The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1916-05-12

spend almost any sum to remove. II
Mr.. Kitchin politically dead is worth q
fortune to the munition makers, Kitchir
alive ought to be rather valuable to the
second district.-Greensboro News.
Majority Leader Kitchin Enters a vi
gorous Protest.
Washington, May 8.-Majority Lead
er Claude Kitchin told the Daily News
correspondent today that there was not
one word of truth in the statement be,
ing circulated by his political enemies
that his opposition to the ship purchase
bill in the last Congress is responsible
for the farmers getting five cents a
pound less for their tobacco and cotton
than they would have received had the
bill been passed and ships provided for
a merchantmen.
"There is absolutely not word of
truth in this statement said Mr.. Kit
chin. "While I was opposed and voted
against the ship purchase bill, because
the permanent government ownership
and feature to it, I never directly, or
indirectly, obstructed or defeated the
passage of the bill in the house; on the
contrary, I helped to facilitate it's early
consideration.
1.-The President, in my conference
with him, asked me, notwithstanding
that I could not vote for the bill un-
less this permanent feature was elimi-
mated, to help him get it up for early
consideration. I promised him 1 would
do it and I Immediately saw the gentle
men who had the bill in charge and
the rules committee, and, as 1 said be-
fore, I co-operated in getting a special
rule to take it up. Then it was taken
up Immediately and both the special rule
and the bill was passed in the house in
one day, the house remaining in session
until late at night in order to pass it.
1 voted for the previous question on
the rule, SO as to take it up Immediate
ly. 1 refused to vote against the rule,
as many of the opponents of the bill
did. Then the bill the following dav
went to the senate and there, on ac-
count of the filibuster, vote was never
reached, and the bill therefore was de-
feated. So [ in no way, directly or
indirectly, either obstructed or caused
the defeat of the bill. It was defeat
ed in the senate, not i'll the house,
When asked if he would support the
present shipping bill, which was report
ed to the house today amended so as to
provide for only five years operation by
the government, Mr.. Kitchin answered
that he certainly intended to do so and
that he would lend every influence pos
sible to have the bill passed.
The permanent government ownership
section was the one thing that house
members objected to. Notwithstanding
the fact that the President at first
wanted the permanent government op-
Grafton feature, after he had conferred
with Kitchin and other leaders of his
party in both branches of Congress, he
was convinced that the position of Con-
gress was right and yielded to their
judgment.
Referring again to the charge that
he had obstructed the measure during
the last Congress, Mr.. Kitchin said:
eff l were the cause of the defeat of
the bill, and its defeat caused the cot
ton and tobacco farmers to lose even
a penny, do you think the southern
representatives in Congress would have
voted for me unanimously, as they did,
and all other Democrats in the house
for house leader, after my record on
the bill had been made? Ask my op-
ponents this. Judge Saunders, who rep
resents the Danville, Va, district, chair
man OF the caucus, not only voted
against the ship purchase bill, but was
on the committee that reported it, and
filed very vigorous minority report
against it. He is unanimously renomi
mated, without opposition, in his dis
trict. Why is it that farmers and
others interested in the tobacco bust
ness in his district do not accuse him
because Of his fight against and vote on
the bill, Of causing them to lose on their
tobacco Because they know there is
no truth in it..
Even if the bill had become a law
at the last Congress, not an extra pound
of tobacco or cotton would have been
shipped. It would have taken a year
or two under the bill for ships to have
been constructed, had the bill passed
and if we had purchased ships under the
bill, it would not have added a single
ship to our export trade, as the only
ships which could have been purchased
were those already in the export trade
| Another reason, which the whole
world knows except my opponents, who
are spreading these Misrepresentation
against me, why another pound of cot
ton or tobacco would not have been
shipped (even if we had had Thousand
ships) is that The British order in co,.n
Gil forbade the shipment of cotton and
tobacco to Germany and Austria, and
later even to pentraJ countries ,,-b o,o