The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-04

Because of the opposition of the re- publican leaders, and the insistence of Senator Borah, the Senate was un- able to pass the naval bill at that session of Congress.
 The ConnaIIy Proposal
 The naval bill was reintroduced ii the House at this session. A dem ocratic representative from Texas, Mir. Connolly, offered several amend ments requesting the President to call a conference, all of which were ruled out of order upon objection frem the republican side of the House. Finally. he offered one that was in order, and the republican ma jority defeated 1t.
 "The bill went to the Senate, and Senator Borah again offered his amendment. As before, it was sup ported by practically every demo- cratic member of the Senate. As in the previous Congress, it was opposed by the republican leaders, until one day the press carried story that the senators in charge of the naval bill visited the White House, and after conference with the President announced that there would be no further opposition to the amend ment The Borah amendment May 25 was unanimously adopted by the Senate.
 Porter Proposes Plan
 "The circumstances under which opposition was withdrawn led the people to believe that the matter was settled, and that the amend ment, being satisfactory to the Pres ieent, would be agreed to by the House Rut no sooner had the bill passed the Senate than the press car ried another story, June 5, that the chairman of the foreign, affairs com mittee of the House, MT. Porter, had visited the White House, and after a conference with the President, stat ed he would offer a resolution which was believed to meet with the ap- proval of the President, authorizing and requesting him to call a disarm- ament conference. The resolution was immediately introduced and re- ported by the foreign affairs com mittee. The republican leader, MT. Mondel1. stated to the press, how ever, that he would not call for ac- tion by the House upon the resolu- tion, but that it tswould serve as in structions to House conferees and could hardly be ignored considering the agencies concerned in its prepa- ration
 "June 3, Mir. Monde1l, on the floor of the House. criticised the Borah amendment as narrow, restricted and unsatisfactory and on June '. in refusing to enter an agreement to let the House vote directly on the Borah amendment, he told the gen tleman from Texas, MT. Garner, that he favored the Porter amendment in preference to the Borah amendment. This statement was made after MT. Mondell had, according to the press, called upon the President in company with Senators Poindexter and Hale, the Senate conferees on the bill.
 Speech of Weeks
 "The bill went to conference The ccnferees on the part of the House did not seem anxious to construe the action of the foreign affairs commit tee as instructions by the House. On the contrary. every one of the House conferees, republicans and demo- crats, stated that they favored the Borah amendment. They determined to vote their convictions and the con of their constituents rather than follow the leader of the House.
 "Whereupon, we saw another change in the programme. Mir. Mon- dell announced. June IS, that on Monday, June 20, the Porter resolu- tion would be called up and passed under suspension of the rules. Be- fore the members of the House could adjust themselves to this change, MT. Mondell again changed his mind. and the next morning that the Porter disarmament resolution would not be called up June 20. He gave as reason that many members were absent.
 "The fact Is that there was a larger attendance of the members, June 20, than there had been for months. It was in order to suspend the rules, and the republican leadership devoted the day to suspending the rules and passing the road and anti-beer bills. For an explanation of all this polit- ical side-stepping, read the speech of Secretary Weeks at Tufts college,