Evening star., 1932-09-13
BONUS |! MAY SWAY
: ELECTION RESULT.
Agitation for It Gives Ad.
vantage to Democrats,
Analysis Indicates. -.
BY MARX SULLIVAN.

the bonus Is AS large factor IN tde
coming presidential election as the cur
rent agitation about II indicates. It
might readily be the determining factor.
As Of today the major benef1t tends 70
60 to THE Democrats. =
The Republican party. as expressed
by three Presidents, has opposed the
bonus Republican President Harding
vetoed the original bonus bill. Repub-
lican President Coolidge vetoed the SEC
ond one and II was passed over his veto.
Republican President Hoover vetoed last
year the bill calling for payment of SO
per cent Of the bonus II years before 1t
will be due, and this was passed over
his Veto
Against that consistent Republican
opposition, the Democrats have no such
record to inspire antagonisn of the
veterans. They have been careful 50
far to make no such record. At the
Democratic National Convention last
June demand was made for q plank
indorsiug payment Of the bonus. The
Democratic leaders were very fearful 1t
would pass. BY energetic work, how
ever, the action was avoided and the
platform Is silent.
feel tlte Republicans oppose the bonus
Roosevelt Unknown Factor.
The veterans know that II President
Hoover Is Reelected he will veto the
demand It is expected the American Le-
glon convention will make this week.
They have no such knowledge about
Gov. Roosevelt In Congress the two
conspicuous advocates Of the bonus, and
OF other gifts to veterans, are Demo-
Gratis, Representatives Rankin Of Mis-
sisSlppi' and Patman Of Texas. When
anybody In Washington thinks of bonus
he thinks of these two.
1t seems almost possible to trace 4
pattern in political developments about
faVors to veterans. For 40 years fol-
lowing the Civil War the Republicans
had the advantage of the Grand Army
vote. All the Grand Army came from
the North and most were Republicans.
TIE Republican party was lavish with
pensions to those Civil War veterans
and the Civil War veterans in the main
voted the Republican ticket. It would
seem as II the Democrats intelligently
determined to make their party con-
SpicuOus for favor to Great War vet
erans.
That there is political advantage In
favoring the bonus admits of no faint
est doubt To say there is an equal
political advantage lying in those voters
who oppose the bonus is untenable. The
answer is to be found in the attitude
OF members Of Congress. A member Of
Congress knows which side Of a ques-
ton offers the most votes in his district
better than anybody else.
Veterans Vote Large. :.
Overwhelmingly members of Congress
voted for the bonus. Enough voted for
it last year to overcome a veto by
President Hoover and enough voted for
it in 1924 TO overcome . veto by Mr.
Coolidge. The size of the veterans
vote relative to the whole electorate is
larger than is commonly supposed.
There are roughly 100000 veterans
BY their ages practically all must be
voters. The total vote in Presidential
election has never reached 10000, 600
That would make more than l out Of
10 voters veteran. In addition, 1t Is
figured by politicians that veterans
wives and other members Of their fam
lilies double or treble the number Of
what they call the veteran vote"
Not all veterans, OF course, support
the demand for the bonus There Is no
way of telling what proportion favors
it end what opposes, This weeks Amer
lean Legion convention may throw
some light. The proportion of delegates
favoring it seems to be l,o7l out Of
LASS.
Eviction Issue Raised.
In this weeks agitation there are two
questions. One has to do with the
disbanding of the several thousand vet
Grams here in June to bring direct ac-
ticn upon Congress to grant the bonus.
It is difficult to say how many veterans
support those of their ranks who massed
in Washington for direct pressure on
Congress.
The second question has to do with
the bonus alone. The bonus ranges
from 81 rs to S1.56 for each days serv-
Ice. 1t was adopted by Congress un-
der pressure from veterans in 1924. It
is not payable until 1945. The present
demand is that it b. paid at once. This
the American Legion Convention At
Portland, Ore.
The whole matter OF benefits to vet
Grams in the broadest way IS one Of the
largest questions before the country.
Competent students assert that If the
laws providing pensions and other bene-
fits for veterans already on the books
are carried out, the total In the course
of years will be more than the Gov
ernment can possibly pay unless the
value Of the dollar is reduced. Some
students say the problem goes to the
heart of,the fiscal integrity Of the Gov
ernment.
There has been some suggestion OF
building up In each congressional dis
trict an organization to oppose the
bonus in as systematic q way as the
veterans work in favor Of 1t. There
is no such organization now 1t Is safe
to say as a generalization that the vet
erans are able to determine the out
come Of the election in practically every