Evening star., 1934-03-13
The Bonus Vote.

The House went on record yesterday
by an overwhelming vote in favor of
the soldiers bonus and fiat money,
'greenbacks" issued by the Govern
ment on adjusted service compensa-
ton certificates held by the veterans
Of the World War. The political
strength of the veterans vote and
the sentiment for imitation" were
rampant. Despite the pleas which
have been made by President Roosevelt
and by administration leaders in Con-
gress. the Democratic members de-
serted their leaders and f1ocked to
the support of this legislation. The
President has said that the country is
In no condition financially to make
this payment now. and he has added
that he would veto such a bill If it
should be sent to him by Congress.
The President is entirely correct in
his statement that the country is in
no financial condition to make this
cash payment. He has already told
the Congress in his budget message
that the deficit for the two fiscal years
closing July l, 1885, will amount to
approximately $4,000, ,oo0 900 and that
the public debt will rise to more than
s3l ,OOO,OOOOOO during the fiscal year
1886. He has demanded g. halt on
expenditures beyond the estimates
submitted by the Budget Bureau.
The executive branch of the Gov
ernment, it is true, has not failed to
call upon the Congress for vast ap-
propriations for public works and for
relief of the destitute. 1t has not
hesitated to set up the Civil Works
Administration, or to plan for the
expenditure of hundreds of millions
of dollars after the civil works shall
have faded from the picture on April
/. To many it will appear that the
refusal of the President to agree to
the Patman proposal to circulate the
S2,400,000,00O among the veterans at
this time, in face of the other steps
taken by the administration to cir
culate money, is like straining at
enat after swallowing a camel. But
1t is perfectly true, too. that the credit
of the Government cannot be helped
by adding to the public debt another
$2,400 100000 at this time, nor Is
piling debt upon debt the correct
way Of meeting the situation.
The exhibition Of vote-seeking
politics given by the House members
yesterday when they rushed like flock
of sheep to support the Patman bill
Is not encouraging to the American
public. 1t is perhaps all the worse
because some members of the House
acted with entire confidence that the
bonus bill would be defeated when it
reached the Senate. They desired
to stand well with the veterans in
their districts, but believed that the
bonus would not really be paid.
The Senate leaders, Democratic and
Republican, predict that the bonus
bill will not pass the Upper House of
Congress. The Senate stood firm
against the bonus in 1882, when the
army Of bonus marchers was ham,
mering at its very doors. 1t is fact
that the membership of the Senate
has materially changed since that
time. Nevertheless, by large votes the
Senate has during the present Con-
gress turned down proposals similar
to the Patman bill
The bonus has been made a politi-
cal foot ball from its inception. It
has been a vote-purchasing affair,
generally speaking. The country
should do everything in its power to
aid veterans who suffered injury dur
ing the war. The bonus, however. is
to go to the sound-to the men who
did not suffer injury in the war-in
vast numbers, for the disabled are
comparatively few.