Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-10
CAPITAL CHAT.
Names Influence on National
Orthography.
What The Maine Men in Congress Are
Now Doing.
Maine Republicans Will Hear Senator
Dcpew in April.

known that the pronunciation anu
spelling of a great many names of
towns. rivers, mountains and other
localities are practically fixed by the
government. There is IL board of
names. composed of twelve
learned men, most of them scientists of
one kind or another, who look up all
the presidents and considering every
point connected Herewith, determine
which spelling shall be the official
spelling and which pronunciation is the
official pronunciation.
OF the twelve members of this board
two are Maine born men. The chair
man, Mr.. Henry Gannett, of the
Geological survey and assistant direc-
tor of the Philippine Census, was born
down in SaSadahoc county and is one
Of the best known scientists in WASH
ington, where he has resided the major
portion of the time for many years.
member OF the board is Prof.
Otis r. Mason, a good old time Baptist
and a native of Washington county.
he never resided but little in
the Pine Tree State.
The tasks these members of the board
of geographic names have are not al
ways easy. Almost the whole world,
wherever the stars and stripes float,
has shown a tendency to give jaw
breaking names to localities. Begin
with the Indian names in Maine and
you have only a slight idea. There
isn't a state in the union which has not
Places named after, Indiana and these
Indian names are capable of different
ways of spelling and pronunciation.
This is true even up to the very peak
of Alaska in the Arctic Ocean. The
islands we acquired from Spain did not
have any Indian names but there were
lots of Spanish names and names be-
slowed by many divergent tribes.
Spanish names are easy to pronounce,
If one knows the principle on which to
proceed but the Board of Geographic
names has had a lot of trouble in max
ing plain this principle of pronuncia-
ton. Even Senators do not always
pronounce Spanish names correctly, as
was shown during the recent treaty
debate by the frequency with which
Senators accented the second syllable
of Panama" whereas the third syllable
is the accent syllable. 1t should be said
in passing that the two Maine members
of the board are the two most dis
tinGuished members of it and their
word goes farther in determining what
shall be than the words of any other
two members.
This is the busiest period of the ses-
sion of Congress. 1t is later every day
when Senate and House adjourns than
the ho"r of adjournment has been at
any time since last Congress began
last November. 1t is generally up to
six o'clock in the afternoon before the
last Of the Senators and the members
make their way up town from the
Capitol. Furthermore both houses are
working six days in the week.
The members of the Maine dele
CATION are also very busy. Senator
Hale for the last ten days has been do
ing a lot of Senate floor work. Almost
every day of the session for ten days
he has been either in charge OF an APP
preparation bill or keeping Il watch out
on one Of the two shipping bills con-
sidcrCd there in which Maine people
are interested. He has also had some
committee work to attend to, including
conferences on appropriation bills al
ready passed. Senator Frye. of course.
Is kept close to the presiding officers
chair, which occupied the ma jor
| portion of his time but he has also at
tended 70 considerable business before
| tho Senate Committee on commerce Of
which he is chairman. The confirm
| alton of DIR. W. u. Crum. nominated 10
10 collector Of customs ut Charleston,
S. c.. will soon be brought up from.
Mr.. Frye's committee in all pro-
liability. 1t has already become a
cause Celebre.
Over on the House side ex-Gov.
Burleigh hns beon taking hand in
helping along the program for the
Philippine shipping bill. thereby work
ing with Representative Littlefield,
who has had charge of the matter be-
fore the committee on Merchant
Marine and Fisheries. That bill has
been t1kcn up anew this week with
the hope of reporting it as soon as the
Senate passes the bill now under con-
sideratiOn there. Mr.. Littlefield has
also been attending the hearings before
the Judiciary Committee. of which Re
is a member. on the Hepburn Dolliver
liquor bill. These hearings have been
on almost daily for the last ten days.
Representative Powers has been devot-
ing great deal of attention to terri
torial legislation, as there are several
territorial bills pending before commit
tees of which he is a member. The
effort is to get these bills in good shape
for presentation to the House as soon
as it is through with the appropriation
bills. Representative Allen he's been
doing a lot Of hustling to get the House
Committee on Rivers and Harbors 20
include in a survey bill an item for Il
survey of the mouth of Cape Porpoise
Harbor. He was making excellent
! Roadway and practically received assur-
ance from the House Committee that
the Cane Porpoise item would be adj
mitted. when Speaker Cannon put his
foot down against any bill and there
fore there will be no authorizations Of
snrvays vrbateyer at this session of