The Republican journal., 1903-01-01
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
Maine Men and Matters at the National
Capitol.

expected back in the Capitol within
two or three days, to take up their
work anew. Senator Hale has been
here most of the time since Congress
adjourned, resting for the hard work
before him during the next two months.
Senator Frye has been in Paterson, n.
j., for few days, visiting friends, but
will be back in the Hamilton Hotel
and ready to climb Capitol Hill Mon
day morning and again assume the Sen
ate gavel. Representative Allen is the
only one of the four Maine members
who remained in Washington during
the holidays Gov. Burleigh has been
at his home in Augusta, keeping neal
the side of Mrs. Burleigh, whose health
of late has been very poor. He has a
, lot of work awaiting him in the House,
which must be done before many weeks
go by, but has the facility in committee
and at other legislative undertakings
of going ahead methodically and there
by accomplishing much more in the
same time than many other men.
AS a man of good judgment in legis-
lative matters, and of general sound
sense, Gov. Burleigh is much consulted
/ by the older Republican leaders of the
| House. and in that particular no one
on the Republican side is trusted more.
| Men like Speaker Henderson, "Uncle
Joe" Cannon, the next Speaker of the
House, Mr.. Payne of New York, the
chairman of the Ways and Maine COM
mittee, and Mr. Dalzell of Pennsylva-
MIA, the ranking Republican member
of the Committee on Rules, all have a
high personal regard for the member
from the third Maine district. His
conservative tendencies and his activi-
ty towards legislation that shall main
tain the splendid prosperity of the
country have done much at the South
end of the Capitol to command the
confidence of the House in the capacity
of Names national legislators since
the departure of the four veteran Re-
publican members.
The two coming months will be
crowded, for Congress will work like a
big boy who has been lettering and then
hastens to make up for lost time. There
ought to be three or four months for
accomplishing what must be done be-
fore noon of March 4th next, but the
bills will be rushed through with in
creasing rapidity and it is d pretty safe
prediction that about everything OF
really great and pressing Importance
will be disposed of before the end
comes. Rarely does Congress become
entangled in such legislative compiled
lions as to make an extra session nee
essary to pass appropriation bills. 1t
did happen once some fifteen or twenty
years ago, when the appropriation bills
had by no means reached the magni-
tude of the present day.
Congress at work during the short
session like house afre is always an
interesting feature of Washington
winter. As the life of the Congress be-
comes a matter of a few days every
body around the Capitol increases his
; activity-that is, everybody who has
responsibilities to be discharged. The
length of each days meeting increases,
until finally the electric lights are turn
ed on all over the enormous structure,
! and evening sessions become necessary.
Then full dress suits appear although
| the Senators and members who have
the completion of agreements on the
appropriation bills to look after are
hidden away in their committee rooms
wrangling with each other and have no
time for soldering" on the floor. This
year the end of the short session will
be little less brilliant because it is not
to be followed by the Inauguration of a
President and vice President.
Through the services of Senator
Frye as president pro tenn of the Senate
the government will save sum of
about 500, 900 if he fills out the remain
ing two years of that office during the
administration of President Roosevelt.
The government pays vice President
S., 900, year, the same as a cabinet
officer and the Speaker of the House
receive, but the payment of that salary
lapsed with the death of President Nc
Kinley and the succession of Mr.. Roose-
welt to his place. However, Mr.. Frye
gets an extra $4,000 annually for being
president pro tenn of the Senate, his
salary alone of all the Senators being
S., 900 year, so that leaves the govern
ment S., 900 to the good annually. Not
only will he serve, if he lives, nearly
four years continuously from the time
of President McKinley's taking off, but
he also served quite time during
President McKinleys administration,
after the death of vice President
Hobart
The weather has been quite as cold and
raw in Washington for the last week as
on the coast of Maine, but this does
not prevent the multitude of horseback
riders in official life from going to their
daily excursions into the suburbs. Pres