Country & Cash

These men . . . are actuated in their adoption of a program of policies by the highest motives of patriotism and love of country.

With this preamble, the American Legion's Commander James Raymond ("Ray"') Murphy in person slapped on President Roosevelt's desk last week his Legionaries' legislative demands. No. 1: Bonus cash on the line.

Hefty Commander Murphy refused to tell newshawks what he and Legion Lobbyist John Thomas Taylor had heard from the President's lips. Significantly, however, he declared: "We are not even discussing the possibility of a veto."

Having frittered away their energies last session in wrangling over whether Bonus cash should be raised by orthodox Treasury methods (Vinson-American Legion bill) or by printing greenbacks (Patman-Veterans of Foreign Wars bill), cash-hungry veterans saw their hopes go glimmering when the Senate by eight votes sustained President Roosevelt's veto of the Patman bill (TIME, June 3). When Legionaries roundly hissed Bonuseer Patman at their convention in St. Louis four months later, the wranglers began to see the light of compromise.

Ten days after Congress meets on Jan. 3 the Patman bill is scheduled to be brought to the House floor. Similar preferential position awaits the Bonus in the Senate, as the result of an Administration deal with Bonuseers on the tax bill (TIME, Aug. 26). Last week it was reported that the Legion and the VFW. having agreed to get behind a single bill with no mention of money-raising methods, had also won Representative Patman over to their view point. But no matter which way Bonuseer Patman twists, observers agreed that with elections only a few months distant a Bonus bill satisfactory to the veterans will be rushed through Congress with enough votes to carry it over the strongest veto message President Roosevelt might compose. Speaker of the House Joe Byrns put himself on record last week as expecting the Bonus to pass both Houses by Feb. 1. Unofficial wiseacres predicted that within three months War veterans' pockets would jingle with $2,000,000.000 in cash.

Probable next policy to be adopted from "the highest motives of patriotism and love of country'': pensions for all veterans.

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