The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-13
SHIP BILL FIGHT
 SHIFTS ID HOUSE
The Administration Leaders
 Prepare Compromise Bill
BLOCKED IN SENATE
Displaced as Unfinished Business and Cloture Rule Taken Up--kitchir's Proposal Is Definitely Re
 iected by Administration

Washington. February 12.--The ship purchase bill fight shifted tonight from the Senate to the House. In the Sen ate, the measure blocked by republican opposition. was displaced unfin- ished business and a cloture rule, de- signed to terminate forcibly the fili buster, was taken up.
 Administration forces began work on a compromise House bill but House leaders were far from confident it would unite the divided Senate demo- crats or win republican support. They declared the administration did not concede enough in the proposed com- promise to secure its passage. The cloture rule presented in the Senate met the same republican rilt- buster that had blocked the ship bill and a conference of Senate democrats was called for tomorrow to consider the advisability of continuing the fight for the cloture proposal or of abandoning 1t and returning to di- rect contest for the shipping bill.
 Kitchin Measure Rejected
 The new bill was introduced in the House after Postmaster General Burle- son for the administration went to the capitol and definitely rejected the compromise measure advanced by Rep resentative Kitchin. The Kitchin pro- posa1 contemplated making the ship bill temporary emergency measure and would have taken the government out CT the termination of the European war. MT. Kitchin declared passage of this measure through both branches Of Congress was assured.
 The administrators counter pro- posal. as 1t was being framed tonight. would organize shipping board with an appropriation of $40,000,000 to en- gage in shipping for period ending two years after the wars termination. Then the ships would be turned over to the Secretary of the Navy to be leased or operated in the merchant ser vice in his discretion. This plan, to place the government permanently in the shipping business, was the poins the administration insisted on. It is the provision, too. against which the Sen ate republican filibuster is aimed chief ly. House leaders tonight said this pro- vision would defeat the measure In the Senate.
 In House Next Week
 The administration proposal. which embraces the Weeks bill for the or ganization of a merchant marine naval auxiliary, the Gore compromise ship ping bill and amendments propably will be brought into the House next week. Passage of the Weeks bill with the administration amendments would place the compromise before the Sen ate as House amendment to bill already passed
 Representative Kitchen said tonight that he had no hope of the admin istration compromise passing the Sen ate.
 It may have a moral effect upon the Senate and the country" he added however, land may strengthen the ad- ministration support in the Senate
 The Weeks bill would provide for the establishment of United States na- val auxiliary lines between the United St4tes and South America and between the United States and the countries Of Europe It would authorize the Sec- retary of the Navy to employ avail able naval vessels at his discretion in general mail. freight and passenger business.
 Ine snip purcnaSe Dill 10 pc eddeG to the Weeks measure is the one agreed on In the Senate caucus With relation to the purchase of beIligerent- owned merchant ships in American har- bors the only limitation would be that in buying vessels during continuance of the European war mo purchase shall be made in a way which will disturb the present conditions of neu- trality."
 President Wilson tonight definitely ap- proved of the plan to have ships acquired under the bill pass to the control of the Secretary of the Navy two years after the conclusion of the European war, at conference with Chairman Padgett of the House naval affairs committee and Representative Webb.
 The entire situation was carefully. can vassed and the proposal mapped out at the capitol earlier in the day received the Presidents sanction. It was said, after tho conference, that Mr. Wilson was still hopeful that an extra session might be avoided.
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