Evening star., 1922-11-30
Leaders Claim Majority, But
Fight Hinges on Threat
of FiIibuster.
DEMOCRATIC SUPPORT
EXPECTED BY HACKERS
New Amendments Reported Com
ing-House Passes Measure,
2O8 to 1874.

tons merchant marine aid bill, passed
by the House yesterday. now shifts
to the Senate. The republican lead
ers plan to bring the measure before
the Senate at the earliest possible
date and to press for action. A meet
inS of the Senate commerce commit
tee. to consider the bill. has been
called by Senator Jones Of Washing
ton, chairman, for Monday. 1t is
hoped to be able to report the bill
TO the Senate not later than Tuesday
or Wednesday.
VIII Command Majority.
The bill. the leaders say. will COM
nand a majority vote in the Senate.
The fate of the bill hinges upon
whether it can be brought to a vote.
If the opponents of the measure fill
buster against 1t. as has been threat
ened. vote in the Senate prior to
extremely doubtful.
The republicans supporting the bill
are counting upon at least two demo-
cratic votes for the measure-those
of the senators from Louisiana. They
have been encouraged. too. by reports
that several other democratic Sena-
tors are planning to frame amend
nents which may be acceptable, and
which. II adopted. may bring three or
four other democrats to the support
of the bill
Statement Of Position Expected.
The democrats now engaged upon
framing these amendments take the
position that the democratic party
yCf II
for dealing with the merchant marine
situation, If they are unwilling to
accept the proposal of the republicans.
1t is expected that a statement out
lining the position of these democrats
will be made soon, either at a demo-
cratic conference or in a statement
to the press.
The bill as 1t passed the House is
satisfactory to Senate leaders sup
porting the measure, 1t was said to-
day. Senator Jones said that when
the bill is reported and brought up
in the Senate he hopes to keep it
before the Senate until it passed.
Passed 2Os to 1s4.
In the vote by which the shipping
bill was passed in the House late yes
terday. by 208 to 1874. with twenty
four votes to spare, sixty-Dine repub-
iicans broke away from their party
organization and opposed the bill.
u.
There never was much doubt about
the result. but the margin by which
1t went through was much lower than
estimates publicly given by most of
the leaders. 1t was. however. just
about what they figured on privately.
Chairman Greene of the merchant
marine committee and Representative
Edmonds, Pennsylvania, ranking re-
publican, who shouldered the fight
through the House. declared that de-
a n n ha 4
pave the way for putting the Ameri-
can flag at a high place on the seas.
The general view on both sides was
that had an attempt been made to
pass 1t as framed. it would have been
swept to overwhelming defeat
Cheer Greets Monden Plea.
There was shout of approval on
vote was announced, but it was not
half SO hearty as that given Rep
resentative Mondell. Wyoming, the
republican leader, who. in a closing
address pleaded earnestly with his
party to stand behind the President
and give the bill sweeping majority.
Mr.. Mondell had the last word, and
every one of the 204 republicans who
voted for 1t got up and cheered.
The House, in the last stage of the
Representative Lanham. democrat,
Texas. designed to give the measure
what he declared was its proper name.
Mr.. Lanham wanted to change the
title of merchant marine act to the
ship subsidy act of 1922, asserting
that he had put forward the PROPOSAL
in the final hope that spade may
be called by its proper name"
Liquor Selling Left Out.
As passed by the House no line was
left in the bill relating to the sub
nf
ships. When the question was reach
ed in committee of the whole the
Bankhead out-and-out prohibition
amendment was put aside and a sub
stitute. offered by Mr.. Edmonds, ac-
cepted.
1t stipulated that if a ship on any
particular voyage. permitted the
transportation of liquor it could not
share in a subsidy for that voyage.
The Edmonds amendment went out
on demand for separate vote In the
House by Representative Cramton,
republican, Michigan, an advocate of
prohibition enforcement, who con-
tended that it was not as strong as
existing law and might be construed
by some as wiping out the present
for the Cramton proposal, against
which there were only a handful of
scattering votes.
Cannot Collect for Own Cargo.
The House made a number of
changes in the bill as reported by the
merchant marine committee. One of
them gave Congress the right to ap-
propriate annually out Of the mer-
chant marine fund the money neces-
sary to carry out the provisions of the
act. Another provided that Industrial
ships. such as those owned by the
Standard Oil Company, should not coll
Iect compensation on any portion of a
vessel carrying cargo of the ships
owners.
The provision Of the bill giving in
come tax reductions to shippers
sending their goods abroad in Ameri-
can vessels was stricken out, and the
House also stipulated that the steam
ship Leviathan should not be sold for
less than the cost of reconditioning-
sS,166,000.
Raises Interest Rate.
Purchasers of shipping board ves-
sells would pay not less than 4A
per cent interest on deferred pay
ments, instead of per cent as origi-
nally stipulated in the bill, under
an amendment adopted. and money
loaned to prospective constructors
would bring the government not less
than N per cent interest instead
of per cent.
AS passed. the bill would provide