New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-15
Senate, After Three Hours
Debate, Puts Off Test
Vote Until To-day.
PUBLICITY QUESTION
FIRST TO BE SETTLED
Despite Administrations Claim
Of Victory Opponents Only
See Defeat.
From The Tribune Bureau. !

From The Tribune Bureau
Washington, July II. Rejection of
the nomination of Thomas ID. Jones TO
be member of the Federal Reserve
Board and the defeat of the President
at the hands of the Senate for the first
time since he assumed his Office was
forecast to-day when the Senate
took up the controversy. For three
hours the Senate struggled over the
question of making public the reports
on the nomination and the testimony
of Mr.. Jones before the Banking and
Currency Committee.
At the end of that time no action
had been taken, and the fight will be
resumed tomorrow, but it was said by
opposition Senators that the admins
tration forces were weakening. There
were enough defections in the Demo-
cratic ranks to indicate to them that
the President would lose his fight.
Eight Democrats Senators O'Gorman,
Reed, Hitchcock, Vardeman, Lane, Mar
tine, Ashurst and Clark, of Arkansas
enough to turn the tide of conflict
against the administration, arrayed
themselves with the opposition. On the
Republican side the administration can
count upon only one vote, that of Sem
ator Sherman.
The fight ragged to-day over the
question of publicity, but the field of
debate covered many other points in
the controversy. When the Senate
met, Senator Hitchcock moved that
the discussion of the Jones nomina-
tion be carried on in open session. To
this there was objection, and the SEN
ate went into executive session to de-
eide the issue.
President Criticised.
/ From the outset it became apparent
| that the purpose of the administra-
i tion lieutenants to get the nomination
through before the grounds upon which
/ the majority of the Banking and Cur
rency Committee bases its opposition
/ to Mr.. Jones became generally known
would fail. There were enough Re-
publicans ready to delay the vote in
I order that the political aspect of the
controversy might be disclcsed. but
/ the strongest criticism of the Prcsi-
dents course came from the Demo
Gratis themselves. Senator Clark, of
| Arkansas, who has been hitherto found
/ in the ranks of the Presidents sup
/ pOrters, said that the fight over the
Jones nomination represented crisis
| in the history of the Democratic party
and that the time had come when the
party was called upon to decide wheth-
er it was to follow a consistent course
or whether il was to make representa-
| tions of one kind to the people on the
/ trust question and to follow another
/ policy in selecting appointees for puo-
| lie office.
Senator Reed also made a speech re-
viewing the history of Mr.. Joncss con-
/ nectiOn with the international Har-
vester Company and the action brought
] by the government for it's dissolution.
/ Mr.. Jones, by his own testimony, Reed
/ said, had been a member of the board
/ of directors of the company for the
| three years in which the acts COM
| planned of by the government were
committed and had in his testimony
before the committee asserted that he
approved of the acts.
Jones Has Defenders.
Senator'S Hollis, Shafroth and Lee,
/ members of the Banking and Currency
Committee, who are carrying on the
/ fight for the administration, defended
Jones and asserted that no blame
could be attached to him until the
] nrfc hoA hut H. Inta
tional Harvester Company was guilty
of violating the antitrust law. Sena-
tor Lee attacked Senator Hitchcock for
( his detection from Democratic ranks.
Senator O'Gorman, in a milder vein,
criticised the President for the course
he had pursued in the controversy
over the appointment.
Republican Senators contributed to
the discussion of the question of con-
slderlng the nomination in open ses-
sion by calling to the attention of the
majority their campaign declarations
in favor of publicity. Senator Smith.
of Michigan, read a paragraph from
"The New Freedom" in which the
practice of discussing matters of popu
lar interest behind closed doors was
condemned. Senators Borah and Ken
yon referred to similar statements in
the Democratic campaign textbook.
/ References to Mr.. Jones's support of
the President in the way of campaign
contributions were also made.
1t was said at the end of to-day's
| struggle that ,he administration forces
would be driven to cover tomorrow
when a vote was reached on the mo-
tion to make the reports on the Jones
nomination and the Jones testimony
a D.. M
mittee public. Senator'S Kern and
Lewis and several other Democrats
who will probably stand by the Presi-
dent. intimated that they would sup
port the motion in favor of publicity.
Lewis for Publicity.
Toward the close of the debate Sem
ator Lewis, of Illinois, who is sponsor
for Mr.. Jones and leading the fight for
his confirmation, announced he would
vote for making public the record of
the hearing. The Senator said that
because of his sponsorship for Mr..
Jones he would be open 10 the suspicion
that he had acted at Mr.. Jones's request
if he voted against publicity, and that
moreover he courted the fullest pub
licity of the testimony
To-day's debate indicated that the
fight against the confirmation of Mr..
Jones is TO be the most bitter that has
occurred over any nomination in the
Wilson administration, but administrs-
ton leaders expressed confidence to-
night that they had the votes to assure
the confirmation. They informed the
President that the majority would be
between five aud ten.
Concerning the nomination Of Paul
NJ. Warburg, of New York, who still
| hnIAs 70 his refusal TO appear before