OCR Text |
Show I SENATE SESSION I BREAKS RECORD I Opponents of Ship Purchase Scheme I Force Adjournment After 54 Hours and I Eleven Minutes' Continuous Debate. ML Senators Kenyon and Norris Change' Tm Front. Bl F Bf L Washington, Fob. 10. Hopubllcun BJ ami Democratic senators who oppose BJ tlio government ship purchuse bill, B allied by Senators Norris and Ken- BJ jon, Progressive Hepublleans, who H havo stood by tho bill, forced an Bj adjournment tonight of the longest B continuous session in tho history of B the Senate, and made moro uncer- B tain than over tho fato of tho mca- B sure which tho administration has B so urgently pressed upon Congress. B Upon the adjournment, aftor fifty- B four hours and eleven minutes of B continuous debate, leading members B of both houses of Cangres concoded B that an extra session to bo called B aoon after March 4 seemed Inevitable B Thero were some, howovor, who H stl.l hoped tliat thero yet might bo time to dlsposo of appropriation bills I and tho ship purcliaso measuro In Hj somo form beforo adjournment. M Arltnnrtiment camo on a motion I made by Senator O'Gorman, which H prevailed, 48 to 46, after Senator Norris, doplorlng tho fatiguing fill-H fill-H buster, had proclaimed his conclusion H that opponents of tho ship purchase bill tould filibuster It to Us death. H Refuse t0 Admit Defeat Disappointed ovor tho loss of sup- port from the Progressive Ropubll-H Ropubll-H cans, but still hopeful that somo-R somo-R thing could yet be done to save tho H bill, administration lcadors of tho I Sonato would not admit tonight that H the cause was lost. Anticipating a break in tho Sonato, President Wll- son had been conferring throughout tho day with tho Houso leaders on H plans of getting tho bill beforo tho HJ Houso and such a courso may bo tak-Hj tak-Hj en, though tho Sonato Republicans jH Insist that their fight will contlnuo 1 until tho end of tho session. HJ Tomorrow tho plan of admlnlstra- IVA tlon leaders Is to press Senator Flot- Aj cher's motion to recommit tho ship BJ purchase bill with instructions for HJ fts amendment to satisfy Progressive BJ Republicans. It Is conceded to bo Bj probable, however, that tho motion IB to recommit tho bill to tho com- BJ merto commltteo without lnstruc- Ijpj tlons will prevail. Senator Kenyon B will voto for tho latter motion and B Senator Norris is oxpectcd to do so B also, In view of his announced posl- PJ tlon tonight. That would glvo tho JMf opposition a majority of ono with Hi every senator voting. Hj Insurgents Offer Compromise PJ Insurgont Democrats today, led by JHJ Senator Hardwlck, sought to effect B a compromise with tholr colleagues PJ by which tho party could be unltod H in a renewed effort to pass tho Be bill. Chances for tho success of this HJj raovo could not be predicted tonight. S Tho plan suggested is that tho war- B ring democrats hold a conforonco of- Hi tor tho recommitment of tho bill. BJ Somo of tho Insurgents then would Bj proposo that tho bill bo amonded to IB provldo that tho proposed govern- H mont ship purthaso enterprise should SBJ terminate at a stated period after Bj tho closo of tho European war and flj that purchaso of Intcrnod ships of BJ belligerents bo prohibited. It tho Hj Domocrats united on such a proposal PJl It would drlvo away from tho bill B rrogrosslvo Republicans, who favor Bj government ownership, but On tho Bj other hand thero Is hopo that It might KJ stop the Republican filibuster against Bft tho measure. IB Senator O'Gorman, ono of tho Dora- H ocratlc insurgents, said tonight that jH tho action of tho Sonato In hia opln- Bj Ion, meant tho death of tho ship pur- BJ chaso measure. BJ Plan Action In House M Prosldont Wilson today held g so- BM les of conteroncos with Houso mom- hers, Including Representatives Underwood, Un-derwood, Kltchln, Henry, Aloxander, Adamson, Flood and Padgett, It Is understood that tho program tentatively tenta-tively ngrccd upon Is as follows: Tho Weeks bill, already passed In tho Senate, to bo taken up In tho House ns soon as tho sundry civil bill is disposed of, everything after tho enacting elauso to bo stricken out and the Cora substitute ship purchaso bill added and tho resulting measuro to bo passed -as quickly as posslblo by tho Houso "Under a special spec-ial rulo. This bill, with tho prostlgo given by passage In tho Houso, to bo then taken up In tho Senate and kept beforo that body until tho end of tho Bession, If nocessary. In caso of no action beforo tho end of the session win extra session would be called on March D. |