The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-05-01
special to REPORTER.

sued oue day earlier on account of Fast
Day, we were unable to use this letter
last week,
Washington, d. C., April %.
Representative Roberts of Massachu-
sets, an East Madison boy, held the
attention of the National House for about
a half hour, last week, during the in.
tensely interesting proceedings over the
Cuban Reciprocity bill. When he handed
out broad sheet OF paper which House
page scampered away with up to the
reading clerks desk, everybody else in
the House was Ignorant OF his Intentions
Uuc &c 5000 SSak hs wanted the
duty taken off hides. There are lots of
shoe factories in his distrief, as there are
in fferent sections of Maine, aud Mr..
Roberts has been preaching free hides in
season aud out of season for many
months.
The Republicans naturally prevented
him from getting that amendment on
the bill, for they could not afford to al
low tariff revision on the floor but Mr.
Roberts pluck brought him to the atten-
ton Of the House anew. When he had
been voted down once he handed out
still another sheet of paper and made an
other trial under different language, but
that too failed. Mr.. Roberts snatched
away from his other colleagues on the
Bay State delegation some glory that
they would have liked 10 pocket for their
campaign this coming summer. He has
been much occupied in the last two
weeks with framing the Naval Appro-
pristion bill, being member of the
House naval committee.
Congressman Burleigh is very actively
pressing the petitions of several Somer-
set communities for rural free delivery.
He was glad when the difficulties of
additional routes at Skowhegan had been
cleared away, as he has been DESTROYS of
furnishing the rural communities contig-
uous to the county seat with all the priv
ileges of these modern mail facilities,
without, of course, ipiuring any other
material interests. Before lo1g he hopes
to learn that Special Agent f. P. Bou-
telle, of Bangor, has been able to visit
Somerset and inspect several proposed
routes in diff rent parts of the county.
There are petitions pending for Athens,
South Norrdgewock and Starks, the last
mentioned petition having come from Mr..
W. L. Walker, a member of the State
legislature. 1t is quite certain that be-
fore many months most of these routes
will be established, provided the inspect
or reports favorably on them and there
is no serious objection from citizens.
But these routes will be only part of a
better county system which Governor
Burleigh expects to have installed in
Somerset within few months. He has
| been looking into the advantages of that
system and is convinced that it could OBJ
viate the objections that come from some
individuals in Somerset to the established
routes. The Post Office Department is
now establishing the rural free delivery
routes on the county system, by which
| the routes are laid out to cover an entire
county thoroughly and Gov. Burleigh's
purpose is TO have the work taken up in
Somerset as soon as he can persuade the
Department to take it up.
Ia the controversies among the
House Republicans during the last
few weeks over Cuban reciprocity Mr..
Burleigh has stood with the Republican
leaders and on the final verdict, last Fri
day, he voted with them on every roll
call. Although this was the losing side,
the governor regarded the Cuban recp-
rocity measure as party measure, after
it had been adopted in Republican con-
ference. AS it was straight out fight
between the bill aud its opponents the
governor refused to make any pairs with
absentee Democrats but demanded that
his vote 60 on record as supporting the
majority party of the House.
Gov. Dole, of Hawaii, who has been
here for about week for consultation
with President Roosevelt, is anxious to
visit the former home of his parents In
| Skowhegan. He stated, however, that
he did not dare to make the journey into
Maine at this season of the year. wher
the climate is raw and apt to prove seri.
Gus for man who has been living in
such sunny climate as that of the Mid
Pacific. He will venture to Boston, this
week, but no farther. When he arrived
In Washington the governor had con
tracted a severe cold, although he tool
the pre- caution to cross the continent by
the Southern route. 1t made him 81
hoarse that he could scarcely speak fol
several days aud lhen his general health
Is not of the best. Scores of invitations
have been pressed upon him since he
came here, invitations to dine and Il
visit. Last Monday evening, a large
company of Republicans, prominent in
public life, attended dinner at which
the governor was the guest of honor
Among those present was Senator Hale
of Maine. The governor is a very tai
man, over six feet, and although well
along in years is active as a wild animal
in his movements. His personal bravery
during the revolutionary times in Ha.
wall was remarkable thing and is the
marvel OF the native Kanakas, who rev.
erence his acts of heroism to this day
His long white beard and alert eyes,
coupled with a smooth but incisive voice
make him a marked figure in any com.
pany OF people.
The agitation for reciprocity with Can.
ada, in which Maine, including Somerset
county, has lively interest, crops out
here occasionally liz Congress. Ar
amendment was pressed to that effect
the other day in the house of Mr.. Cor.
liss, of Michigan, but nothing came OF
it. The large cities near the border lint
are generally clamoring for reciprocity
with Canada, but the agricultural inter
ests, like those of Somerset, are as equally
firm against such proposition. 1t will
be several years bfore anything Of that
kind can be carried through, although