Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-01-16
CAPITAL CHAT.
Society Is Gay and the Tourists
Are Many.
The Work Of the Maine Men in the
Two Branches.
Isle au Haul Thorouahfarc-Thc Wood
Case-Notcs.

Fair skies and balmy Southern weather
are now smiling over the federal Capt.
tai, with its throng of legislators and
winter tourists scudding South. Such
a change after a touch of severe win
ter made the spirits of the average
resident-pcrmanen and temporary
rise several degrees and the gayety of
the Washington season proceeds apace.
Congress has been far more tardy in
in motion than have the butterflies of
fashion. the leaders of official and resi-
dent society. ard the multitude Of per-
sons who come to the city for pleasure
or for business. Everything else, ex-
cept Congress is now at a climax of
activity and there will be little relax
alton till two or three months have
sped by. The wheels at the Capitol
started as though they were part of
rusty machinery and the application of
OF! has not yet set them rapidly whirl-
ing. 1t will be late in the present week
before either Senate or House is work
ing on anything like full schedule.
The Maine delegation in both
branches has been well occupied. Prob
ably ex-Goy. Powers has been the
hardest worked in Committee Of any
of the six Maine men here. That was
because his work seemed to bunch it
self at the very beginning. AS a MEM
Der OF the Elections Committee No. /,
he had q part in hearing the election
contest of COnry and ESeiihcr from
Boston. At the same time the House
Committee on Territories had tasks, to
which it was applying itself and which
required prolonged attention. The
governor has been dividing his time
between those two committees for the
last ten days. Both are committees
that have Il lot of work to do and the
governor takes his share of it, without
Sinking in the least.
Senator Hale has been observing
carefully the Democratic attempts to
foist a useless Congressional invests
g&tiOr of the Postoffice Department
upon Republicans and late last week
decided that, at the proper time, he
would probably make some remarks on
the subject. The Maine Senator has
all along been of the opinion that the
administration could safely stand on
the thorough and exhaustive invcsti-
CATION which Fourth Assistant Post
master General I;ristow conducted. He
has not believed that attention ought
to be paid to Democratic efforts to
manufacture q little political capital.
The Democrats are only trying 10
throw dust in the eyes of people away
from Washington. They know thai
the investigation was most exhaustive
but with a great hue and cry they
think the voters can be staynpcded into
view that there is general corruption
in the government Departments here.
In the last Congress Gov. Burlcigll
had 4 resolution passed directing the
army engineers to make a preliminary
examination Of Isle au Haul thorough
fare. Me. The Governor has hoped tn
secure some Improvement Of that Thor
ouShfarc by Il Congressional appropri-
alton and that resolution was the pre-
scri5ed way of beginning it. Fer the
present, however, the plan has been
blocked by an unfavorable report from
Maj. S. w. Roesslcr, Corps of engineers
of the army, who is in charge of river
ana harbor improvements along the
Maine coast. Maj. Roessler has for
warded, through the proper army chan
favorable to the project and Secretary
Root has forwarded this report to the
Speaker Of the House. The intention
was to dredge a channel Il feet deep
and 20 feet wide between the island of
Isle au Haut and Kimballs island.
Maj. EOessler finds that the present
harbor is sufficiently large to ac-
commOdate the fishermen seeking re-
fuge there, many of these being
Gloucester fishermen. He says there
is no other present or prospective
traffic through the thoroughfare
worthy of consideration in connection
with the desired improvement. To
make access to the harbor of refuge
more safe than it is now the Light
House Department has been petitiOned
to erect 4 lighthouse and fog signal at
EGbinson's Point. The chief obstruc-
ton to the thOroughfare is at the eX-
treme northcrly end, where there is Il
bar with depth of about / foot at
mean low tide and a length of about
1000 feet. The composition of the bar
is not known but it is believed to con-
sist in part of rock. as there is out
cropping lodges on either bank ad-
jacent to the thoroughfare.
1t is understood here that both the
Maine Senators will support the con-
firmation of Leonard Wood for major
general in the army, when it reaches Il
vote in the Senate. Both Senator Hale
and Senator Frye are acquainted with
Gen Wood and have confidence in his
military ability. Indeed it is assured
that Cen Wood will have the votes of
every Senator from the New England
states. In the view of these senators
the attacks upon Gen. Wood, if any,
thing. have only strengthened his case
and displayed the weakness of his
opponents. Gen. Wood is a native of
New Hampshire and was a student at
Harvard College. before he entered the
army as an officer in the Medical corps.
The vote on his confirmation is not
expected at least for three or four
weeks and probably not as soon as
that. The Panama Canal treaty will
have the right of way for a while and
probably until it is finally disposed of.
After that will come the consideration
of Gen. Woods nomination.
From now on for month or more,
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