The Republican journal., 1904-01-07


disclosed irregularities, now corrected,
which Democrats hope to make the
basis of claim that the half has not
been told.
The Democratic National Committee
is coming to town next week and will
decide upon the time and place for
holding their next national convention,
just as the Republican Committee did
late in December. These meetings are
always the occasion of a gathering on
an extensive scale of politicians and
the talking is voluminous.
The holidays being over official Wash
ington is settling down to work. The
Department clerks take it very easy
during Christmas and New Years.
They always take it pretty easy for
that matter and are constantly kicking
because they have to work SO long and
SO hard-from 9 a. m. till p. m. But
they not only get off Christmas Day
and New Y ears but also half holiday
before each of those days. Now that the
New Year has been ushered in with a
blowing of trumpets and a ringing of
bells there are no more holidays till
February %, which the Departments
observe, but which Congress does not
as a rule observe. Therefore "Uncle
Sam gets six whole days work out of
his employees for while Senate and
House are generally exceptions. The
House works Saturday only when it
has lot of work to do The Senate
rarely works Saturdays and very often
rests Fridays. However, industry
will be the word all along the line from
now on. Everybody is expected to do
his share towards the tasks that the
government puts upon him. January
and February are the two briskest
months in the Washington calendar.
The work of sending to the Third
Maine district thousands of select gar
den and flower seeds has been begun
here under ex-Gov. Burleigh's direc-
ton. The annual quota of these seeds
for Senators and members of Congress
will soon be ready, but there must be a
franked slip, properly addressed, for
every one of the thousands of pack
ages that 60 out. The Maine Senators
have each the same quota as member
of the House. But where each mem
Der distributes his quota Of packages
throughout his district, the Senators
send their quotas anywhere over the
State
Under Secretary Of Agriculture Will
son great care has been exercised to Sc
cure the choicest varieties of garden
and flower seeds, as well as seeds that
would be suitable for the climates and
localities to which they are sent. Of
course there are occasional packages
of poor seeds, but that is the exception
that proves the rule. Ex-Gov. Burleigh
has extensive lists of the names of his
These lists are turned
over to clerks and the addresses are
now being written.
There is always lot of conjecture
about the date on which session of
Congress will adjourn. The date means
a great deal to hundreds of people.
Senators and members want to order
their affairs at home, so as to conform
with their duties at Washington. Hun
dreds of employees of Senate and House
have to plan their programmes to meet
the exigencies. A large proportion of
these are looking for signs as to the
day of adjournment as soon as a ses-
sion is we'll settled down to work. Boxes
of cigars and silk hats are wagered up
on favorite dates that appeal to the
judgment of Congressional observers.
Uncle Joe" Cannon, from his emf
nence as Speaker of the House, has
said the word that Congress should do
its business as quickly as possible this
year. The elections are coming on.
They signify hard work and heavy ex-
penses. The Senate is willing to CO.
operate with him. The House thinks
adjournment should come by May /. |
The Senate is inclined to think it will
be later day. Senator Hale of Maine
prophesies June 1, next.
When ex-Gov. Burleigh was working
might and main and night and day
some two years ago to get his new ap-
portionment bill through Congress, in
the face of tremendous Republican op-
position, he did not reckon what vast
interests it would affect. While he
was comforting with Senator Hale and
other wise men how to get votes for
the bill and scurrying hither and
thither to keep the line of his friends
intact, he had only one object in view.
That was to assure Maine four repre-
sentatives in Congress for four years
more. To do that the membership of
the House had to be increased from 357
to 1856, SO that the divisor, fixed as a
basis of population for one representa-
tive, would make a quotient of four
with Names population.
1t may turn out that Gov. Burleigh's
hand, by reason of his success in that