the supporters of the
bonus bill today are criticizing the
Secretary OF the Treasury, Mr.. Mellon,
because he went ahead and reduced
the public debt by several billions of
dollars when times were flush. II these
billions had been paid out in cash to
the veterans for their bonus instead,
how much of their bonus would the
veterans have today? The country, on
ger debt on its hands.
President Hoover, 1t now appears be-
yond a possibility of a doubt. will veto
the House bonus bill-that Is, the
measure the Senate is bent upon pass
ing. His opponents say that he will
because of such a veto. It would look
as though they hoped to gain the votes
they expect Mr.. Hoover to lose. How
ever, the future alone can tell whether
Mr.. Hoover will gain or lose by his
stand against the present kSnes bill.
He was attacked because he declined
to be stampeded into a Federal dole, a
distribution of free food to the unem-
ployed, paid for out of the Federal
Treasury, and stood firm for the
American plan Of voluntary aid through
the Red Cross and the myriad of
other local and State organizations
which help the needy in this country.
But in the end the gain will not be to
his opponents in this matter. His stand
against the bonus bill will be applauded
by lot of the veterans themselves.
The World War veterans, it has been
charged again and again. were the VIC
tins of heartless citizenry who put
national prohibition across in this
country while the soldiers we're away at
war If the World War veterans are
united in their opposition to national
prohibition, how does it happen that
tho rnennhars of CnnnrasS hana MT