Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-01-08
CAPITAL CHAT,
The Governments New Year
Begins, July !.
Maine Men Leaders in Washington
Journalism.
The Hay-Bond Treaty Seems Certain
of Defeat.

washington, Jan. 7.-(SpeciaD.
New Years has come and gone at the
Capital but officially the administration
knows nothing of it. The Chinese
have their own New Years and so do
the Hebrews; likewise the government
of the United States The New year
for the government begins on July
of every year for that is the beginning
of every fiscal year. OF course the ad-
ministration takes into account the
New Year, as the American people view
1t, in many ways 1t is recognized So
cially, as the reception at the White
House on January l always demon
strates. Perhaps that would be war
rant also for stating that the admins
tration officially recognizes the New
Year for all officials of the govern
ment, stationed in Washington, call
at the White House to pay greetings.
However, there are no orders or re-
quests to do so. 1t is recognized as a
happy custom and is socially taken
cognizance of by the government.
But the appropriations for running
the government know nothing of New
Years. No new books are opened by
the government authorities on that
date and in fact to all the clerks and
officials of the government New Years
day is exactly the same as any other
in the working calendar, except that
they put aside their work and do moth
ing but participate, as they may be
able, in the holiday festivities. There
is no established habit on the part of
the administration, and as far as
known none in previous administra
lions, for establishing reforms on New
Years or in turning over a new leaf"
On January the governments work
is resumed just as would be the case
On any Monday morning of the year.
A great many eyes here in Wash
ington are upon the newspaper VEN
ture in Boston of Frank Munsey, the
magazine publisher and some years
ago a telegraph operator in Augusta,
| for Mr.. Munsey has newspaper here
| in Washington, which he has been run
ming for over year. He is now pub
| fishing only an afternoon newspaper
| and a Sunday morning newspaper here,
as he stopped the morning issue of his
| paper on the week days. The vast
amount of money, which Mr. Munsey
has made out of the magazine BUSH
ness is evident from the large sums
| he has spent on his newspapers here,
in New York, and in Boston. The re-
port is given credence here in inside
circles that Mr.. Munsey's Washington
| Times, as it is today, stands him not
| far from 100000. He paid 100000
! for the Times over a year ago and the
morning paper is said to have been a
loss of over 100000 to him before it
ceased publication. However, Mr..
Munsey eventually got the Afternoon
Times OF a paying basis, after it had
| lost considerable money for him, and
| is now said to be making a little money.
| OF late Mr. Munsey has improved the
| afternoon paper considerably and is
rapidly making it one of the best after
noon papers Washington ever saw.
| He hopes in the course of years to get
some of the large amount of money
he has invested in the paper back
again
| 1t is noteworthy that both the after
noon papers in Washington are owned
and operated by former Maine men.
The Evening Star which is the lead
! ing afternoon paper, is edited by Cros-
| by s. Moves, who came to this city
| from Androscoggin county. He owns a
large interest in the Star which is re-
garded as one of the best newspaper
properties of the country. Mr.. Mum
sey's newspaper interests here are in
| the care of M. G. Seckendorff, who was
| many years the Washington cores
pondent of the New York Tribune. But
Mr.. Munsey finds time occasionally
to come over to Washington and see
how things are running. He has an
active man in the business office and is
all told we'll equipped to build up a
large and profitable newspaper prop
erty.
There has been a revival, this winter,
of a clamor for change in the date OF
inauguration, which was authorized by
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