Evening star., 1932-10-20
He Evades It.

Gov. Roosevelt has not yet ex-
pressed a definite opinion, as a canol-
date for the Office of President OF the
United States, upon the so-called bonus
issue. Last night in Pittsburgh he was
expected to break a silence that, by
contrast with the full and frank eX-
pressions of his chief opponent. has
been given extraordinary emphasis IN
this campaign. But he chose merely
to repeat a forty-siX-word statement
contained in a copyright interview given
last April to the North American News
paper Alliance. That statement was
given, not as the positive declaration
of a nominee for the office OF Presi-
dent, but as the somewhat negative
views of a Governor who was candi-
date for the nomination. The state
ment follows:
I do not see how as matter OF prac-
tical business sense. a government run
ming behind two billion dollars annual
ly can consider the anticipation OF
bonus payment until it has balanced
budget, not Cnly on paper, bat with
q surplus of cash in the Treasury.
Only a relatively few have ever re-
earded the bonus issue as connected in
any way, shape or form with "a mat
ter OF practical business sense A
ma jority of the taxpayers. if not of
Congress. has regarded the bonus issue
as the late Senator John Sharp Will
liams of Mississippi regarded it
see tie bonus bill staring me in
the eyes. I see a lot Of political COW
ards who are going to vote for It to be
reelected to the House and Senate
But there have been a few, notably
the proponents of the so-called Patman
bill, who have been able to regard the
bonus payment as a matter of prac-
tical business sense" and through the
usual line of reasoning that rationalizes
currency imitation by the printing press
have ostensibly proposed It to help the
country.
There are, therefore, two fundamental
questions on the bonus issue that Gov.
Roosevelt chooses to evade
One is his view of the bonus payment
as the fulfllment of a so-called obliga-
ton to the eX-soldiers before that OBJ
legation natures in 1945. Does the
Governor see how, as a matter of prac-
tical politics, If not Of business sense,
the payment of such an obligation in
advance of maturity can be considered?
The House of Representatives consider
ed it last Spring and passed it without
regard to the condition of the Treasury.
A previous Congress considered it and
passed bill paying half the face value
of bonus certificates over the veto OF
President Coolidge. If the Governor
does not see, by this time, how the
bonus bill can be considered again
with or without practical business
sense"-it is time he achieved proper
vision in this respect and it was time
long ago for him to have said what he
thought about it,
The second question that the Gov
ernor leaves unanswered is whether, IL
the bonus bill reaches him adorned in
raiment that Congress considered
practical business sense" he would sign
1t or veto it. For, if Mr.. Patrnan and
others can convince great majority
OF the House of Representatives, not
to mention the organized veterans OF
America, that the bonus bill is 'prac-
tical business sense' nothing that Gov
Roosevelt so fer has said offers any
convincing evidence that, as President
he could not also be made to see the
light, despite an expressed inability to
see it six months ago.
Whether, as Mr.. Coolidge asserted a
few days ago, the Governors silence
thus far on the bonus issue has meas
urably impeded' business recovery is
matter Of speculation and of opinion
It cannot be established as fact.
But Gov. Roosevelt, if he has said
his last words as candidate on the
bonus issue, has. beyond question, estab-
lished the fact that he proposes to
evade that issue.
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