Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-03
CAPITAL CHAT.
Maine Members Keep Busy On
Committee Work.
Mail Of Congressman Much Heavier
Than in Most Sessions.
q Promotion for Hersert N. Lord, Of
Rockland.

Washington, ID. c., March 2-(Spe-
ciaD.-The wheels of legislation have
been nearly at standstill during the
past seven days. Sand thrown on the
cogs by the two senators from South
Carolina blocked smooth progress in
the Senate. One day of the House
was occupied with the Mckinley me-
mortal services and most of the rest
of the time was devoted to routine
work. The Maine men at both ends of
the Capitol, however, have been busily
at work. Nearly every morning Gov.
Powers has been mounting by the cleo
trio elevator to the gallery floor to lis
ten TO long arguments on election con-
tests in one of the committee rooms
That keeps him busy right up to the
time that the House meets and some
| times there is an afternoon session of
his committee.
Almost as frequently Gov. Burleigh
has been turning his footsteps towards
the room of the committee on public
buildings and grounds during the last
two or three weeks. The clamor for
public buildings is great and delega-
| tions have been coming from every
quarter of the compass to be heard
and to tell what they would like TO
have for their own particular locali-
ties. The members of this committee,
of which Gov. Burleigh is one, listen
patiently to the pleas and soon must
pick out the cities where the demands
of public business Is the greatest and
where, as far as they can judge, the
need of better public buildings is
greatest. Necessarily many applicants
must be disappointed.
Nothing has been determined as to
the various Maine projects. Gov. Bur-
leigh and the other members of the
Maine delegation. will do all in their
power to have as many bills as posi-
BILE put upon the calendar for Maine.
but it is apparent that not all OF them
can be accepted. Calais, Bangor. Au-
gusta, Bar Harbor, and Portland all
have claims in for appropriations. Mr..
Littlefield is the only Maine represen-
tative who has not applied for an APP
preparation for a Public building.
Mr.. Littlefield has had a deal Of
work to do in the judiciary committee,
which committee has an unusually
large number of important measures to
consider at this session Of Congress.
One of these is the so-called anarchy
bill, which has already been reported
and which Mr.. Littlefield had a hand
in framing Like Gov. Powers he has
to give considerable time to election
contests just at present as two of
these contests were assigned to the
committee of which he is a member.
Representative Allen has not little
to do these days in the committee on
the District of Columbia, of which he
is a member. This makes him in eff
feet one of the common council of the
city. All the time little questions are
coming up for the committee to con-
slider.
Nearly every week for the last two
months the Maine members have also
had a House caucus to attend. They
attend those gatherings punctually, as
the questions to be taken up are of
Importance to the party and the eau
Gus officers ask all the members to
make an effort to be present. As
there is some discussion among Re-
publicans as to what is the best pro-
gram to follow in the matter Of reliev-
ing Cuba, the Maine Republicans have
been listening carefully to the argu-
ments presented by both sides that
they may have information on which
to act when the time for voting comes.
At the caucus held last Monday all the
Maine men attended but took no part
in the discussion. 1t may be that
some Of them VIII have something to
say in the caucus or more correctly
which gathers this next
Monday evening.
Their constituents in Maine have
had little to say upon the Cuban ques-
ton. A few letters have been re-
ceived, some Of them from free traders
and some from business men, the lat
ter deprecating anything that might
disturb tariff rates.
The correspondence with Maine con-
gressmen from their constituents con-
tinues to be unusually heavy this winter.
This means more work and more
rands about the departments. Gov. Bur-
leigh stated today that his mail this win
ter had been on the average twice as
heavy as during the last Congress. The
on postal matters is nee
essarily heavy, because of the establish
ment Of rural free delivery routes and
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