News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1906-12-05
OUR WEEKLY WASHINGTON LETTER
JOHN Harris Writes About Lamoille
Valley Politics, the Weather Blu
reau, OPENING of Congress, the
PostOifice Department, Etc.
WASHINGTON, d. C.,
Dec. 3, 1906.
Dearly Belored:

| Dec. 5, I9UO.
Dearly Beloved:
| have been reading the papers from
up yonder, and have become solemnl
impressed with the magnitude of TIN
Lar,oille Valley as the incubator 0
statesmen, Judges, orators and diplo
mats, and am convinced that it la.
at last even surpassed Brattleboro il
this regard. Another new judge fol
the valley, only fifteen miles from tn,
Lamoile County court house, ant
vet new prodigies arising and mani
testing every day! Even my frienc
Sewell, residing at eleven hundred anc
some odd Elm Street, North HYDE
Park, should have his lightning roo
up for the inevitable, for it is only a
short step from Mayor to the highest
dignity which this happy valley may
have in store Tor her chosen. And
then, you have big dam, the largest
in the state, except John Senterl
Surely, your Thanksgiving should
have been most blissful one
Well, il is only one short step from
the sublime to the ridiculous, and
must speak of Congress. 1t has ar
rived, captured the town, and began
its work of havoc to-day. Neverthe-
less, our Thanksgiving was pleasant
lv spent, though that fateful motto:
Cheer up! The worse is vet to
come!" hung over our heads like the
sword of Damocles. When Congress
gets fairly started and the President
resumes the custom of sending in at
least three very important special
messages per week. there is no know
ing what next. Even the weather
gets dizzy and does every thing at
once, so that no mistake NAV be
made.
The weather bureau furnishes the
House and Senate with whole bask-
etful of brand new weather every
morning at ten, and is tonce artis-
ticallg displayed by professional in
charge. At each end of the capitol,
in quarters especially provided hangs
an immense weather map and on it
are multitude of black rings an inch
across, representing every signal sta
ton in the country. In these rings
are painted every morning a disk OF
color, white represently snow; blue,
cloudy; halt disk of blue, partly
cloudy; yellow, rain; and red, clear
Alongside each one is marked the
ocal temperature and barometric
pressure. BY these means a states
nan can see at a glance the weather |
at his home. In the vicin-
ty. also, are automatic recording |
and burometers, a
machine showing the direction and
velocity of the wind, and an instru-
nent showing the exact time to one
ourth of a second. Nothing is too
-ich for the blood of the elect.
The House members of he various
sub committees of the great appro-
)riations committee have been here
md busily at work for a fortnight
aging the foundations for the big
appropriation bills, and it is expected
hat they will be in such shape that
1t least one or two may be passed
before the adjournment for the holi-
Law recess, which will probably come
bout the Goth. The primary work
S done by these subcommittee in
citing figures and estimates from
he various departments as to their
financial needs for the coming year.
The department chiefs tell the COM
nittee what they must have, ard
hen the committee goes to work,
these estimates million or
o mere and there and finally gives
he department what it thinks it
ught to have and what it can get
long with, regardless of what it
alls for. The departments always
aise howl, but take what they can
ct. They are reconciIed on the same
rinciple that the old lady was who
led She had to be.
The chairman of the House COM
1ittee on appropriations is James A.
>awney of Minnesota, who will enter
pom his eighth consecutive term the
ourth of March next. Mr.. awney,
man of thepeople and a blacksmith
y trade, has won his way to this
1ost important position by eminent
alive ability and sheer force of char
cter.
Senator Allison of Iowa, chairman
f the appropriations committee of
he Senate, is prominently, the grand
Id man of congressional life, easily
Gliding the place since the death of
enator Morrill, of Vermont. Sena-
or Allison has served contlnuouslyin
be Senate since 1873, ending the
,urth of March next his thirty-tourth I
year of service in the Sen
tie. Previous to his election to the {
enate, he served four terms in the
louise, making in all forty-two years ,
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