New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-24
strone Fight Against Battleships.

The fhhuster on the naval approprla-
tjon bill will continue tomorrow The
small navy" men are determined 10 tie
up this budget as long as possible, ana
are making a concerted effort TO reduce
IFS total by s2ocIo.Cco and to strike out
the authorization for battleships
There is noticeable al this critical staSe
of the session the lack of harmony which
once prevailed in the Democratic House.
That condition is largely due To Mr.. IN
dervood's absence from the chamber. For
several weeks Mr.. Underwood has been
engaged In tariff tinkering and the Dem
ocratic majority has run wild.
REPRESENTATIVE UnderWOod's suggestion
that the public building bill should be q
modest one and his efforts TO prune the
items in the sl46. cD00D naval budget nave
been futile There j. secret criticism on
tho Democratic side that Mi. tnde'Woou
stt.mntod 10 stem the tide Of appro-
priations when too late. and IL is no"
APPARENT that this will bc the most eN-
travaesnt Congress iu the history OF the
country
There is probs bility that AT the ele\-
nth hour the pork barrel may fail ana
the final passage Of the rivers and Ia'-
bors bin is not certain. The public build
ms hill has been practically doubled ID
amount bv the senate and House leaders;
they cannot afford to accept the increase.
n tne major portion of them.
May Estrane. Factions More.
THO failure OF these two pie h'IlS
would further estranse The Democratic
factions IN tie House a. the feud be-
tV,on the Public Buildings Committee and
tire Naval Committee continues ln'
democratic members 81 the Pubic Build
,nes Committee are opposed. almost 10
man. 70 a two-battleship programme ana
succeeded in four caucuses last SESSION
IN prtt,nc through 'no-battieship pro-
..rar,r,o The pork barrel sponsors
FINAL. agreed t. one new snip on inc
promise OF liberal public buildings bih
Al this session.
ON the whole. the appropriations meas
ules are in unusually unsatisfactory
shane ana tie House, torn with ulss'h-
sion. must remain in session day ana
night if the annual supply bills are +"
become law at this session.
The naval and general deficiency APP
prorriation bills are Vet 10 pass the
House. OF tue fifteen supply biis' tHe
Sei.ate has passed 10 date oniN hN''
within the next eight days both houses
must agree 10 conference reports ON the
following supply bills: Indian, postofhce'
army. rivers and harbors Agricultural
diplomatic and District Of Columbia.
Prolonged Fights Ahead.
Prolonged fights are inevitable ON the
Indian rivers and harbors and public
buildings bills The Senate has added
millions TO the total Of each OF thes"
measures and with the President-elect
and Mr.. Fitzgerald demanding economy
the House would invite disaster shouIu
il agree TO such increases. A. the VaH-
Gus supply bills have been reported 10
and passed by the House they nave
shown Increases Of more than Si"""'""
above the appropriations OF last sessloh'
Several House leaders fear that more
than one OF the annual supply biils WIZ
he thrown over into the extra SESSION
With democratic members OF the lower
body working AT cross purposes and pay
ing little attention 10 the mounting ap-
Populations. IL u not HnPi """"i'
some Of these bills will die in conference
or be rejected when brought back ih'o
the House
The situation in general probably j.
without precedent, and no Democrat Il
willing 10 predict what the next eish'
days may bring forth
In the Senate also the dove or peace
cannot find resting place on the Demo
cratic side. With the approach of Demo
cratic sovereignty the old game of GUST
ing the senior Senator'S on the sio"'',
hat they are reactionsries Is being p'aSeu
again The Progressives are 4irdihs o"