Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-19
CAPITAL CHAT.
The Maine Delegation Is Keep
ing Very Busy.
Senator Hale Leading Opposition to
Three New States.
What the Maine Men in the House Are
Now Doing.

Washington, Dec 1S-(SpeciaD.-
| The three weeks of Congress. prior 10
the holidays. have not been idle ones
for the six Maine men. They have had
enough to do to keep busy. which is q
| great deal more than most members
| OF the Senate and House can say. Sem
| ator Hale has had his time filled in
with work on the appropriations COM
| mittee. where the bill to appropriate
saeO0OO for stamping out the foot and
| mouth disease has been considered and
favorably reported. The same commit
! tee also had under consideration the
pension appropriation bill There has
also been not little other preliminary
work on appropriation bills, notably
| the naval appropriation bill, which.
| however. cannot be taken up definitely
| until it has passed the House.
Then the senior senator has been dill
igently watching the statehood bill, as
he is virtually the leader of the opposi-
ton to the creation of three states in
the Southwest. Every day as promptly
as o'clock has come round, Mr. Hale
has returned To the chamber from his
lunch that he might be present to direct
the fight against Senator Quay and the
Democrats. 1t looks very much now
as though he had won that fight, al
though there is no telling but what
Senator Quay, if he is able to hold the
few recalcitrant Republican senators
in line with him. will take stand and
threaten the fate of appropriation bills
and an extra session of Congress UNI
less the statehood bill comes to a vote.
1t is improbable that he will do that,
although not impossible.
Senator Frye has had little commit
tee work. this session. thus far, ex-
cept in the foreign relations committee.
That committee has held several ses-
sions and considered important mat
tiers. among other things the New
Foundland treaty. He and Senator
Hale have both heard great deal from
Maine people in opposition to that
treaty. which it is quite sure will never
be ratified. Senator Frye arranged the
date for the hearing of the Maine fish
ermen and has been active in advanc-
ing their claims. He has also the work
of presiding daily in the Senate, which,
while not onerous. nevertheless entails
much closer attention and attendance
in the chamber than if he were simply
a senator without being President Pro
Tempore.
As for the members of the House. all
have accomplished some good tasks
prior to the holiday season. Gov. Bur-
leigh. the dean of the delegation. has
taken up bills connected with the COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds,
particularly for Augusta, Calais, Bar
Harbor and Portland. and has been
securing statements and letters from
the treasury department which will
help him towards getting those bills
enacted into law, he hopes. at this ses-
sion of Congress. He has also done
good deal of pension work at the bu-
reau here. as have nearly all the Maine
members for that matter. All the
Maine members. also, have caught up
with their routine work before the de-
partments. Of which they, have great
deal
Representative Littlefield, who will
leave here. late this week, for Rock
land, has spent n large part of his time
in the room of the committee on judi
ciary on the gallery floor of the House,
where he has been wrestling with the
trust problems. Mr.. Littlefield Is chair
man of a subcommittee which is try
ing to frame Il reasonable bill that will
curb the great combinations of trade
and transportation. He has accom-
plished a good chore in that direction,
although his work Is by no means done
He will keep at work while he is AT
Rockland and hopes to have something
ready for the House soon after the hol-
idays.
Representative Allen has been giving
considerable tine to the meeting OF the
committee on the District Of Columbia,
which has been considering quite Bit
of important legislation and much Of
which has been enacted by the House
during the past week. One of the meas
ures. which Mr.. Allen helped prepare.
was that for a union depot in the city
Of Washington. constructed on grand
proportions. The Pennsylvania ana the
Baltimore a. Ohio railroads are to enter
the same station. the Pennsylvania
reaching il by 81 tunnel under Capitol
hill between the Capitol building and
CONTINUED on page 81