Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-12-16
CAPITAL CHAT.
Short Sessions but Much Be-
ing Done Elsewhere.
Work Of the Maine Men on Their
Various Committees.
Wide Influence of Sen. Hale's Stand
for the President.

lciaD.-This is q season of much activ-
ity on Capitol Hill. But it does not
lappear to the casual observer In the
chamber of the House there are only
brief sessions. Unless he is able to get
lat toe south end OF the building
sharply at noon, the visitor is lucky it
he catches the House in session ana
Uncle Joe" Cannon standing forth
from the marble rostrum with his gavel
in hand. The House is having very
quiet spell and nobody is worrying
about the work before the body.
The Senate is doing Il little better.
There the sessions generally run alons
into the afternoon, generally till :.
lO'clock or o'clock, but the debates as
a rule are to nearly an empty cham
Der. Little interest is paid the debate
on the Cuban reciprocity bill, but
Democrats are examining q lot of stuff
into the Congregressional Record which
they think there may be use for later
on
Eut every forenoon, there is a vast
amount. of industry in the divers com.
mittec rooms that surround the halls
Iof both House and Senate and occupy
about every bit of available space in
the big Capitol building. This is the
time when committee chairmen are
laying out work, planning for hear
ings, and looking over the flood of bills
that have descended upon them since
the extra session opened, Nov. 9, last
permanently pigeonholed but many OF
the bills have merit in them and viii
reach the House and refused by th'
| 70 1rina faW
will reach the stage of laws for it has
been decreed by the leaders that there
must be little legislation, this winter
outside the general appropriation bills
The grinding in committees therefore
proceeds apace. The work will slacken
this week, beaauce the holiday season
is approaching and the spirit Of idle.
ness is upon nearly everybody, no.
under the dire necessity of keeping
busy. But as soon as Congress come
together again in January, there will
be a renewal of the committee work
much OF which will in reality be TO-
the session that begins year from
now after the Presidential election.
| Then in important departures of leg
lislation, the discussions in committed
and sometimes upon the floor Of one
the other house. attracts publicity ant
general discussion, so that a friendly
or unfriendly sentiment is formed, al
of which has great utility in the ulti
Innate decision of Congress.
The committee on census, of which
Gov. Burlcigil is the ranking member
|next to Chairman Crumpacker. is tt
take up bills, this winter. affecting re-
duction of representation in the South
The subject is one over which there has
been much controversy and probably
extensive hearings will be granted
These bills are kindred to census ques
tions and that is the reason why tn,
| census committee is given jurisdiction
of them. Judge Crumpacker is the
author of the measures which he pro
posses to call UP. Gov. Bureigh anf
other members OF the committee havf
taken a lively interest in the subject
Ialthough thus far few of them have
expressed decisive opinions about the
wisdom of such legislation.
| Ex-Gov. Powers is already hucklinf
| down to a lot of work in elections com.
mittee No. l. which has four contests t,
| dispose Of The Governor goes up Capito
| hill in common with other members O
| the committee, early every morning, ant
labors in his committee ROOM as a rule
| till the noon hour is at hand. They hav,
! 2 vast amount of testimony in these con
| tests to dispose of and are trying to reacl
an early conclusion so that the House
| may consider these contests at once rath.
| cr than defer action. as has often beef
| done till the short session of 1904
Representative Littlefield likewise ha.
! his hands full, since his return from
Maine, with the case before the judiciar,
committee as regards the proposed i'm
parchment of Judge Swayne of the feder
al court Of Florida. The Maine man has
been industrously studying up the Law
REGARDING Impeachment of federal Off
Gals. If the House decides that there i.
warrant for Impeachment, the trial viii
he before the Senate and lawyers of tn
House will be chosen to present the case
1t is thought doubtful here whether tn,
case will develop into anything serious
but there is still another impeachment
case pending |
Senator Hale for two days has been at
tending the meetings of the national COM |
mittee, in which he holds the proxy OF |
National Committeeman Joseph H. Man
ley The meetings have been full of 30. |
hticai interest. although there have beer
few topics of Il lively character The /
selection OF Chicago as the convention
city was conclusion days in advance |
and there was very little of interest in
the date for the convention, which Is al |
ways held about the middle Of June.
But three or four evenings during the
week there has been an assembling of pol Il
iticians in the lobby of the Arlington Ho- II
tel, where they have swirled around and
around, ging each other in converse
tions ara exchanging greetings. During l.
these informal talks a good deal of the
Judgment of the different committeeman
has been expressed from which one
draws conclusions as to what the gener-
al sentiment is. Among other things it III
has developed that the committeeman
are very solidy for the nomination Of
President Roosevelt. next year. Some eff
forts to start back fire, early last week.
We're promptly crushed ana the President
CONTINUED on page 81