Evening star., 1936-01-17

Washington is again immersed in one
Of its most popular pastimes-guessing
at the Presidents attitude on q major
congressional issue. This time it's the
bonus. Mr.. Roosevelt is mum as an
oyster All that newspaper men can
get out of him is that he will cross the
bonus bridge when he gets to 1t. In
other words whether there's to be
veto or not will remain a secret until
the measure actually reaches the execu-
tive desk Although administrationlsts
who ought to be in the know, like Demo-
cratic Senate leaders, hint persuasively
that a bond-payment proposition has
F. D. RS approval, everything in his
bonus record foreshadows the contrary.
Alive as he must be to the 1886 political
value of yielding to the veterans, the
preponderant belief is that the President
will prefer consistency to expediency
and stand by his opposition guns.
X y 4 +
Despite few signs that Mr.. Roosevelt
intends steering to the right, in order to
conciliate business, a bonus veto would
be q gesture enormously gratifying to
finance and industry. 1t might 60 far
toward diminishing their anti-New Deal
bile. A veto would be logical follow-up
of the significant olive branch the Presl-
dent extended in his jackson day speech,
when he emphasized that It's only Q
small minority of the moneyed world
tnat opposes his recovery program ana
on which he is making war. Gavin
Coolidge risKed the veterans pontlcaI
diSpleasure with bonus veto on the
eve of his triumphant election to the
presidency in 1924. Washington on the
whole is inclined to think that budget
needs rather than political exleencles
will similarly cause the Roosevelt veto
ax to be swung on the bonus bill. There's
far less confidence that this time the
Senate will sustain him.
When neutrality is before Congress,
it's expected that powerful voices Will
be raised on behalf of woodrow Wilson
in connection with revelations during
the senatorial inquiry into Morgan rela-
tions with the World War allies. SEN
ator Pittman'S remonStrances, while the
Foreign Relations Committee this week
was considering the freedom of the seas,
and Senator Connally's two-f1sted speech
in the chamber yesterday, indicate that
vigorous issue will be taken with the
view that America entered the war out
of mercenary motives. Former Secretary
of War Newton D. Baker has already
challenged that theory. Two other
Wilson cabinet members are now In the
Senate-Messrs McAdoo of California
and Glass of Virginia, successive Secre-
tarieS of the Treasury in the order
named AS ardent Wilsonians, it's not
thought likely they will allow recent
events to pass into history without COM
ing valiantly to the defense of their old
chiefs memory.
Work at the Norfolk Navy Yard is
being rushed on the new presidential
yacht" Potomac (the ex-Coast Guard
cutter Electra), so that it will be ready
for service by the time balmy Spring
weather arrives. The chief object in
substituting the Potomac for the Sequoia.
which has hitherto served Mr.. Roosevelt
for week end cruising purposes, is to
afford the President greater degree OF
security. The Sequoia, formerly used In
the lighthouse service, Is built OF wood
and is necessarily greater fire hazard.
The Potomac, of steel construction, Will
carry more passengers and enable the
President to travel with his normal quota
of Secret Service men. The new yacht
Is 165 feet long, has beam OF Is feet,
q draft of Ss feet and 337 tons dis
placement. She was built at Manitowoc,
Wis, in 1884 and her four Winton-Diese
engines develop $500 horsepower. Altera-
tions consist mainly of provision of presi-
Dental quarters and cabins Tor guests.