Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 May 1920 — THE BONUS QUESTION [ARTICLE]

THE BONUS QUESTION

If this were not a campaign year, few responsible men in congress would for a moment think of imposing $2,000,000,000 of new taxes, or a new debt of that amount on the American people for the purpose of paying a bonus to every member ( of the military forces of the United । States who served in the world war. j It is most disheartening that there should be such a demand, a demand backed by enormous pressure. A. bonus is not in the permanent interests of the soldiers. It is monetary recognition and not continuous protection, such an insurance would be, against life’s vicissitudes. Besides it might smash the country financially that the men themselves had saved. In a very sensible statement given out Saturday by the secretary of the treasury, Mr. Houston, the country is told that there is nothing necessarily alarming in present conditions, though there are many things that must be done if we are to work our way back to something approaching normal. Every one is pleading for a reduction of • government expenses and taxes, and yet there are constant demands for money. It may be that we shall have to find $1,000,000,000 for the railroads. If there is to be another $1,000,000,000 or $2,000,000,000 for a bonus to soldiers there

will inevitably have to be more taxes or loans, and probably both. The commfittee has been trying to evolve a scheme of taxation that will not be burdensome to the people. The thing is impossible. Whati ever the plan, the taxes will be paid by the people. These will be followed by still higher prices, a further depreciation of the billions of war bonds, still further unrest, and increasing demands for higher wages. It is Impossible to foresee what financial and Industrial disorganization might follow the passage of this bill. The money raised would be paid to hundreds of thousands of men who do not need It, men who are at least as well off as , their neighbors. And it would do little good to those who may need it —it would be just a little additional spending money that would soon be gone. The soldiers have a chance to render another great service to their country by withdrawing from this campaign for a bonus. The broken, crippled and helpless ought, of course, to be cared for; on that point all are agreed. Much indeed is now being done. The country has not been ungrateful or ungenerous. We are today short of food, cloth-

ing, coal and transportation. All experts agree that the only way out lies through public and private econ-i omy, hard work, self-denial and greatly increased production. Congress ought to he made to understand that more votes will be lost than won by such legislation; we believe that there will be votes lost among the soldiers themselves, who are first of all citizens, and who would suffer, with the rest of us, from the evil and perhaps disastrous effects of the passage of such a bill. There is plenty of work for all, and at such wages as were never before dreamed of. There is not a member of the American expeditionary forces who would not, were the bonus bill passed, nave to pay higher taxes and higher prices and who would not, in all probability, lose more than he would gain. —lndianapolis News.