Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-03
First Case Of Kind in the
History Of Congress,
Saves Ship Subsidy Bill In CON-
mlttee and on Passage.
Forces Adjournment, Stopping
Vote on Senator's Election.

Washington, Feb. 2.-For the first
time In the history of the government
today the Vice President of the Unit
ed States exercised his constitutional
power of casting a vote to break ties
after three successive roll calls in the
Senate. BY his first vote he saved from
defeat the ocean mail or ship subsidy
bill and by the third he forced an adj
journment of the Senate ON vote
having direct bearing on the resolution
looking to the election of senators by
direct vote of the people.
The vote on the passage OF the SUBJ
sidy bill. both in committee of the
whole and in the Senate proper stood
80 yeas and SO noes. and on adjourn
ment 81 ayes to 81 noes. On all three
occasions the Vice President voted in
the affirmative.
Another notable occurrence ccHeern-
ing the vote on the subsidy bill was
the absence of the new Democratic
senator from West Virginia, Clarence
Watson. He had taken his seat early in
the day as the successor to Senator
Elkins. but was in the Senate chamber
only a few moments during the ses-
sion and voted on only one roll call.
This vote was cast on an amendment
offered by Shiveley of Indiana. regu-
lating the aggregate expenditures
which may be made under the terms
of the bill. On this provision the new
West Virginia senator cast his vote in
the affirmative. thus indicating his OPP
position to the measure. After voting
he disappeared and when the next bal
lot was taken. Mr.. Scott. his Republi-
can colleague, announced Mr.. Wat
sons absence, saying that he was
away ION important business" The re-
suit of this roll call was not SO close
as to render material the presence or
the absence of any senator and no no.
tice was taken of the fact that Mr..
Watson was not in attendance. Only q
few senators gave heed to Mr.. SCOTS
announcement, and they laughed good
naturally over it. Their enjoyment, if
significant, passed without explana-
tion, and by most senators was attrib-
uted to the failure of new senator to
embrace his first opportunity to make
a record.
After the final result became known,
the opponents of the bill. including all
the Democrats, realized that Mr.. Wat
sons absence prevented the defeat of the
bill. He was the only Democrat present
during any of the roll calls whose vote
was not cast against the measure.
The final vote on the bill took place af-
ter three hours of determined conflict
over amendments. Apparently there was
no general appreciation of the sharp d.
vision which afterward developed and as
a body the Senate was unprepared for
the tie votes.
which We're tie until the Vice Pres-
dent broke 1t were as follows:
Yeas, Bradley. Brandegee. Briggs. Bur-
kett, Burnham, Burrows, Carter, Clark
twyo), Crane. Cullom, Curtis. Dick, Dill
linghan.. Dixon, DUPONT, Flint. Frye.
Gallinger. Guggenheim, Tale. Hepburn.
Jones Kean. Lodge. Lorimer, Nelson.
Nixon. Oliver, Page, Penrose, Perkins.
Piles. Root Scott, Smoot, Stephens, War
ner, Warren and Wetmore. all Republi-
cans Total 90.
Nays-Beveridge, Borah. Bourne. Bris-
tow, Burton, Crawford. Cummins. Gam
BILE. Gronna, La Toilette, McCumber, and
Smith Mich.). Republicans; Bacon.
Bankhead. Chamberlain. Clarke. (Ark),
Culberson, Fletcher. Foster. Fraser,
Johnson, Martin, Newlands. Overman.
Owens, Painter Percy. Shiveley. Sim
mons, Smith (Md.), Smith Is. c.. Stone,
Swanson, Taliaferro. Taylor, Terrell,
Thornton and Tillman, Denis. Total 80.
Eight senators were paired, Money with
Young, Bailey with Buckley, Gore with
Depew and Rayner with Richardson. Five
senators. Aldrich, Clapp. Davis. Suther-
land and Watson. did not vote and were
not paired.
Mr.. Gronna, the new senator from
North Dakota. although a Republican,
voted against the bill on all roll calls.
When iir accordance with the pre-
vious agreement, the subsidy bill was
laid before the Senate at o'clock.
Gallinger presented a substitute for
the entire measure as originally in
troduced.< The first bill granted q
bounty only to American built vessels
plying between American ports and
the southern half of South America.
but the substitute extended it to the
Philippines. japan. China and Aus
tralia.
Simmons was the first speaker OF
the day to raise his voice in opposition.
He delivered q set speech directed
against subsidies In general and OPP
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