The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-02-03

some CrlClcS 6lTea0y are 9ccu6@ ing the president of sending the veto message with his tongue in his check. Anyway, here is what the bonus will do for Roosevelt:
 Both republican and demo- cratic strategists are agreed that the president will be ex- tremely hard to defeat next November, if the business con- dition of the country continues good.
 However, some New Dealers feel that PWA and works-prog- ress funds will be exhausted by midsummer, in which case un- doubtedly there will be slump. This would be disastrous to the president.
 But now, the bonus comes along to save the day. Two and a half billion dollars is . lot of money to turn loose on the American public all at one times It is bound to have . tremen- dOus effect upon general busi- ness.
 And that effect is going to come just before election.
 Meanwhile. having vetoed the bonus bill, the presidents skirts are absolutely clear. He cannot be charged with spend- ing the taxpayers' money to further his own re-electi0n-at least not in this instance.
 After the Bonus
 Now that the long bonus battle is over, General Frank T. Hines, chief of the veterans admins tration, has a plan to head off the inevitable agitation for pen- Sions.
 Such a drive has been secretly in the making, despite emphatic denials by veteran leaders. Hines wants to checkmate the move- ment before 1t gets head start.
 To do this he proposes at- tacking what he considers . root cause of veterans agita. tion--unemployment. It is his view that if the World War veterans can be assured of work there will develop no ser- i0us clamOr for pensions.
 Finding employment, however, presents difficulties. To begin with, many large corporations have an age-limit on new work CTS. Since the average age of World War veterans is now over 20, this rule operates with par ticular harship against them. Employment Bureau
 But, since business men are the most vocal foes of veterans benefits, General Hines believes they could be persuaded to make exceptions for veterans and relax the age-limit rule. It is his con- tention that such a policy would be the best possible insurance against further taxation for pen- sions.
 Hines plan meets general ap- proval in administration cir- cles, but he has run head-on into one obstacle. He proposed that thc veterans linemploy- ment campaign be conducted by the U. s. employment service, which is In day-to-day contact both with jobless veterans and business men.
 But Secretary Perkins, who has Jurisdiction over the employment service, objects. She takes the po- sition that the service is unsuited for such a special activity, that the veterans survey would lessen the bureaus general effectiveness in job-finding.
 Assistants of Hines suggested Q compromise whereby Q section of the employment service, dealing only with Veterans, would be transferred to the veterans ad- ministration. But here again, Miss Perkins emitted an emphatic mo-" jealously opposed any slight lessening of her power and authority.
 Long Minded
 There was one tense moment at the Liberty League dinner which most people did not get but which nearly wrecked it's carefully prepared arrangements.
 Al Smith was just about to go on the air. Borden Burr, Alabama democrat and corporation lawyer, was introducing Al. He had been asked to make 1t brief. But Burr is an orator of the old school. He droned on and on. Behind him, Smith, Jouett Shouse, the radio announcer all began to fidget.
 The minute hands of their watches crept mp to 10 o'clock. Wrapped up in the melody of his own voice, Burr continued to drone on.
 At thirty seconds of ten the radio announcer signaled fran- tically to Shousej to stop Burr.
 Shouse tugged at Burr's coat. stage-whispered to him to stop so the radio man could put the pro- gram on the air. But Burr was unquenchable. Finally, just on the dot of ten, shouse rose. seized  OFF THE RECORD