The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1903-03-19
Our Washington Letter.


Sam will buy withiH few months over
So. 900 worth of ground in the State of
Maine. The money Is already In the
treasury ready to be paid out whenever
1t has been decided just where the pur.
chases are to be made. Clerks Ia the
treasury department are now preparing
legal notices of the governments inten-
ton to buy and asking men who have
real estate suitably situated in the three
cities of Portland, Calais and Bar Har-
Dor to submit their figures. There is
also a transfer to the government of a
piece of street In Augusta in prospect, to
carry out provisions OF law.
A few days ago there came up from
the government printing office little
pamphlet of twelve printed pages at the
end of which were the words "Approv-
ed March 3, 1907 1t referred to the
signature of President Roosevelt. In
the language of the pamphlet there were
references to Maine matters of more
than passing interest. In section three
occurred the following items of appro-
priation:
"United States post office and custom
house at Bar Harbor, Maine, from six
thousand dollars to twelve thousand
dollars
UNITED States post office and custom
house at Calais, Maine, from six thous.
and dollars to twelve thousand dollars"
There are just four other cities In the
United States that succeeded in getting,
by the efforts Of their representatives,
similar increases for public building
sites but out of the total of six items
under that section Maine got two, al
though 1t is only small state in area in
the EMBELLISHMENTS corner of the
union.
Still further along in the following
section of the law there is provision for
the purchase of additional land for the
enlargement of the site for the post
office at Augusta, Maine, that provision
being a modification of the law that was
passed last year.
There is still another section of the
law which provides that the secretary of
the treasury be and Is hereby authorized
and directed to acquire by purchase,
condemnation or otherwise a suitable
site for the Omitted States court house
at Portland, Maine, sixty thousand
dollars.
There are IS other sites provided for,
besides the site at Portland, under the
section mentioned, although there are
40 states in the union every one of them
clamoring for more public buildings.
But Portland gets more for its site for
court house than is provided for the site
of any other public building In the list
OF 20, save only Houston, Tex, which
gets 900 for post office, court house
and custom house. Most of the sites
provided for are at the cost of $4,000 or
$4,000.
The paragraphs above mentioned 10
the omnibus public building law repre-
sent the triumph of Congressman Bur.
leigh's efforts at the session just closed.
But his achievement means much more
than the figures given for at the next
session of Congress or soon thereafter
he will get additional appropriations for
public buildings that are to be erected
on the sites. The government being
now fully committed to the projects by
the appropriation of money for the
sites, it will be comparatively easy to
secure the money for the buildings, the
first battle being by far the most fficult
one.
The history of this Maine legislation
is very interesting, as exemplifying the
thoroughness with which Gov, Burleigh
pressed it. The bill was first drawn
in the House Committee on public
buildings and grounds of which he is one
of the leading Republican members. He
and Chairman Dave Mercer were chief
~ Instrumental in framing the proposed
law and getting it into shape for the
committee. The Governor had intro
dueed bill for the enlargement of the
site at Augusta early in the recent ses-
sion of Congress and suggested that its
provisions be adopted on the omnibus
bill, which was done. He had already
taken up the necessity for larger appro-
priations for the sites at Bar Harbor and
Calais with the Treasury Department,
whose officials he told some months ago
that the appropriation of $4,000 would
not buy the kind of a site needed. There
fore he had before the house committee
letters from the Treasury Department
recommending his ideas that 1000
e,.ch be appropriated for those sites and
the provisions Were forthwith put into
the bill. Then came the tug of war
when they got TO the Portland propo-
sition. Ii had been the general under
standing that no new projects should 60
upon the omnibus bill at this session of
Congress but only that additional ap-
preparations should be made for projects
already under way. Nevertheless Gov.
Burleigh made combination with few
other influential members of the commit
tee and of the House, by which he Sc.
cured the appropriation OF 100000 for
the Portland site. He felt like helping
Representative Allen as much as posi-
out for Portland in the bill which passed
the house last year.
But when the bill had been reported
out of committee with all the Maine
items exactly as he wanted them, an
obstacle was met with in Speaker Hen.
derson and "Uncle joe Cannon, who
feared that the Treasury would not
stand the strain, in view of prospects
that the Senate would load the bill down
with amendmen's to the extent of many
millions more. The Speaker would not
consent to the consideration of the bill
and then Gov. Burleigh turned to the
Senate with plan that the Senate
should first pass the measure. Senators
however, especially those of the COM
mittee on public buildings and grounds
at the end of the Capitol, were so timid
of the hostility of the Speaker, that they