The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-07-12
Letter from Washington.
Adjournment of Congress. Gov. Burleigh's
Success in Securing Appropriations for
New England.
Correspondence OF The Journal

ACII IiClS tcttiNiuS INV LIN 6
after the adjournment of Congress
Saturday night for Atlantic City, and
as soon as Mrs. Burleigh has recovered
sufficiently to stand the trip they will
proceed to Maine. She is now able to
go out on the board walk in rolling
chair and her health is gradually i'm
proving. Leaving her for a few days, as
soon as the leaders of the House inform
ed him that the public building bill was
TO be reported, he remained here during
the consideration of that legislation
which was not completed till the very
last hours Of the session. As the only
member of the House public buildings
committee from New England he had
large number of projects from that
the House conferees on the omnibus
public building bill, which necessitated
his making hard fight towards the
end, not only for the House provisions
in the bill but also for the New England
items. some of which the Senate assail-
ed. out of this initial experience as a
conferee Gov. Burleigh came with fly
ing colCrs. Not a New England item was
lost OF reduced, He secured for the pro-
JectS in New England States not only
every dollar that the House voted for
them, but he also helped bring it about
that every additional dollar that the
Senate voted for New England projects
on the same bill remained in the meas
ure as it became law.
This was a very unusual record when
one figures that there were, all told,
twenty-five New England projects on
the bill and that they carried an aggre-
gate of almost S2,500,000 of appropria-
lions, approximately one tenth of the
entire bill, Gov. Burleigh felt an ad-
ditional interest in carrying all these
appropriations through, beyond the
consideration that he was the only New
England member of the House commit
tee, il that nearly all the projects, in
fact all the important ones, had been
favorably reported from the subcom-
mittee of which he was the chairman.
Names share in the public building
bill was an even 800, 600, which is the
result of Gov. Burleigh's programme
worked ont during the last two or three
years. There is only one original pro-
iect in it-that for post office at Au-
h,1r Moina fTr y1tbiah no lac
an appropriation of SO. 600, to buy
site and build a post office thereon.
Senator Frye introduced bill for Au-
burn a year OF two ago for $50, 900,
and it has passed the Senate twice for
that amount. Representative Littlefield
wanted it increased to SO, 900, which
was the treasury estimate, and Gov
Burleigh set about getting that done.
1t went through the House without op-
position, but the Senate committee on
puYlic buildings cut it down to $50, 900.
WheL the conference committee met
and got down to that item, Gov Bur
leigh sad it must 90 back to the origi-
DaI sum of 5000. He told the CON
terees what large city Auburn is and
what the needs of the postal service
are III that city The money is now
available IN the treasury and it is only
a question of how long it VIII take to
prepare plans and secure bids, before
the Auburn building will begin to rise.
Two other projects on which Gov.
Burleigh began to work several years
ago are those at Calais and Bar Harbor. !
which now have an appropriation of
100000 each. At Bar HaGbor post
Office is to be built on site already
purchased with an approprla ton Gov. !
Bureigh secured OIL the last omnibus |
public building bill some two years ago. |
The Calais building is to be for a post ,
Office and custom house. The site there
has been purchased.
The completion of the necessary leg
islation for Bar Harbor comes after a .
period OF nearly twenty years. An ap-
preparation there was twice secured by !
the late Representative Milliken only |
~ ~ NV " 4NiI 'SNoSo AAoi1 ANS4eA' II o7 7
Cleveland and Harrison.
Tie site for the new Court House at |.
Portland was purchased by an appro-
prjation of $50, 900 some years ago. The
sum of 100000 is now available for
building the court house The Senate
committee let the item stand as it pass.
ed tine House, although it cut down the
appropriation for Bar L arbor to 500
600, but the $4,000 additio al was put
back 10y the conterees at Ex-Governor
Burleigh's request
These four appropriations and one of
$4,000 for the Improvement of the pub
lie building at Waldoboro, e., make
the 100000 that Maine receives on the
bill. 1t is allotted among the four
Congressional districts OF the State and
will put Maine in excellent condition
as to public buildings.
One of the hardest fights he had was
to secure $500. 600 for the site and con-
struction of an appraisers stores build
ing at Boston. The entire NJ assachu-
sets delegation of fourteen m embers
md t,yp Senators WAS m uch interested