THE BONUS WITH THE SALES TAX

After a lull of about a week the proposed bonus bill again comes to the fore. President Harding has vetoed it once already, and now comes forward with the best possible proposal he could make. He does not wish the bill to pass, but realizes that should it pass it must be carefully financed, and so advises a sales tax to meet it, or, failing that, at least a delay.

Delay would be the best solution of the problem. If the bill were forced to wait six months there would be but little likelihood of its passage. The President's proposal will insure this delay, for should the idea of the sales tax be gone into at any length it is sure to meet with such opposition as to preclude its acceptance. The agricultural bloc does not want it, the Democrats do not want it, nobody wants it. Discussion of the bonus, then, must lead to a fight over the sales tax in which the bonus itself will become a secondary issue, and will eventually die a natural death. Such a death would be better than a long fight over the bill, for then the issue would solve itself and disappear gradually, leaving but few people discontented. If the sales tax is not discussed, and the President's second proposal, that of delay, is accepted, the same end will be reached without wasting time on the sales tax.

The President deserves commendation for suggesting a proposal which should so effectually dispose of the bonus agitation.