The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1902-01-23
Our Washington Letter.
Rural f. ID. Routes In Somerset. Con-
gressmen's Correspondence, etc.
Especial to REPORTER.

Washington, d. c., Jan. %. The
formal announcement of Skowhegan's
three rural free delivery routes has not
yet been made at the Post Office Depart
ment but it Is coming. Over week ago
Gov. Burleigh received assurance from
Chief Machen, of the rural free delivery
division, that it had been decided to In.
stall the service. However it takes some
time to get everything actually in readi-
ness. just at present the Post-offiee
department has to go somewhat slowly
in establishing these routes because the
funds are short. The urgent DIT ficiency
BILL which has passed the House this
| week, carries large sum, some $500, 900
for rural free delivery routes. When
that amount of money is made available
there will be boom in rural free de-
| livery service. AS the carries get all the
way from 5000 to $500 according to the
character of service, it will be seen that
hundreds of routes Can be established on
the money forthcoming.
Although the date is not fixed, prob
ably all three routes out of Skowhegan
will be running in fine shape by the
time the spring breaks up. Gov. Bur
| leigh has very successful way of hast
ening such things along and, although
there may have been lots of other routes
promised before he got the promise for
Skowhegan, few weeks will likely SUI
! flee for him to complete the arrange
ments. Ii is the governors intention to
have Somerset as well equipped, con-
sidering the density of the population
and the location of the towns, as any
county in New England in the matter of
mail facilities. With the establishment
of the routes out of Skowhegan and with
the establishment of that at Madison and
of route out of North Arson up the
River road towards Scion, where an in
spector has been lately, there will be an
almost contiguous chain of rural free
delivery from the county line between
Somerset and Kennebec clear up the
Kennebec valley as far as there is suf-
iicient population to warrant such
service.
| 1t would be an interesting story of the
activity and interest of Maine people In
| Washington proceedings, if a digest
could be made of the daily letters that
come down here to the six Senators and
| vi Soul sc uluHy VI liC
letters are of confidential character
and good many are on matters with
which men have no business to trouble a
member of Congress. One night this
week Gov. Burlegh took 26 letters to
the city post office at late hour that
they might catch an early mail back to
Maine and that was hardly half of what
he had written the same day, nearly
every letter being a reply to some query
from the third Congressional district.
This was only an ordinary day. This
winter the Congressional grist of mail
from Maine has been unusually heavy.
The big packages of letters are in the
post office of the House every morning
or are brought to the members hotel or
residence, ready for him the moment his
breakfast is over. More have accumu.
lated by the arriving trains, the while
he has been debating or himself writing
answers TO the early morning communi-
cations, or, more likely, taking a fore
noon chase around the departments to
look up some matters mentioned by his
correspondents. 1t Is letters, letters,
letters all the time and never any end,
not even on Sunday for they come on
that day and thus Mondays work is
heavier than other DAYS Of the week.
Gov. Burleigh answers many of his
letters in his own handwriting, especial.
ly when the answers required are brief.
81 find that | can write a short letter
quicker than | can dictate 1t and sign 1t"
ST Id the Governor today. Generally
people like an autograph letter better
| than typewriter one, particularly IL it
Is largely of a pei sonal cha acter. To be
sure the typewriter letter is easier to
read. On the Governors desk in his
apartments at the Hotel Richmond. there
Is always bunch of smooth, well finish
ed writing paper, with envelopes to
match and complement of good pens.
AS the letters pour in and he gathers the
contents of each, he dashes off the an
swers in rapid fashion, penning the lines
and paragraphs in rather Il re but per-
fectly legible hand with which scores of
Somerset people are familiar.
Able to turn off work speedily, Gov.
Burleigh goes through those daily tasks
promptly and does not allow his mail to
pile up on him. When long replies are
called for by the nature of the communi-
cation, he dictates to a stenographer.
The late Representative Milliken was
much given to writing autograph letters
preferring those to the typewriter
forms. He often wrote at his desk In
| the House hours at time, struggling
through his accumulated correspondence.
Gov. Powers follows those methods of
correspondence, which he found very
satisfactory while he WAS at Augusta.
He dictates nearly all his letters but he
keeps the stenographic books, which are
numbered and slowed away In some
place for safe keeping. Some Congress
men make press copies OF their cores
pondence but Gov. Powers SAYS he has
not found that necessary. Once In a
while he wants to know what he wrote
to Maine man and then he has his STEM
ographer refer back to his notes and the
letter is promptly produced. That is
sufficient for all practical purposes.
But in that, as ia all kinds of business,
different men have different methods.
Some members keep press copies of all
letters they write.
Washington is having weather almost
as fine as could be expected in June, all
of which Is excellent for the series of
official functions that are ut their height
at this season. President Roosevelt Is
not overlooking the Maine men in his
calculations. No state In the union has
been more considered this winter In dis
pensing social tavors. Mr.. and Mrs.
Little field were ut the judicial dinner
last week, he being member OF the
judiciary committee Of the House. Sen
ator Hale and Senator Frye have both
been at the White House to luncheon,
since President Roosevelt came into Of