New Britain herald., 1916-05-02
CLARKE PHILIPPINE
 BILL IS DEFEATED
Overwhelmed in House After Long Administration Setback

Washington. May 2.-The adminis- tration encountered it's sharpest de- feat in the house last night after one of the bitterest fights of the session, when on number of roll calls and divisions the house consistently by large votes rejected the Clarke amendment to the Philippine bill giv- ing the islands complete independence within four years.
 This was one of the issues on which Lindley M. Garrison resigned as secretary of war. He had said that the Clarke amendment marked a cowardly abandonment of the islands, and urged the president to oppose it. At the time the president was expected to use his influence with house leaders for the elimina- ton Of the amendment, but at the recent party caucus a letter from the president was read giving his ap- proval to the amendment.
 The rejection of the bill as it passed the senate was effected by the solid republican vote with the aid of thirty democrats. The house then having taken the situation in hand rejected the entire senate bill and
 
 it's vague preamble holding out the hope of ultimate independence of the islands. After that, on motion of MT. Fitzgerald of Brooklyn, demo- cratic chairman of the committee on appropriations. the house instructed it's conferees to agree to no provision fixing a definite time limit for the evacuation of the islands.
 The bill 9S 96Onta6 hv oe ho1so aside from this vague pream ble, simply provides the islands with a new system of government in which the natives would have larger share. This bill follows the lines of the senate bill as prepared in the com nittee on the Philippines. The Clarke amendment. which never won the approval of the senate commit tee, was offered on the floor by MT. Clarke of Arkansas, president pro tempore of the senate. The senate bill in it's administrative features came nearer the wishes of the war department than the house bill, and some of these features may be re- stored in conference.
 Yesterday gave another illustration Of the democratic leadership in the house. Representative Claude Kit chin of North Carolina. the majority leader, apparently did little to stem the anti-administration revolt. MT Kitchin voted with the administra- ton, but did nothing toward extract ing the democrats from the disagree able position in which they found themselves. The administration fight was led by MT. Garret. MT. Sabath and MT. Jones, and under this divided leadership the bill was defeated on every roll call.
 Thirty democrats-most of them from New York-joined with the republicans and defeated the ad- ministration forces at every turn. The house passed the original Jones bill approved by the lower chamber in the sixty-third congress, which provides qualified self-government for the islanders, and contains an inn Llied promise that eventually the Filipinos will have their freedom.
 The final rout of the administra- ton forces, who had fought since Ii o'clock in the morning to save the senate bill and the Clarke amend ment, was engineered by Representa- tive John J. Fitzgerald. After the senate measure had been deecsively rejected MT. Fitzgerald offered a motion instructing the conferees.
 administration democrats filibus- tered Intellectually against the Fitz- gerald motion. An attempt was made to adjourn the house because the so-called Tammany democrats once more joined with the minority.
 After defeating the administration move to adjourn by a majority of more than 50. the house voted POS to 149 for the 'previous question" on the Fitzgerald motion. The align ment was practically the same on all votes Mr. Fitzgerald's motion in- structng the conferees to accept no provision in conference that fixes a definite date for the relinquishment of the islands then was carried. The record vote against the Clarke amendment was 213 to 165.
 MT. F'itzgerald's motion ties the hands of the conferees in advance of the conference between the two bodies. It is possible that no bill will emerge from conference.
 Representative Michael Conry of New York, who left a sick bed to vote with the Tammany democrats against the Philippine bill, collapsed as the final vote was taken near midnight fast night. He was assisted in Ealf -fainting condition from the stuffy house chamber where he had remained for thirteen hours