Vote For One Battleship.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 15, 1912:
House Democrats Rescind Declaration Against Increasing Navy.
Special to The New York Times.
    WASHINGTON, Aug. 14.— The Democrats of the House, in caucus to-day, rescinded their former declaration against the authorization of any battleships as part of this year's naval programme, and adopted a resolution authorizing the House conferees on the Naval Appropriation bill to agree to the authorization of one new battleship.
    This is the fifth caucus the Democrats have held on battleships. Its action is expressive of the compromise reached between the "large" and "small" navy men to prevent a wide split in their party ranks. Without such action the hands of the House conferees would have been tied, and Democrats generally in the House could not have voted for one or two battleships without laying themselves open to the charge of bolting the binding caucus decision of their party.
    Chairman Padgett of the House Naval Committee offered the resolution, which was adopted after very little debate. Representative Sulzer of New York, who has been leading the two-battleship fight, tried to obtain consideration for a resolution allowing Democrats to vote as they please on the battleship question. Representative Padgett made a point of order, which Chairman Burleson promptly sustained, against the Sulzer proposal. Speaker Clark delivered a harmony speech, pleading for party peace and declaring one battleship was a good compromise between no battleships and two of them. Mr. Sulzer wanted assurances that the Senate conferrees would accept the one-battleship compromise. Chairman Padgett gave this assurance. Mr. Sulzer, however, announced that he would vote for two battleships, and denounced the folly of making a partisan issue of the navy.
    Unlike the four preceding caucuses, there was an absence of bitterness of feeling, and by a rising vote of 95 to 11 the resolution of recession was put through. It is expected that the Senate will agree to the one battleship plan, ending the deadlock over the Naval bill.
    There were present at the secret meeting 126 members, representing all opinions on the subject of appropriations for naval expansion, and of these twenty refrained from voting. While the solid support of the majority will not be given to the battleship programme, the leaders are confident that they will have far more than the necessary strength when aligned with the Republican "friends of the navy."
    An effort will be made to have the warship to be authorized the largest and most formidable fighting craft ever laid down. The vessel, if its sponsors win their fight, would be equal in fighting ability to any two battleships below the dreadnought size, and far superior to any of the latter class now afloat. A sharp fight is expected on this issue, however, both on the ground of extravagance, and the contention of many members of the Naval Affairs Committees of both the Senate and House that such a craft would be unwieldy and expensive to maintain.