THE CONGRESS: Joyride

Lobbyists sat on the edge of their seats in a ring around the Senate Gallery. Administration leaders on the floor below tried to put on a brave front in the face of expected defeat. The Senate was about to follow the House, to pass a bill for immediate payment of the Bonus.

Three things were political certainties:

1) The Bill would pass. Too many Senators were for it, too many Senators needed veteran support for re-election in 1936.

2) Franklin Roosevelt would veto it. In private conversation he had so often promised a veto, that if he did not veto it he would be “the biggest liar in the world.”

3) The House would override the Presidential veto.

Two things were still to be settled:

1) What form the Bonus Bill would take.

2) Whether the bill would become law: that is, whether the Senate would override the Presidential veto.

As the Senate assembled to vote, everyone knew that there was one form the Bonus would not take: it would not take the form of the Harrison Bill, a compromise that would have cost the Government only a half billion dollars. The veterans wanted more money and had made their wants felt. Before a vote was taken the Harrison Bill was in effect ruled out.

Real option of the Senate was between two bills each of which would cost the Government upwards of $2,000,000,000. One of these, the Vinson Bill, was sponsored by the American Legion whose members were willing to let the Government raise the cash by customary “sound” means, i. e. borrowing. The alternative, Patman Bill, was sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, an older, smaller organization, which in recent years has found that the most headway is gained by always outbidding the Legion by longer and more radical demands upon the Government. Hence the VFW, Patman Bill, demanded not only cash but greenbacks.

Naturally Commander James E. Van Zandt of the VFW had as his field generals in the Senate not only the loudest inflationist, Elmer Thomas, but the loudest demagog, Huey Long. Legion Commander Frank N. Belgrano Jr. had Post-Commander, now Senator, Bennett Champ Clark as his floor leader. The two forces were opposed to each other because of rivalry, and because the Legionaire-Senator Clark, who is no end proud of his parliamentary astuteness, knew well enough that there were four to six pro-Bonus Senators, willing to vote for the “sound” Vinson Bill who would not vote for the Patman (greenback) Bill. He knew further that those extra four to six votes would probably be vital when the time came to override a Presidential veto. But Senators Long and Elmer Thomas did not care nor did Commander Van Zandt.

After the Senate had brushed the Harrison Bill aside the choice between the Vinson (“sound”) Bill and the Patman (greenback) Bill had to be made. Before the vote was taken Bennett Clark got to his feet, declared: “All I say is that this is a naked issue between those who favor the authorization by Congress of the full payment of the Bonus and those who favor tying up the proposition . . . with an entirely separate subject [greenbacks].” The inflationists took him at his word. Elmer Thomas, Huey Long and friends who had voted for the Vinson Bill a few minutes before promptly plopped against it. The Patman Bill won, 52-10-35, because an unpremeditated combination swung to its support. To the inflationists’ assistance sprang ten Administration stalwarts headed by Senators Robinson and Harrison—whose object was to pass a Bonus Bill against which a veto could be made to stick.

As the outcome of the roll call became evident, Senator Clark’s face grew red with anger. When Senator Wheeler’s name was called, and a voice voted for the Patman Bill, Bennett Clark jumped up spluttering: “Point of Order, Mr. President! The Senator from Montana is not in the Chamber but the Senator from Louisiana, Mr. Long, answered for him.. I distinctly heard him.”

Seldom if ever had such a charge been heard in the U. S. Senate. Huey Long who is far too astute to stoop to such blundering knavery, leaned back and roared with laughter, jerking his thumb toward Wheeler who sat beside him. Redder still of face, Clark spluttered an apology and sat down.

Then the roll was called on the Patman Bill the ten Senators who had voted to substitute it for the Vinson Bill flopped back to vote against it as it was approved 55-to-33. So Legion Commander Belgrano retired from the gallery in glum defeat. Commander Van Zandt of the VFW left the gallery in triumph and proclaimed a “decisive victory.” But it was decisive only as a victory of the VFW over the American Legion. Senator Robinson and his Administration friends were left, grinning, in possession of the field, sure that the President’s veto could now be upheld. Hastily Senator Thomas began a new maneuver to save the Patman Bill from doom. He moved to reconsider the measure, thereby postponing its delivery to the White House where Franklin Roosevelt was itching to veto it.

In the time thus gained veterans were to put pressure on the President to sign the bill, on Senators to gain the necessary votes to override a veto. Commander Van Zandt asked “a million Americans”* to demand the Patman Bill’s final enactment. Commander Belgrano, beaten but wishing to retire from the field with the honors of war, called on Legionaries for similar demonstrations. Telegrams at the rate of 250 an hour flooded Washington, 15,000 were delivered at the White House one day. And Father Coughlin who takes credit for having defeated the World Court, tried his influence again, broadcast an appeal to the President to sign the Patman Bill “in the name of the greatest lobby the people ever established. . . . You were called a demagog for uttering the same philosophy which I utter today, for reminding the people of the forgotten man.”

But even Bonuseers recognized that chances of making the Patman Bill law were remote. While the effusion of telegrams was still descending on Wrashington, the Bonuseers began to talk of some new measure to make the Bonus a reality. For inflationists, having gone for a joyride in the veterans’ car, had run it into a lamp post. Veterans who still wanted to ride looked for a new vehicle.

*Membership of the VFW: 300,000.