Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-01-09
Congress Busy After the
Short Recess.
How the Maine Members Are
Employed at Present.
Increasing Importance Of the Telephone
in Government Business.

washington, u. e., Jan. S.-(Spccldl.)
Members of Congress are again COM
ing to town on every train and the
scene of 4 month ago is being dup!i-
Gated. Only this time there is less
speculation about what is going to be
dOEe, less uncertainty about Il score of
things, including where to get settled.
But every one is asking all the others
how the holidays passed. where i'll
early December it was what all had
been Going during the summer. These
assemblings of law makers always
have an interesting social side.
Now everybody is ready to settle
right down to work. Every Senator
and every member knows where to
hang his hat at the Capitol. knows
where his address is in Washington,
knows what committees will command
his attention in framing up legislation.
So the talk as far as the work of Con-
grcss is concerned will be along we'll
defined lines. and Senate and House
will come together Thursday noon
without any large gallery audiences.
without the usual crOwding and jam
ming of spectators in the corridors. 1t
Will be as though the two houses were
assembling again after Il session We'd
ncsday. Officially there will be little
to show the hiatus, except the entries
in the Journals.
The Maine members, Representatives
BurlciSh. Littlcfieid, and Powers came
in on early trains. SO did Senator
Frye. who has been visiting in the
month. The only two who remained in
Washington during the holidays were
Senator Hale and Representative
Allen. The Maine men will get down
to their work speedily. Like most
others in Congress they arrived a day
| OF two early 50 as to get into harness
promptly Coy. Burcigh will take
hoid of public building bill to help
mark out Il program. Gov. Powers
Will take hold of the statehood bill
anew. as that is to be brought up
forthwith iii the House, Representative
LittlCficld will take up some shipping
matters before the Committee on Mer-
chant Marine and Fisheries of which he
is !. member; Representative Allen has
Il lot Of work on hand in the District Of
Columbia Committee. where several Of
his bills on local matters are pending
The two Maine Senators Will have
their hands full OF business as usual.
Mr.. Hal" will have something to do
with shaping up u committee to in
yestigate hazing at the Naval Acad-
ctny as w"ll as some business before
the Finance Committee Of which he
has recently been made a member
senator Frye has plenty of business in
the Foreign Relations Committee
whore the Sunto DOMINICAN treaty is
now pending. and also as chairman Of
the Commerce Committee, in helping
| the Merchant Marine subsidy bill
along.
The Departments will be throbbing
with activity this week, for the officials
are now through with their holidays
and must be back at their desks to at
tend to business incident to the coming
Of congressman to town. In many
wGys Washington is a holiday ridden
town. Tic officials hcrc get more hoi-
days than any other people in tie
country. At Thanksgiving. Christmas
ana New Years. they get generally two
holidays iHSt tuad Of one. For instance
tnr day bcfor" Thanksgiving the De
p;trtncnt5 lose at noon, giving the
employees a half holiday in which to
prci"llc rnr the great day of Thanks
giving. Tho same is true of Christmas
and also of New Years. The Christ
mas ana New Years ObScrvanceS prac-
tira!Iy resolve themselves into a week s
hnIi luv for there is little pretence to
GoIug much work in the Departments
between while. The holidays give the
OH, ills an excuse to ask for time to
r,-, = Al.
suit il that The clerks do not ovcrwor.
themselves.
SO generally III the business world
here there is a feeling of relief when
tnc holiday festivities are past. WASH
inston then has no more holidays in
sight for over a month. Washington's
birthday is observed by the closing of
the Departments. although the House
of Representatives generally works and
less often the Senate works. Fast day
whic.i is observed in Maine and other
New England states is not observed
here, so that the official world of Wash
illgtOn Loses one opportunity to get a
day off. But it requires about two
days to properly observe the Fourth Of
July. although it comes in the heigh.
of the summer season, when business is
generally pretty dull in the Washing
ton Departments.
The telephone is becoming a great
factor in the transaction Of business be-
fore the Departments. II saves the
Senator's and members of Congress lots
Of steps every day. Many an errand
for constituent. which required
trip in person in former days can now
lie disposed Of in five minutes by call
ing through the telephone. 40 govern
E.,nt official Of any Importance is now
without one of those modern conyen-
fences. Every Department building is
itself n great telephone exchange.
where there is one or more onerators
stationed at the private switchboard.
The same appliances are installed at
the Capitol. There is 4 telephone in
nearly every committee room and cor