The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-03
On Three Successive Roll
Calls Vice President
Decides Tie Vote
ABSENCE OF ONE SENATOR
SAVES DEFEAT FOR BILL
Senator Watson, the New Member
From West Virginia, Is Absent
and His Vote Would Have
Killed the Bill

Washington, February 2.-For the first
time in the history of the government the
Vice President of the United States today
exercised his constitutional prerogative of
casting vote to break ties in connection
with three successive roll calls in the
Senate. BY the first two of these votes
he saved from impending defeat the ocean
mail or ship subsidy bill, and by the
third forced an adjournment of the Sem
ate on a 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 subsidy
bill, both in committee of the whole and
in the Senate proper stood 80 ayes and
80 noes. and on adjournment 81 ayes and
81 noes. On all three occasions the Vice
President voted in the affirmative.
Another notable occurrence in connec-
ton with the vote on the subsidy bill was
the absence of the new democratic sem
ator from West Virginia, Clarence Way
| land Watson, who had taken his seat
early in the day as the successor to Sem
etor ElSins
Mr.. Watson was in the Senate chamber
for only a few moments during the dis
cussion and voted only one roll cali.
This vote was cast on an amendment Of
fered by Mr. Shively of Indiana regulat-
ing in the aggregate the expenditures
| which may be made under the terms of
the bill.
Watson Disappears
| On this provision the new senator cast
n nic in, tbo
ing his opposition to the measure. After
casting this vote he disappeared, and
when the next ballot was taken Mr.
Scott. his republican colleague, an
nounced Mr.. watson's absence, saying
that he was away ION important busi-
nesss
/ The result on this roll call was not SO
clDse as 10 render mater "a .Ie Nreseaee
or absence of any. senator. tgld no notice
was taken of the fact that Mr. Watson
| was not III attendance. Only few SEN
ators heard Mr. Scott's announcement
and they laughed good-naturedly over 1t.
! Their enjoyment, IL significant, passed
| without explanation, and by most sem
ators was attributed to the failure of
new senator TO embrace his first oppor-
tunity to make a record.
After the final result became known
| the opponents of the bill, including all
| of the democrats, realized that Mr.. Wat
sons absence had 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 of the bill came after
three hours of determined conflict over
| amendments
Apparently there was no general appre-
citation of the sharp division which after
ward developed and as body the Sem
| ate WAS unprepared for The fia 1rotes
Two Votes in Detail
The two votes on the subsidy BILL which
were tie until the vice president broke
| it. were as follows:
Yeas-Bradleys Brandegee, Briggs, Bur-
kett Burnham Burrows, Carter. Clarke
of Wyoming Crane, Cullom, Curtis, Dick,
! Dillingham;, Dixon, Dupont, Flint Frye.
Gallinger. Guggenheim. Hale, Hepburn,
Jones. Kean, Lodge, Lorimer, Nelson.
! Nixon, Oliver, Page. Penrose, Perkins,
Piles, Root. Scott Smoot, Stephenson.
| Warner. Warren and Wetmore, all re-
publicans-39.
| Nays-Beveridge, Borah, Bourne, Bris-
tow, Brown. Burton, Crawford, Cum
minis, Gamble, Gronna, LaEollette, Nc
Cumber and Smith of Michigan, repub-.
| licans; Bacon. Bankhead. Chamberlain.
Clarke of Arkansas, Culberson Fletcher.
| Foster, Frazier, Johnston, Martin, New
| lands, Overman, Owen, Paynter Percy,
| Shively Simmons, Smith of Maryland,
Smith of South Carolina, stone, Swanson,
Taliaferro, Taylor. Terrell, Thornton and
| Tillman, demoerats--39.
Eight senators were paired, Money
with Young, Bailey with Bulkely, Gore
with Depew and Rayner with Richard
son. Five senators. Aldrich. Clapp, Da-
Wis. Sutherland and Watson, did not
vote and were not paired.
Mr. Gronna, the new senator from
|
voted against the bill on all roll calls.
| GnIlinger Oners Substitute
| When. In accordance with the pre-
vious agreement, the subsidy bill was
| laid before the Senate at o'clock,
Senator Gallinger presented a substi-
| tute for the entire measure as original
| ly introduced. The first bill granted
| q bounty only to American built YES
| sells plying from American ports to the
southern half of South America, but
the substitute extended it to the Phil
| ippines, Japan, China and Australia.
| Senator Simmons was the first speaks
er. of the day to raise his voice 10
opposition. He delivered a set speech
directed against ship subsidies in gen.
eral and in especial opposition to the
Gallinger bill
Senator Shively made fight by
means of amendment and argument
He presented a provision including the
lana expense incurred In connection
with ocean going mail In the total ex-
penditure on that account as a basis
for computing the surplus of ocean
mail earnings over expenses. which,-it
is provided in the bill. shall not be
exceeded by the total bounty. The
amendment was lost. 80 to 40.
Close Vote ON Amendment
A closer result was scored on tho
next vote, which was taken on an
amendment offered by Senator Stone
of Missouri. The purpose of Mr.. Stones
amendment was to extend the provi-
| sions of the bill to all American owned
| vessels. whether constructed in the
! United States or elsewhere The amend
ment was lost by only two votes. Tho
roll call resulted 81 to 49, Amend
ments by Senators Newlands of Ne
vada and Jones of Washington. the for
mer providing for an auxiliary navy of
| 80 vessels. and the latter combining the
| proposed bounty to ships to be built
hereafter were rejected.
| Before the final ballot on the bill IT.
self was reached there were two mild
! sensations. One of these was caused by
Senator owen of Oklahoma and the other