Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-04-25
FROM WASHINGTON.
The Advent of Spring-Looking for
Adjournment Names Dele
CATION BUSY.

cation Busy.
WASHINGTON, d. c., April % Especially :
These are typical spring days at the ma
tional capital days that are particularly
welcome to the Northerners who come
down for brief sojourn. The sun is
shining bright and warm. The grass is
green on the broad lawns, owned by the
government throughout the city and
known officially as reservations. The
dandelions have polxed their yellow heads
to view on the gentle slopes OF the capitol
grounds. The trees are growing fresh
green leaves, and it looks now almost as
summary In Washington as 1t will in
Hancock county by the middle OF May.
That is why thousands OF people from
New England come down to Washington
at this season Of the year and get q little
anticipation OF their own spring and sum-
mer in the reality of the capital. They
have come this year in larger numbers
than ever. The past week the Daughters
OF the American Revolution have held the
centre Of the stage, but apparently they
enjoyed the spring weather quite as much
| as they did the sessions OF their conti-
mental Congress. There we're lot Of Maine
people among them. One can generally
tell the visiting daughters by their badges,
but II they have no badges their new
dresses constitute pretty sure sign.
little later the weather will become
piping hot. The temperature is what
generally sets Congress to thinking that
it is about time to try to be getting home.
One has to live in Washington several
years to become acclimated. Otherwise
the late spring and summer are very OPP
pressive, because of the heat and the
moisture.
Old timers, like Senator Hale and Sena-
| tor Frye, who have been in Washington
| every year for several months for the last
thirty years, stand it with more equa-
| nimity, but every other year at least they
| get out OF Washington soon after the close
| of the short session in March. Therefore
Mr.. Hale will be glad to get back to the
cooler breezes that are waited about Ellis
worth. Mr. Frye will be glad to get back
to the trout brooks of Maine and New
Brunswick, where be wiles away many
pleasant hour angling for the speclSled
beauties.
Representative Burleigh, who has been
in Washington nine years, has no liking
| for its summer climate and will welcome
| the time when ne can open his cottage by
Cobbosseecontee lake, a few miles out OF
Augusta. Even Representative Allen, of
the first district, who lived in Washing
| ton most OF the year round for many years
before he came to Congress, and who is
1 understood to be immune against the
seorching Washington climate, has to adj
NIT that it is pleasant nowadays to think
| OF Old Orchard as a delightful summer
resort. He spends most OF his summers
there, as it is but short run from his
home town OF Alfred.
But there are lots of other people now
| in Washington, who look forward to So
journ on the Maine coast. As this has
been specially busy season here, for
everybody from lawmakers to social
butterflies, the exodus to the seashore will
probably be unusually large. 0fficialdom
here has a distinct preference for the
| Maine coast over all other resting locali-
| ties. Many residents of Washington
have cottages on the Maine shore and
they go from here direct to Maine in the
early summer.
| Congress is now girding itself for the
completion of its legislative tasks. The
seasoned veterans of the appropriations
committee are most interested in this final
round OF work. One of them is Senator
Hale. Men like him and Senator Allison
| keep close eye on the advance OF the
fourteen or fifteen appropriation bills
| towards the Senate end of the capitol.
| That means they must be ready to go into
| action. Pitman Pulsifer, clerk to Senator
Hale's committee on naval affairs, has
been watching the progress in the House
committee with the naval appropriation
| bill for weeks. He gets copies of all the
hearings, indexes them and has the in
formation easily accessible for Senator
Hale.
By and hy, some morning after the
House has voted on that enormous budget
of 800 ,0O0, 600, 1t will be dumped into Sem
ator Hale's committee-room. He and his
committee are practically all experienced
men, versed in the needs of various
branches of the navy, and competent to
pass speedily on the various propositions.
| The House committee takes six or eight
weeks to pass upon and frame the naval
appropriation bill.
Senator Hale's committee rarely takes as
much as six or eight days. To be sure
its work is more the work of review than
the work OF constructing the bill. But every
| important item in it has to be .sized up"
| by the Senate committee, and lot OF in
| formation about the actual needs is neces-
| sary in order to pass intelligent judgment
on the many paragraphs of the measure.
A few days ago Senators Hale and ALI
son began to gather every morning in the
great committee on appropriations with