Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-13
Maine Members Have Old
Committee Places,
All Of Them Are Near the Top
on Important Committees.
How the Maine Members Begin the
Winter at Washington.

l
The Maine men in Congress have their
committee assignments from Uncle
Joe" Cannon and are now settling down
| to their winters tasks AS all were put
in the line of good promotions two years
ago, they had practically nothing to
ask for this year and were content
that the Speaker should simply reap
point them to the places he gave them
when he first took up the presiding Of
| ficer's gavel. AS things are now, with
the House remaining Republican, it is
only a question of time when Repre-
sentative Burleigh will become chair
man of public buildings and grounds,
when Representative Littlefield will be
chairman of judiciary, Representative
Powers chairman of banking and cur
| rency and Representative Allen chair
man of the District of Columbia COM
mittee, which rules the city Of Wash
ington.
That is one of the things a member
most desires in his committee assign
| mentS-tO be put where in the fullnesS
| of time he can aspire to good chair
manship. Accordingly the Maine men,
| bers are all very well fixed. Some of
| them will have the choice of chairman
ships some day. For instance Gov
Rurleigh is now second man on two
good cOmmittees-thato on public build
| ings and grounds and that on census.
Just now census does not have much
| important work to do, but when the
| time comes for the taking of the next
| census, preparations for which must be
| made some two or three years in ad-
vance, it becomes one of the most de-
| sjrable committees in the House. eX-
| Gov. Powers, too, will be in line for
| craftsmanship of the territories COM
| mittee, where he has done much good
work. He is already second man on the
| Elections Committee No. /. The
| sc1utiEizing of election contests is a
thankless job but nevertheless assign
| ments to that committee are regarded
| DIS GOOD. Representative Littlefield, too,
| is getting well up towards the head OF
| the committee on merchant marine
| and fisheries. which. in considerable
| part corresponds to the Senate COM
| mittee on commerce. of which Mr..
| Frye is chairman. Both those commit
tees handle a lot of legislation which
| is pertinent to Maine.
| The Maine men have been hustling
around the Departments for the last
six days and getting their bearings
again. The work on Capitol hill has
been more eXacting than usual, for
the House has been in session on i'm
portant business, which is unusual the
| first week.
| With the great volume Of new bills
already introduced have gone many
Maine bills, but these have largely been
reintroduccd from the last session.
The Maine public building bills are
| about all in again. bills for Bar Harbor
Portland. Auburn and Calais, which
Gov Burleigh will try to look out for
when an omnibus public buildings bill
! is brought in.
| The Southern and Western members
nowadays introduce the largest number
| of bills. From the districts that were
| fought over during the Civil War al
ways come large number Of claims
| bills. Every farmer has claim for
| property destroyed and a considera BILE
portion Of these claims have not been
| paid. Probably a great many Of them
| never should be paid, for the claims
grow in size almost annually.
| The four Maine members are settled
in the same quarters as last year, with
the exception of Gov. Burleigh. who.
with Mrs. Burleish. is at the Richmond.
! Last winter they lived at the Raleigh,
a down town hotel EX-Goy. Powers
is at the New Willard, Mr.. Littlefield
at the Hamilton, and Mr.. Allen at the
Roland. Probably all of them. except
| Mr. Allen, who is accompanied by his
| Io,
| Maine for the holidays.
The two Maine senator's, also have
had their hands full of early session
| work. Senator Hale's colleagues will
! not let him keep out of the harness.
| because he does so many things better
| than any other man in the Senate can
| do them. For that reason the Republi-
| can caucus insisted that he again go
| to the craftsmanship of the committee
| on committees. which does in the Sen
| ate the work that Speaker Cannon does
in the House. The place requires a man
| of tact. for Senate chairman can not
| act as vigorously as a Speaker of the
Rouse IN saying where a man shall and
| snail not go on committees Senators
| are very jealous of their collea CUES
about committee promotions. They ex-
ercise great diplomacy in securinp
places and therefore it requires a firm
as well as tactful man at the head of
the committee on committees to decide
upon the assignments without giving
unnecessary offense.
The committee held it's first meeting.
Tuesday, and probably before the end of
the week Senator Hale will have the
list of new Senate committees ready
for the Republican caucus. He has
sent out requests to senator's tn indi-
cate the places they would like 70 have
and the replies We're in by the begin
| ming of the week
CONTINUED on Page Five.)
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