Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1916 — FOES UNITE TO BOOST WAR BILLS [ARTICLE]

FOES UNITE TO BOOST WAR BILLS

Speaker Clark and Representative Mann Fight Side By Side In Support of Defense.

Washington, Feb. 7 Clark and Republican Leader Mann fought side by side in the house today for an adequate national defense. With party lines obliterated, most of the members followed their leaders an<l two navy measures passed without a dissenting vote. One, to provide for adding three hundred midshipmen to the entering class at Annapolis next July, passed 173 to 0, and the other, to equip navy yards for construction of battleships 43 and 44, passed without a roll call. Mr. Mann tried to put the antipreparedness advocates on record by calling for a division on the naval academy bill, but there were no negative responses. The appearance of Speaker Clark on the floor to champion preparedness measures aroused wide interest. Rumors persisted that he wpuld take active charge of the fight to increase the army and navy. Majority Leader Kitchen having joined the opposition.