The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-04-19
BONUS ATTACK
IS LAUNCHED
BYLA GUARDIA
Measure Would Not Receive
Thirty Votes in Secret
He Declares.
URGES JOB INSURANCE
Initiation of Currency Is
Held Unfair to
Veterans.


resentative Fiorello La Guardla
rep, N. y, appearing before the
house ways and means committee
today IN opposition to the S2,000,-
100000 bonus bill, declared the
measure would not get thirty ia
vorable votes If secret vote" were
10 be taken in the house.
L know it would not get more
than that" he said, and my in
formation comes from cloakroom
conversation
La Guardia charged that ire
mendous pressure" was being
brought upon the committee by pro-
ponents OF the measure. He pre-
dicted that before long, some peo-
pie now opposing the cash bonus
will come out for it for selfish and
unpatriotic reasons"
La Guardia asserted that an at
tempt would be made to use the
veterans bonus proposals to offset
social legislation that is needed,
such as superannuated pensions
and unemployment insurance.
Urges job Insurance
He referred to a bill he has in
PRODUCED on unemployment insur-
ance measures.
Call that a dole if you LIKE
don't care, he saidJ
Unemployment insurance has
saved England, he said
The federal government, he de-
clared, must take care of the SUI
perannuated worker, because unem-
ployment in one state affects I'M
employment in others.
La Guardia urged that his bill for
unemployment insurance be substi-
tuted for the bonus legislation. He
estimated that but 13 per cent of
the nations unemployed are vete-
rams and said all the unemployed
should be benefited
I appear here in behalf of the
100000 unemployed who are not
organized" he said
If this was strictly a question
Of the bonus and finances of the
country we're better, l do not be-
lieve this committee would be hold
ing such an extended hearing" La
Guardia said.
Plan Called Unfair
The original bonus was for the
purpose of assisting the veteran
at an age when he might need as
sistance. he maintained
r-i,o NTou, UOvIyo,- eoiI ettro
legislation would be passed to re-
scind interest charges on loans to
veterans.
Turning to the plan to issue
$4,000, 100000 in currency to pay
the bonus he charged it unfair
to use the veterans for the purpose
of initiating currency.
IF the purpose is to initiate cur
rency and increase commodity
prices, then I say we are not play
ing fair with the veterans-whom
we promised to pay in good honest
American dollars. And those are the
kind we should pay he shouted.
1.-THE whole financial structure is
collapsing- and the legislation sug-
gested here is no permanent cure. 1
do not see how we can solve unem-
ployment by aiding the smallest per-
centage of the unemployed today.
The fiery little New Yorker said
he considered it novel" to oppose
the bill sponsored by my best and
close legislative friends"
The author of the bill is Repre-
sentative Patman Dem, Tex
Congress has provided most gen.
erCusly for care of veterans, La
Guardia asserted.
Every demand and every request
made by veterans since 1919 has
been responded to by congress-" he
told the committee, tracing individ-
ual legislation.
Representative Royal Johnson IS.
d. followed La Guardia in oppo-
sition to the bill. He, too, is a war
veteran and he predicted passage of
the bonus measure would result in
a panic because such an issuance
of paper currency would depreciate
the value OF money and gold would
leave the country.
Amendments Offered
johnson offered two amendments
to the bill.
l. To reduce the interest rates on
loans to veterans to what the money
costs the veteran.
2. To permit borrowings on GER
tificates less than two years old.
johnson said he wanted Ito ex-
plode the myth" that most of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
loans went to railroads. Instead,
it went to small country banks,
johnson said he believed. He Sug-
eested that a member of the cor
poration be called before the COM
mittee to show what has been done