The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-03
GETS BY SENATE.
After Years of Effort Ship Sub.
sidy Bill Passes.
Vice Presidents Vote Necessary
to Put 1t Through.

Washington. Feb. S.-For the first
time in the history of the government.
the vice president of the United States
yesterday afternoon exercised his con-
stitutional prerogative of casting vote
10 break ties in connection with three
successive roll calls in the senate. BY
the first he saved from impending de-
feat the ship subsidy bill and by the
third forced an adjournment of the SEN
ate on a vote having direct bearing on
the resolution looking to the election
OF senators by direct primary vote.
The vote on the subsidy bill both in
committee on the whole and i'll the SEN
ate 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 con-
nect1On with the vote on the subsidy
bill was the absence of the new Dem
ocratic senator from West Virginia,
Clarence w. Watson, who had taken his
seat early in the day as the successor
to Senator ElkinS. Mr.. Watson was in
the senate chamber for only a few mo-
ments in the session, and voted on only
one roll call.
This vote was cast on an amend
ment offered by Mr.. Shively Qnd), reg
ulat1ng 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
position to the measure. After casting
this vote he disappeared.
The result on the next ballot was not
so close as to render material the pres
ence or absence of any senator. and no
notice was taken of the fact that Mr.
Watson was not in attendance
After the final result became known
the opponents of the BILL including all
of the Democrats. realized Mr.. Watson's
absence had prevented the defeat of the
ia
ent at any of the roll calls whose vote
was not cast against the measure.
The final vote came after three
hours of determined conflict over
amendments. Apparently there was
no general appreciation of the sharp
division which afterward developed
and as a body the senate was unpre-
pared for the tie votes.
The two votes 'on the subsidy bill,
which were tie until the vice presi-
dent broke it. were as follows:
Yeas-Bradley, Brandegee, Briggs,
Burkett, Burnham, Burrows, Carter,
Clark (Wyo.l, Crane, Cuilom, Curtis,
Dick, Dillingham;, Dixon. Dupont,
Hale, Hepburn. Jones. Kean. Lodge
Lorimer, Nelson, Nixon, Oliver, Page,
Penrose, Perkins, Pies, Root. Scott,
Smoot, Stephenson, Warner, Warren
and Wetmore, all Republicans. To-
tai, 80.
-Beveridge, Borah, Bourne.
Bristow Brown, Burton, Crawford,
Cummins, Gamble, Gronna, LaFollette,
McCumber and Smith (Mich.), Re
publicans; Bacon, Bankhead. Cham
berlain, Clarke (Ark.), Culberson,
Fletcher, Foster, Frazier, Johnston,
Martin, Newlands. Overman, Owen,
Paynter. Percy, Shively, Simmons,
Smith (Md.), Smith Is. C.), Stone,
Swanson, Taliaferro. Taylor, Terrell,
Thornton and Ti1lman Democrats.
Total, 80.
Eight senators were paired, Money
with Young, Bailey with Bulkeley,
Gore with Depew and Rayner- with
Richardson. Five senators, Aldrich,
Clapp, Davis, Sutherland and Watson,
did not vote and were not paired.