Sulzer To Vote For Battleships.

New York Times 100 years ago today, July 27, 1912:
In Spite of Caucus Action, He Asks Democrats to Pledge Their Support of Two New Ships.
COMPROMISE SEEMS LIKELY
In Return for a $50,000,000 Public Building Bill Democrats May Vote for Naval Increase.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, July 20.— An active campaign among the Democrats of the House for the authorization of two new battleships as part of this year's naval programme was begun to-day when Representative William Sulzer of New York, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, wrote a letter to Chairman Burleson of the Democratic caucus declaring his intention to vote for the battleship programme regardless of the caucus action. Simultaneously, Mr. Sulzer and Representative Murray of Massachusetts began circulating a pledge among their Democratic colleagues binding them to vote for two battleships.
    While Chairman Sulzer expressed hope that the Democratic majority will yet agree to the building of the new ships, he made it clear to-day that be believed if they could be obtained in no other way, they could be voted by a combination of Republicans and Democrats on grounds of lofty patriotism and non-partisanship. It was to bring about this that he began to circulate his pledge. Here it is:
    We, the undersigned Democratic members of the House of Representatives, hereby pledge ourselves to vote for two battleships, and to use our efforts and our influence to have the conferrees of the House recede and concur in the Senate amendment authorizing the construction of two new battleships in the pending Naval Appropriation Bill.
    Five Democrats have already signed this pledge — Messrs. Sulzer, Murray of Massachusetts, Hobson of Alabama, and Talbot and Konig of Maryland.  Mr. Sulzer is confident that no less than 35 Democrats will subscribe, and is hopeful that when the 100 Democrats who were not present at the caucus the other night return to the House a majority of them will sustain the two-battleship programme.
    The partial conference report on the Naval bill, which included an agreement on everything but the battleships, was agreed to by the senate to-day, and will be called up in the House on Tuesday.
    There will probably be another Democratic caucus to-morrow night or Monday in an effort to obviate differences within the party and reach a compromise on one battleship. Some of the opponents of battleships have based their opposition on the refusal of the caucus to bring out an omnibus Public Buildings bill. One plan of compromise suggested is that in return for acquiescence in the adoption of the battleship programme at the session, a $50,000,000 Public Building bill be reported and passed next Winter.