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Show I DECLARE SHIPPING , MEASURE IS DEAD I Senator Smoot and Other Republicans are Confident Fight Against Adminis- I tration Project Has Been Won. Dem- I ocratic Readers Working Hopefully. I Washington, Feb. 2. A plan I which they guarded with tho utmost secrecy wan adopted by administration administra-tion Democrats of tho Senate In caucus cau-cus tonight to break down opposition to tho govornmont ship purehaso bill. Tho program includes parliamentary parliament-ary maneuvors which will bo started tomorrow afternoon In the Sonate, and according to leaders of the party par-ty is calculated to bring BUjiport for the measure to oftso tho Democratic Democrat-ic revolt last Monday. Aftnr reaching an agreement the caucua adopted a resolution pledging every niomber to secrecy. Later It was learned that when tho Clarke motion to recommit comes up, Sonator Fletcher will inovo as an amendment that tho commltteo report re-port bak within forty-eight hours and that an amendment bo Included which' would not commit tho govern- Iment to a permanent policy in tho posed shipping enterprise, and that the tlmo limit for the undertaking bo Axed at eighteen months or two years. Upon these amendments It was pointed out, tho administration Democrats pinned hopes of winning back Democrats rather than in winning win-ning over Progressive Republican support. Washington, Feb. 2. Extraordinary Extraordin-ary efforts wore exerted today and tonight by administration leaders of the Senate to save the government 6hlp purchase bill fron - threatened )) (& defeat or consignment-to a pigeon hole for this session of Congress. Up to n lato hour tonight with tho Democratic majority stilt struggling over the legislative dilemma, nothing but tentative plans of proceduro had been disclosed. Tho plans includod propositions for rovlslon of tho pending pend-ing bill to draw support from Republican Repub-lican senators and proposals designed design-ed to win back at least six of tho seven Democrats who Joined with tho Ropub:iuns yesterday in an effort ef-fort to sond tho measure back to the commerco commltteo. Presldont Wilson conferred with soveral 1'iogrosslvo Ropubllcnn sou-atots, sou-atots, tho Democratic majority con-sldeied con-sldeied mothods of proceduro to r0-gain r0-gain Us lost ground and tliu soveu recalcitrant Democrats conferred among thomsolves with tho avowed purpose of standing Qrm. Republicans Confident After all angles of tho situation had been canvassed, tho Scnato having hav-ing adjourned oarly to await tho out-como out-como of tho skirmishing, Republican leaders wer0 confident their fight against tho measuro had been won. Senators Smoot, Lodge, Weeks and others declared tho bill was dead. Democratic leaders on tho other hand still woro hopeful. As a result of this complicated situation sit-uation tho Democratic conference np-polntd np-polntd a special committee Senators Flotchor, Simmons and Martin to conduct negotiations with a vlow to ascertaining what support could bo gained" for tho bill and upon what points of revision. Revolting Democrats, Senators llankhead, Clarke, Camden, Hardwick, Hltjhcock, O'Gorman nnd Vardaman, wero approached by tho caucus commltteo com-mltteo sovoral times during tho day and asked for a stipulation of terms on which they might reconsider their attitude. Tho Progressive Republican senators senat-ors do not favor tho govornmont shipping ship-ping corporation as a tomporary measure, mea-sure, and suggested amendments whoroby It would bo Instituted as a permanent venture. Hero the proposals pro-posals of Progressive Republicans and revolting Democrats clashod. m s |