Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-22
NAVAL BILL PASSED
House Refuses to ReCOmmit
by 1877 to 1872.
ACTION YESTERDAY STANDS
Antitrust and Eight-Hour Amend
ments Included.
FOSS RELIES ON THE SENATE
Hopes That Restrictions Imposed on
Expenditures Will Be Stricken
Out by the Other House.
FOSS RELIES ON THE SENATE

The naval appropriation bill, carrying
all the radical and drastic anti-steel trust
and eight-hour amendments injected into
1t yesterday in committee Of the whole,
was finally passed by the House Of Rep
resentatives> at noon today. Only one
attempt was made to amend the measure
Immediately prior to it's passage. This
was when Representative Padgett of Ten
nessee, senior minority member of the
naval affairs committee. moved to re-
commit the bill to the naval committee
with instructions to report it back to the
House with provision for one great bat
tleship instead Of two. This motion was
beaten on record vote, 49, to 1877.
Senate Opposition Expected.
This action by the House today means
that the naval bill now goes to the Sen
ate loaded down With these amendments.
which. in the ordinary course, will be
disagreed to by the higher body What
will be the action of the House when the
bill again comes up in the House and
the question of whether the body shall
stand firmly for the anti-steel trust and
eight-hour amendments remains to be
seem 1t is certain that the democratic
side will be SOlidly for these radical prop
ositions and, quite a number of re-
publicans voted yesterday with the mi
nority, it is not improba BILE that the
House will resist the Senate to the last
extremity.
Legislation Congestion Apprehended.
This. among many other pressing mat
tiers, still further complexities the legis-
lative situation. If enough of these SUBJ
jects arise concerning which there is
IL oil 70 no cd hot IN
the two houses it is not improbable that
there will be such congestion of bust
ness in the closing hours of the Congress
that the work cannot be completed in
time for the statutory adjournment on
the 4th of March.
made no effort in the House today to
secure separate votes on the anti-steel
trust or eight-hour amendments. lie IS
hoping that the Senate will strike out
these amendments and that when the
time comes enough votes will rally to his
standard to indorse the Senate action IN
the House.
Effect of the Amendments.
Representatives Hughes and Stanley
were warmly congratulated by their
democratic colleagues this morning fol-
lowing the passage of the naval bill
through the House. 1t was Mr.. Stanley,
who, after making a fight for years
against the steel trust, finally managed
Yesterday to secure the adoption of two
amendments, which. il enacted into law,
will make impossible the purchase by the
government Of a pound of steel IN TINS
country until Attorney General Wicker
sham has rendered an opinion declaring
that the United States Steel Corporation
or any association of indepedent steel
companies does not constitute a trust,
combination or a monopoly in restrain OF
trade. If he declares to the contrary
the United States government Will be un-
able to purchase a pound of steel until
the monopoly is broken up.
The whole object of Mr.. Stanley's
amendments is to force an opinion out OF
the Department of Justice with reference
TO The case of the United States Steel
Corporation. which has been investigated
by the department. although the results
of the inquiry have never been an
nounced. In this way the forcing of the
amendments into the naval appropriation
bill is considered to be an excellent stroke
of politics and one likely to cause the re-
publican administration good deal of
trouble.
So far as the eight-hour amendments,
which. in brief. provide that all work on
new naval construction in private yards
working day. are concerned. the situation
is simply this: If the Senate agrees
to the proposition and it is enacted into
law, the naval increase provided for in
this bill just passed by the House today,
will cost S1c,OOO,GCO or more in excess OF
what otherwise would be the case. This
is admitted by both democrats and re-
publicans. Indeed. there are many re-
publicans who being opposed to the
annual two battleship increase OF the
navy. are glad to have demonstration
of the excessive increase in the cost of
armed peace.