DEBT SETTLEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 35, 12 February 1923, Page 6

DEBT SETTLEMENT

In view of the prophecies of obstruction, the Debt Settlement Bill has made remarkably good progress in the United States Congress. The House of Representatives passed the Bill in recordbreaking time, and the cabled reports make no mention of any attempts to tag a soldiers' bonus proposal on to the measure. Possibly President Harding's statement that the payments were already pledged for the satisfaction of Liberty bondholders discouraged those members who were anxious to pose as friends of the soldiers. No doubt the speedy passage of the measure through the House is due in a great degree to the wisdom of the Democratic Leader, Representative Garrett, who realised that a fight upon such a cause would not strengthen his party. Therefore he ostentatiously turned the other cheek to the Republicans, and supported the Bill. It is too much to expect similar dispatch in the Senate, but &k least one possible source of delay has been eliminated by the favourable report from the Senate Finance Committee. Now the only dangers are from recalcitrant Democrats and from Senator Jones, who threatens a stonewall until he obtains a vote upon his Ship Subsidy Bill. The President asked Congress to pass both the Ship Subsidy and the Debt Settlement. Senator Jones goes further, and says that if the Senate will not vote upon the first he will do his best to prevent it voting on the second. In doing this he threatens a Republican measure, and seemingly the only support he can obtain will be from Democrats who dislike the Ship Subsidy Bill, but dislike President Harding more.