San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-18
Prospects for Passage Bet
ter Than They Have
Been in Weeks.
M AY BE FILIBUSTER
Night Sessions May Be
Held to Wear Out 0p-
ponents of Measure.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

Copyright, by The San Antonio Light.
Washington, ID. c., Feb. 17.-Pros-
poets for the passage of the ship sub
sidy bill are better today than they
have been in many weeks.
The legislative decks have been
cleared for action in the Senate. The
first real test of the strength of the
majority came on Friday night when
a motion to adjourn was defeated SO
TO so and the shipping bill was made
the unfinished business on the calen-
dar. This means that with the British
debt funding bill out OF the way and
practically all the important legisla-
ton OF the session waiting in the
House for action there, the only thing
vital before the Senate is the shipping
bill.
In the twelve legislative days that
remain obstructive efforts will be
made by those who want to keep the
shipping bill tangled up in the jam of
conference reports which arises al
ways in the last two days of a session.
Senator Jones of Washington, Re-
publican, chairman of the Senate COM
mittee in charge Of the bill, is insist
the opponents of the measure who
want to talk it TO death. His strategy
will either force vote or place the
responsibility for filibuster on the
senators who want to beat the bill.
Thus far toe Democrats have been UNI
willing to admit that they would fill
buster against ship subsidy, but there
are some Republicans in the insurgent
group who are sufficiently anxious to
kill the measure as to conduct their
own fight, aided and abetted by the
Democrats. They feel that any tao
tics are justified TO prevent passage Of
an undesirable law.
Harding Wants Decision.
President Harding feels that in JUS
tice 10 the executive branch OF the
government the ship subsidy bill ought
either TO be defeated outright or
passed. He thinks that il minority
can keep the measure from coming to
vote it will be proof that the ma
iority doesn't rule in the American
Congress and that the win Of the peo-
pie cannot be expressed through the
majority.
In order to compel vote even with
night sessions, there must be quorum
on hand right along. The Republicans
themselves must attend in order to
wear out the filibusterers. There are
said to be six Democrats who will at
tend the sessions to keep a quorum
though they are themselves opposed to
the shipping bill. These men holG that
filibustering is unwarranted and they
will not be parties to it.
For awhile it looked as IL the SEN
ate might suddenly get absorbed in the
conference reports on the farm credit
bills which were passed by the Senate
and await action by the House. But
the Lenroot-Anderson bill and the
Capper bill are not yet out OF the
House banking and currency commit
tee and the chairman OF the committee
has suddenly been called away from
Washington. The differences between
the two bills are difficult to reconcile,
in fact there is a well defined rumor
that some Of the people who originally
asked for these farm credit bills would
prefer that more time be taken to
study the subject and that action on
some Of the pending proposals at least
be deferred until the December session
it being, Of course, provided that the
War Finance Corporation be author
led to continue its operation for an
other nine months.
Need for More Study.
Farm credits is an intricate subject
and some of the leaders involved are
gaid TO believe that the proposed legis-
lation was gotten up in too much
haste. 1t will be a hard job working
out n satisfactory measure between
now and March and the chances are
that even if the bills are reported out
of committee they will encounter OPP
position in the House itself. 1t will
then become. necessary for the admin
istration to exert its influence in be-
half of some compromise plan which is
likely TO be q temporary measure TO
provide for rural credits through the
war finance corporation for another
nine months and work out the details
of n new fiscal arrangement through
a Joint commission Of inquiry between
now and December.
This program is not yet Definite Tor
there is no telling what can be done
by the House when it once feels the
impulse of the farm organizations. but
not until the latter agree among them
selves is 1t likely that the House will
bestir itself.