Evening star., 1915-02-08
Declare Measure Will Be Kept
Before Senate Until March
a, if Necessary.
EXTRA SESSION BELIEVED
NOW TO BE INEVITABLE
Senator Fletcher Will Offer Amend
ment to Clarke Motion to
Recommit.

Administration leaders in the SEN
ate announced today that they intend
cd TO fight on for the passage OF the
government ship purchase bill. They
insisted that they would keep the bill
before the Senate if it took all the rest
of the present session and forced an
extra session this spring to care for the
appropriation bills.
If this course be followed, an extra
session is believed to be inevitable.
a shift of plans was ordered today
by the leaders. Instead of allowing the
ship bill to be recommitted and then
attempting to put through the Gore
motion TO discharge the commerce COM
mittee from further consideration of a
similar measure, the leaders deter
mined to offer an amendment to the
Clarke motion to recommit the bill so
that the committee would be instructed
to report out the bill again within
twenty-four hours and amended SO as
TO satisfy the republican progressives.
Republicans Will Talk.
When this plan became known to the
republicans, they announced that any
amendment offered to the Clarke mo-
tion to recommit the bill would be
discussed at length" This is taken
10 mean that they will begin their fill
buster Immediately. They insist that
they will be able to talk the ship Dill
Night sessions may be the order of the
day even before vote is had on the
motion to amend the Clarke motion to
recommit
1t was reported this morning that
ninety-six senators were In Washing
ha nta1 Sen.
ate, and that they were ready to take
their places in the Senate chamber and
vote This is almost unheard OF IN
the. recent history Of the Senate. loi
of the city or paired. But the struggle
over the ship bill has grown SO intense
that the leaders on both sideS nave
exerted every effort to get their men
here.
Fletcher to Force Bill.
senator Fletc,ssr5 e 1k~sses
ship bill, stated that he would oner
the amendment to the Clarke motion
and declared that he intended to Keep
the bill before the Senate to the exclu-
sion of all other business.
When the Senate convened today,
senator Ransdell of Louisiana made a
speech defending the administration bill
and criticising the republicans for their
filibuster against the measure.
Two Ship Advocates Arrive.
With the arrival in Washington today
OF Senator Smith of South Carolina and
Senator Newiands Of Nevada the only
two democrats who have been absent
from the Capitol during the last few days.
the situation suddenly shifted in connec-
ton with the administration ship purchase
bill Their votes will make 1t possible for
the allied democrats and progressive re-
publicans to amend the Clarke motion to
recomnlit the bill SO as to provide for
amendments to the bill satisfactory to
the progressive republicans and instruct
ing the committee to report the bill back
To the Senate
IL is likely this course will be followed
instead of permitting the bill to be re-
committed and of relying upon the demo-
cratic and progressive republicans to pass
the Gore motion to discharge the COM
Inerce committee from further considera-
ton of the bill introduced by Mr.. Gore,
which is the administration bill with two
amendments.
The return to Washington of Senator
Smith had not been expected by the ad-
ministration leaders and they were count
ing upon using the Gore motion to get
the bill before the Senate again
The votes of Senator Smith and Sena-
tor Newlands will make the vote Oh a
motion to amend the Clarke motion to
reconnt stand IS to AS, and the Vice
PRESIDENT could cast the deciding vote in
favor of the administration leaders.
Senator Smith. 1t is understood, will
support the administration in its fight for
the ship bill, notwithstanding rurnors thar
Ne was opposed to the measure