Evening star., 1915-02-07
Victory in Sight Tomorrow for
Opponents of Ship Pur-
chase Measure.
ADMINISTRATION FORCES
TO RALLY TO GORE BILL
Republicans Ready to Continue Fill
buster-Insist Opponents Will
Weaken in Few Days.

When the Senate meets tomorrow at
noon after a recess since Friday. the
Clarke motion to recommit the admin
istration ship purchase bill will be up
for disposition. For a week the demo-
Gratis have postponed action on this
motion. hoping against hope that they
would be able to marshal their fuii
strength against it. or that they might
win over enough votes to give them the
whip hand again. But although SEN
ator Newlands of Nevada is expected
10 reach Washington tonight. adding
one vote to the administration forces,
The opponents of the motion will still
be in the minority. unless by some
chance Senator Smith of South Caro-
lima also should arrive. In that event
the vote would stand As to As to re-
commit the bill with instructions to
report it out in amended form. and the
Vice President could decide the mat
ter in favor of the administration SEN
ators.
But Senator Smith is not expected to
reach Washington in time, for his wife
is critically i'll in South Carolina. 1t is
motion to recommit without instruc
tions is allowed to come to vote it
will be carried tomorrow. Then the
administration leaders will attempt to
discharge the Senate commerce COM
mittee from further consideration of a
ship purchase bill which he introduced
last week and had referred to that
committee. This bill is identical with
the administration bill except for two
amendments which will satisfy some
. Gore motion. the democrats believe.
be carried
Think Democrats Will Weaken.
While the administration leaders con-
rnued to insist yesterday that the
ship bill would be kept before the
Senate to the exclusion of all other
business until it had been passed. this
Has doubted by some of the republican
senators They insisted that the dem
ocrats would weaken before many
more days had passed, and in order to
prevent an extra session would permit
the appropriation bills to be taken up,
thus effectually sidetracking the ship
bill.
The republicans are ready to con-
tinue their filibuster against the ship
purchase bill should the Gore motion
come up or be adopted. If the demo-
Gratis resort to all-night sessions, as
they threaten, the republicans are for
titled with speeches. and will talk all
day and all night, as they did before
the seven democrats, under the lead
ership of Senator Clarke of Arkansas,
IeNolteQ last MONDAY ana caused a dl-
version in favor of the opponents of
the ship bill. The beds which were In
stalled in Senator Gallinger's Office, in
Senator Cores Office in the Capitol and
in the Presidents room, just off the
Senate chamber. upon which weary
filibustering senators might rest, are
still available and undoubtedly will
be called into service should the long
night sessions be resumed.
But Twenty-Five Days Left.
Only twenty-five working days, ex-
elusive Of Sundays, remain Of the pres
ent session. and the republicans figure
they can talk the entire time IL they
have to do SO to prevent a vote on the
ship bill.
Senator Bankhead is one of the demo-
Gratis who revolted against the shin
bill, and he also is chairman of the
post office committee which will report
to the Senate tomorrow the post office
appropriation bill. Should Senator Bank
heart move to take up the post Office
appropriation bill later in the week, in
place of the ship bill, his motion might
receive sufficient votes. Senators on
both sides of the chamber are very anx-
lous to get to the appropriation bills
and dispose of them in order to prevent
special session. The President might
call a special session to pass the shin
purchase bill. but senators do not be-
IIeVe that he would do so.