Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-06-06

investment in the shape Of dividends
to the stockholders who, in turn, pay
taxes on their income.
Doctor Morgan and other directors
Of the IVA were subjected to ques-
toning Of type about as severe as
any witnesses before house commit
tee in recent months. They had
friends on the committee who at
tempted continuously to shield them
from the fire of IVA opponents, but
apparently Chairman McSwain was
unable to choke off the attack by such
men as Representative Mclean of New
Jersey and others who doubt the ad-
visibility Of the federal government
engaging in power production.
There appeared just no way at all
in which friendly members of the
house committee could justify the ac-
ton Of the IVA board in its attempts
to block private power development.
1t was shown in the course of the
hearing that the IVA had gone far
away from its base Of operations to
buy two small parcels of land-one
not much larger than city block and
the other only a few acres in extent.
Under questioning, IVA directors adj
mitted this land lay in the middle Of a
proposed reservoir planned by a pri-
vate power corporation. In acquiring
the parcels of land the IVA made 1t
impossible for the private interests to
proceed with their power development
because the land in question would
have been in the middle Of the reser-
voir 300 feet under water. The pri-
vate interests could not force the IVA
to sell and without that land the whole
reservoir program was destroyed.
The IVA probably viii win and OBJ
tain the amendments its board Of d.
rectors desire. There are public own
ership advocates in sufficient strength
to carry out the Presidents idea in
going ahead with the iva develop
ment. It Is made to appear, neverthe-
less, that as a result Of the disclos-
ures before the house committee, IVA
ner quite so arrogant.
Politics is politics and apparently
politicians will play the game always.
If better proof be
Playing needed, it seems to
the Come me the demonstra-
ton over immedi-
ate payment of the cash bonus to
war veterans will suffice. The bonus
has been licked for this session Of
congress but all Indications point to
a belief that the country may not be
so lucky in the next session Of con-
gress which is not far ahead Of the
1886 elections.
An organized minority-the World
war veterans-were very close to sue
cess in forcing congress to appropriate
$780, 100000 and pay it over to them.
They failed because President Roose-
velt-like three Presidents before him
had to view the problem from the
standpoint of the country's welfare
and not the welfare Of this minority.
Credit is due the President for the
stand he took just as credit was due
Presidents Hoover, Coolidge and Hard
ing. He will be criticized and at
tackled by this local minority just as
the others were criticized and at
tackled, While a veto message is re-
garded by many as not being as strong
as it might have been, nevertheless
Mr.. Roosevelt was firm and his firm
ness gave courage to enough senator's
to avoid the debacle of additional
waste.
am informed that the American
Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars
and various and sundry other organi-
cations of former soldiers, sailors and
marines are prepared for bitter fight
next year against those representa-
tives and senators who dared to OPP
pose cash payment of the bonus now
when 1t is not due until 1915. The SOL
diers' lobby is the greatest and most
extensive lobby in Washington now.
II knows its power and it does not
hesitate to characterize opponents OF
the cash bonus as traitors. The lobby
lists are certain to go into every state
and congressional district next sum-
mer and seek to defeat those who
dared to follow their own conscience
and vote against this raid on the treas
ury.
As a result Of the vote on the bonus
and the subsequent Presidential veto
some keen political observers have be-
pun to calculate in their own minds
what the view of the country Is. 1t
was pointed out, for example, that a
maximum of four million would be en-
titled to a bonus. At the same time
attention was called to the fact that
new voters are arriving at the age OF
franchise at the rate Of approximate
" two million a year or almost thirty
six million since the end OF the World
war These observers contend that the
new voters and those who are not en-
titled TO the bonus constitute major
itv. Thus, they seek to show that
there is a great majority Of the voters