New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-03
The Ship Bill Revolt and Its Etec'
ON Mr.. Wilson's Leadership.

Mr. Wilson may he able TO pump some new
ufe into the ship purchase bill. lie IS negotiating
now ror the support Of enough Republican Pro-
crcssivcs TO Offset the detection OF the Democratic
senator, who have bol,cd ms leadership. lie may
even bring some OF the ~chc'hous Senators 'ac'
bv Welding 10 Their demand for a 'ccomml'a'
Of the administration mea.
But whatever happens 70 the bill the President
will never he able TO make good the presuge
he has lost as party leader The authority
which he exercised over his party followers IN
Congress has been rudcly challenged Formerly
when differences Of opinion arose he had his way
Now he has lost the power 70 enforce his VIII ana
;s Obliged TO accommodate himself TO the Will OF
the Senate. When q pronounced supporter OF the
administration like The Evening Post can ay
that bv his course on the ship purchase bill Mr.
Wilson lis both imperilhuG his reputation for
sound judgment and rccdlcssly hazardlng ms
deserycdly great prestige the damaging effect
on average public opinion Of the.Prcsdcnts set
back in the Senate hardly needs to be argued,
The revolt which checked the railroadng
through the Senate OF. an ill-consdered ship pur-
chase bill. putting ungusrdcd and dangerous
authority into the hands Of an executive board,
.rposcs two fallacies on which the President has
acted. He assumed that there was a party man
date behind the government ownership scheme
He also assumed that there was popular man
date behind IT, As matter Of fact, the Demo
cratic party has never advocated anything re
motley resembling government ownership and
operation Of deep merchant marine. EN-
cent for the accident that for a time II looked
az ~ the cotton growers Of the South might
And their shipping facilities TO Europe cut off
the emergency ship purchase scheme would proba-
bly, never have been dreamed Of in administration
circles at Washington. The South's interest in il
has been the only substantial influence behind II
and the only mandate for il which by any stretch
Of the imagination could be described as Demo
cratic. But the Souths interest in the emergency
scheme subsidized when the emergency passed The
Democratic Senator who moved 10 recommt the
bill on Monday, Mr.. Clarke, comes from Arkansas
cotton state. OF the Democrats voting with
him Mr.. Vardaman Mr.. Bankhead and Mr..
Hsrdwick also come from cotton states. Only
two Of the seven insurgents, Mr.. O'Gorman and
Mr. Hitchcock arc Northemers.
The Presidents claim that the country at large
favors governmental venture into ocean trans
portaton is even more himsy. There is no popu
ar demand for the passage Of the ship purchase
bill On the contrary. the moral support Of public
opinion Is all behind the demand Of the minority
in the Senate that this risky measure he held ur
until Its consequences are fully discussed and
generally understood lf the opposition in the
Senate was unreasonable or purely fractional the
Democratic instruction OF Monday would never
have been possible.
IT the bill Is recommiued for amendment rs
chances Of passage at this session will be slight
The President and Mr.. McAdoo have failed e
make out their case. The opposition has bccI
hcartened by partial success and would be fool
sh TO yield now that the advocates Of the bill
have had 70 acknowledge partial defeat Mr.
Wilson used to be shrcwd judge Of public opin
ion. But lattery his reading OF the signs Of tn
times has been very poor On no other measure
has he gone 50 far and 50 obstmatcly wrong d
on the ship purchase bill Tic is alone to blam
If his party balks at following him and the pub
lie has begun to distrust and discount his leader
ship.