The Somerset reporter., 1902-02-06
Our Washington Letter.
A mother X. r. ID. Route. Somerset and
Other Maine Men at the Capitol. Gran
lite Companies and Contracts. Cen
Bureau, etc.
Special to the RRpoarER ]

Special to the RRroRTER
Washington, d. C., Feb. 4, 1902
A petition of Mr.. K. A. Spear, who
resides in Madison, near Savage post
office, signed also by a large number of
other residents in that vicinity, for
rural free delivery route has been filed
with the Post Office Department Off :
Gals by Gov. Burleigh. At the time be
filed it, Gov Burleigh made an urgent
request that this matter be gwen the
earliest possible investigation and re-
port. A good plan for the proposed
route was forwarded with the petition
and that, too, is now in the hands of the
Department officials
Among the Somerset guests recently
noon teos at the White House were Brig.
Gen. Charles G. Sawtelle, U. S. A., retir
ed, a native of Norridgewock, and Mr. Err.
nest q. Walker, formerly of Embden and
Skowhegan. Their wives accompanied
| them, Gen. Sawtelle is making his resi-
dence in Washington this winter.
Hon. Byron Boyd, Secretary of State
for Maine, who occasionally takes a
trip from Augusta to Skowhegan, where
he has many friends, among them his
| college mate, Forrest Goodwin, Esq, is
here, accompanied by Mrs Boyd and
their little daughter. They are the
guests of Mrs. Boyd's parents Gov. and
Mrs. Burleigh, and have been entertain
| ed extensively since their arrival. They
and Gov. and Mrs. Burleigh were the
guests of Senator and Mrs. Hale recently
at luncheon. Mr.. Boyd has been visit
ing around the capitol considerably and
one day last week lunched in the House
| restaurant with his old friend and col
| lege mate, Mr.. Asher G.. Kinds, of Port
land, clerk to Speaker Henderson,
table and one of the best informed men
Oh parliamentary law in this county.
| The two have been warm friends ever
since their college days at Colby MI.
| Kinds also has friends in Skowhegan
There has been prolonged contro
versy here between Maine and Maryland
parties over the contract for granite to
be used in the construction of a magni
| ticent new Custom House at Baltimore
| The Mount Waldo Granite Company of
'
pany of Maryland were both bidders for
| the contract 1t was thought at first
that the Mount Waldo Company would
win on compromise but it was decided
at last by the architects employed by the
citizens of Baltimore to accept the alter
nate bid made by the Maryland company
which provided for concrete and terra
Gotta floor construction. The difference
between the Maine and Maryland com
panies in the alternate bid was $11 500
in favor of the Maryland and could not
be overcome.
There is strife all along the line these
days in this vicinity between the granite
companies of the North and those of the
South. Vast quantities of Maine gran
lite come here to Washington for build
ing purposes, and some of it in years
gone by from the quarries near Norridge
wocB, but the southern interests are
constantly trying to dsplace the Maine
product. Not few of the former en-
ployes of the Maine quarries have come
south to manage the interests of quarry
men in that section, so it often is Yam
kee against Yankee and the bidding is
very sharp
congressman Burleigh had an impor.
tant part here last week in framing a
measure for permanent census bureau,
which was subsequently passed by the
House and now goes to the Senate. The
governor believed in the wisdom of a
permanent census bureau, maintained
with economy, because he was able to
show that it meant in the long run a
large saving to the government and far
more prompt and more reliable statistics
especially as to agricultural and manu-
featuring interests. Ever since the be
ginning of the last Congress- when the
important census committee was estab-
lished, Gov. Burleigh has kept in very
close touch with that work and is one of
The best informed men on the subject in
the committee. Furthermore by virtue
of his place on the committee Gov. Bur
leigh has been able to give employment
to few Maine people in the bureau,
who will nearly all secure permanent
places. The third district represe nta-
tive is warm friend of Gov. Merriam,
| of Minnesota. the director of the Blu
reau, and worked in accord with him in
carrying out the well arranged plans for
1
| than have been possible under the TEN
porary systems of the last century.
The popularity of rural free delivery
in the Kennebec Valley is attested by the
large number of letters Gov. Bulleigh
has been receiving of late for that ser
vice Hardly a mail comes without
some petition or request in that line
| The citizens of every county in the dis
trict seem to be mapping out routes
they would like to have established
Then nearly every mail brings some per
sonal requests regarding the service.
Different persons, who are not reached
by the service already established want
arrangements completed whereby they
can get their mail daily by carrier Mr.
Burleigh has promptly brought all those
requests before the Post Office depart
ment and special agents will take them
up as soon as they are able To visit the
localities affected.
Somerset Pomona.