Daily Kennebec journal., 1904-02-09
CAPITAL CHAT.
CONTINUED from page ~

IL,
has felt a little more kindly to the pro-
position. He is personally very
taciturn. A most amiable man per
sonally and very courteous ana con-
siderate of all those around him, ne Is
none the less very wary OF discussing
even with his intimate friends any
thing about such a departure in MS
political career. But it is known that
he Is pleased at the recent discussion
OF his name as vice presldentlal pos-
sibility. He would, in all PROBABILITY
accept, il the nomination could De as
sured him But as Senator f1aie
stated in conversation here recently
no man in recent times who has peeii
selected by his party for first or
second place on the national ticket mas
been able to decline. Mr.. Hale also
pointed out that Hannibal Hamlin, OF
Maine, long in the Senate, was very
much averse to accepting the hoiii-
nation on the ticket with Abranalii
Lincoln in the campaign of 1861. lie
obeyed the wishes of his party, now
ever, and was elected.
There was some talk in 1896 OF noill-
mating Speaker Reed for vice pres'-
dent, just as there has been "i'hih tue
last few months OF nominating opeah
er Cannon. Mr.. Reed at once discoui
aged any effort in that direction Du' -
the convention had gone aheao "ii"
named him it is a question Wnether ne
could have declined. Probably senator
FRYE could have been nominated OH
the ticket with Mckinley in 1896 II he
would have assured his friends that
he would have liked the honor. But
Of course, that is a little olieiei'
Mr.. FRYE has already enjoyed hohorS
greater than being vice president ioi
one presidential term. He has aireaoy
| had about four years as president pro
tempore of the Senate, when IS the
! ONLY duties 4 vice president mas 10 per
| form and in addition to that he has
had oontemporaneously the service
and vote OF a United States Senator.
The members of the Maine delegation
| in Senate and House have all been
busily employed during the last fe"
| days. Senator Hale got his urgent de-
| ffciency bill, which is almost as large
| as the average appropriation bill, out
| Of Committee, Tuesday. There were
several prolonged sessions over 1t In
the committee room and the bill came
out with several important amend
ments. AS he is chairman Of the sub
committee which prepared it. Mr.. Hale
has charge Of the bill on the floor OF
the Senate. The House this week is
considering the Diplomatic and
Consular appropriation bill, which Will
be presented to the Senate very soon
t,n Ann nrt t.l fITN -
Committee and to another subcom-
mittee of which Mr.. Hale is chairman.
He will give some more or less en-
tended hearings on provisions OF that
bill and in the course of Il few weeks
have tnat to pass in the Senate. Then
soon afterwards will come one OF the
, largest OF all the appropriation bills.
that for the navy, which Mr.. Hale viii
have charge OF.
Senator Frye's committee on Com
merce is giving attention to the long
disputed nomination of DR.. W. d.
| Crum. a colored man. for collector OF
| the port at Charleston. This is the
| appointment which President Roosevelt
and which failed of confirmation In the
| l2St IOIlsTeSS. mere II llO" uioPutC
ss to whether DR.. Crum could be APP
pointed as recess official in the con-
structive period between the extra and
| the regular session of Congress.
Senator Frye has all along favored the
confirmation of Crum. but Senator
| Perkins. of California, a Maine born
man. mas been one of the Republicans
| opposing it. Probably the matter will
be cleared up within a few weeks,
provided ii can ever be brought to a
vote.
Senator Frye is much commended for
the strong committee of Senators that
, he named to investigate the allegations
in an indictment against Senator
Dietrich. of Nebraska, who was
recently brought to trial at Omaha and
acquitted without the presentation of
evidence because the federal judges held
he was not a Senator when the alleged
offenses were committed. Senator
Hoar heads the Committee, as has been
told and all the Senators named with
him are veterans and their lanes are
synonymous for honesty and i'm
partiality.
Mr.. Dietrich has served Quite|a time
on the Philippines Committee. of which
Senator Hale is a leading member. He
has had a picturesque career. Ger
man by birth but native of this
country. he endured many hardships
in fighting the battle of life on the
frontier. At one time he kept a small
store in Memphis. Miss. Acquiring
about $1,000 he crossed the Mississippi
into Arkansas where he was to open d
small store in the hope of prospering
more than he could in Mississippi. He
was sandbagged on the streets and all
his money taken from him. Then he
engaged as lumberman and went into
the cypress swamps of Arkansas, liv-
ing alone for several weeks but
pluckily fighting it out till he had
saved a little more money. Then he
went North to the Black Hills, where
he kept store again and eventually
came into the possession of mining
property that established him with
quite a fortune. His colleagues in the
Senate do not believe that Mr.
Dietrich is Intentionally guilty Of any
criminal offense in the leasing of post
office property. The committee named
hx