Evening star., 1915-02-13
To Fight Cloture Rule.


The republicans opposing the ship pur-
chase bill will fight just as bard to pre-
vent the adoption of a cloture rule In
the Senate as they have fought against
the administration ship purchase bill
Senator Simmons of North Carolina,
who has taken a leading part in the
administration ship bill fight, as he has
in most of the important legislation
brought before the Senate during the
present Congress. said, following the
conference today:
Il am in favor of a cloture rule, spe-
cific or general I would vote for
either or both. I think that we should
adopt a special rule to bring debate to
an end on the ship bill. for already the
debate on that measure has run for
weeks
I'VE were sent here by the people to
legislate, and 1t seems that we cannot
do SO If some form of cloture ts not
adopted. II the Senae fails to legis-
late, the people themselves will take
the matter up, and see that we do"
Not Bound by Conference.
The seven democratic senators who
have opposed the ship purchase bill and
| who were read out Of the party by
Senator Stone and Senator James. fol-
| lowing their bolt. attended the confer
| ence today on the special understanding
They are understood. for the most part,
to have opposed a cloture rule. Other
democratic senators who are understood
to fear the effect of the adoption of a
cloture rule in the Senate are Senator'S
Smith of Georgia. Overman of North
Carolina and Bryan of Florida.
Republican senators made it clear to-
day that they would continue their
| fight against the ship-purchase bill.
When told that the House was nearly
| ready to put through under party whip
and spur the Weeks naval auxiliary
bill with the Gore ship-purchase bill
amendments providing that two years.
after the expiration of hostilities
abroad the shipping board provided in
the Gore bill should go out of exist
the board should be turned over to the
Secretary of the Navy to operate or
lease. as he saw fit, the republicans
stated that they would never consent
| to the passage of a bill which would
make possible permanent operation of
merchant vessels by the government.
Block Burton Resolution.
| Before addressing the Senate Senator
| Burton endeavored to obtain consider
alton of a resolution calling on the
Secretary of the Treasury for informa-
tion as TO whether any negotiations
had been begun by this government or
any official for the purchase of ships
interned here under belligerent flags;
whether any tenders of sale of such
| ships had been made TO any govern
ment official; whether any negotiations
have been made for the purchase of
jneutral-owned ships, and whether any
one in the employ. OF the government
or otherwise has made advances on in
termed belligerent-owned ships or Sc
cured options upon them with the pur-
pose of selling them to the govern
ment.
| The democrats prevented considera-
ton of this resolution. and also of an
other one to authorize Senate COM
mittee to investigate along these lines
| senator Weeks, author of the Weeks
bill. which has passed the Senate and
which would authorize the Secretary of
the Navy to use some of the vessels
now owned by the navy to build up the
trade of the United States with South
| America, said that he would fight such
a bill as the democrats. under the d.
lrection of President Wilson, seem bent
upon putting through 1hH oesG; snin mr.
| chase bill has been displaced as the
unfinished business OF the Senate by
the Reed cloture resolution. democrat
ic leaders said today that since the
the ship bill. that measure was still
virtually before the Senate.
| Gore Presents Motion.
Soon after the Senate met today Sen
ator Gore of Oklahoma called up his
motion to discharge the Senate COM
merce committee from further con-
siderat.on of the ship purchase bill In
ltroduced by himself This bill Is the
administration measure, with amend
iment satisfactory to several of the re-
publican progressives. He gave notice
last week that he would move to dis
lcharge the committee from considera-
ton Of this bill, and this has been one
of the methods of attack upon op-
lponents of the bill kept in reserve by
1.-The democrats.
On Senator Cores request an aye and
tnay vote was ordered OH his motion to
discharge the committee from further con-
sidcration of the bill. Senator Burton Of
Ohio Immediately began a long address
against the ship purchase bill, expecting
Ito continue throughout the afternoon
Il AZ O'Clock the Reed cloture resolution,
CONTINUED on Second Page.l