The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-03-31
Letter from WASHINGTON.
The Congressional Session Nearing its
Close What Senator Hale and Congress-
man Burleigh are Doing Cloak Room

man buIle1gn are UO1nS. CLOAK NOOm
Gossip.
Correspondence of The Journal.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., March 20. The
Maine members of Congress are rapid
ly closing out their work here and be-
ginning to look forward to the journey
back to their home in the Pine Tree
State. The session will last from two
to four weeks yet but, profting from
past experience, the Maine men are
aware that the last two weeks will be
jammed with business which every
body nearly is clamoring to get done.
The offices in the department will be
filled during the morning hours with
Congressman who have something to
ask that might have been asked earlier.
The Maine men are wiser and avoid
the rush by having their errands per
formed before the crowd arrives.
Both the men of special political in
terest to the Third Maine district are
rounding out splendid winters work.
Senator Hale has the appropriation
bills, of which he takes personal charge,
well out of the way and he is fortunate
this year in having them passed, con-
sidered in conference, and forwarded
to the President for signature far
earlier than is usually the case at long
sessions of Congress. When he takes
up the general deficiency appropriation
bill in committee the world of Wash
ington then knows that only a few
days of the session remain. Men
speculate about the day when the end
of the session will come, but when Mr..
Hale calls a meeting Of the subcom-
mittee to consider tie general defci-
ency uncertainty exists no longer. The
bill itself, however, does not involve
any gigantic tasks and is speedily dis
posed of. 1t is held as the last meas
ure for Congress to enact, because of
large number of items which the diff
ferent departments want included in it.
Gov. Burleigh has been hurrying his
gathered up before the last day of the
session is announced. He has been
down to the little brick building on the
Mall, known as the Fish Commission, to
go over the matter of fish distribution
for streams and lakes in the Third Dis
trict with the rotund and enterprising
gentleman who presides there, Com.
George NJ. Bowers. He had a satisfac-
tory talk there and says that a lot of
fishes, probably more than in any pre-
vious year, will be placed in the waters
of Waldo county. The governor has
also been on several trips to the Pen
sion Bureau, in the big brick building
which is one of the show sights of
Washington. Since the leaders in Con-
gress determined that there should be
no service pension law enacted at this
session, Gov. Burleigh has made extra
efforts to advance to final adjudication
the claims of lot of veterans in the
Third District who are we'll along in
years and need increased pensions for
the short time they have to live. Then
he has been several times during the
past ten days to the Post Office Depart
ment, the great building of Maine gran
lite on Pennsylvania Avenue, and visit
ed a dozen of the administrative offices
regarding matters affecting the postal
service Of the District. On one of these
trips he took to the Acting Fourth As
sstant Postmaster General the petition
of Gladys Jackson and others, request
ing change in the Rural Free Delivery
stead of sending such requests by mail
to the Department, or sending a clerk
with them, the Governor almost in
variably takes the papers there in per-
son, which assures speedier consid-
GRAFTON of them.
These are the days in Congress when
the Republican cloak rooms are not
much frequented. That is because it
is the busiest period of the session and
nearly everybody has something to do.
\ few choice spirits, who like good
anecdote better than hard work, congre-
gate On the House side along in the
forenoon. But the majority of the Re-
publican members reach the Capitol
barely at noon, having spent the entire
morning down town attending to cor
respondence and looking after Depart
mental business. The Democratic
corners are better occupied. The
South corners are more inclined to
wind tanning" and story telling. Then
as minority members of the House they
have less responsibility and less to do
than their northern brethren. The
Senate cloak rooms are more secluded
than those of the House and there is
less of tendency to congregate there
to exchange yarns. The loafing is gen.
orally done in committee rooms in pref
erence to the cloakroomS.
The constant exodus of Senators and
members to attend State conventions
has begun. 1t will continue right up
to the end of the session. Washington
watches the outcome of these conven-
finne yvitf. 1iuo1u int ;c