The Republican journal., 1906-04-26
Letter from WASHINGTON.
Correspondence of The Jourual.7

week official work in Washington has hean
materially halted by the San Francisco fire
and earthquake. The President and his
Cabinet and Senators and members of the
House have been much more interested in
| alternating the sufferngs of the homeless IN
the far off Pacific coast than in prosecuting
other matters of legislation and admnistra.
tion. The bulletins of the disaster have
been posted in the press galleries at each
end of the Capitol and in the uptown de.
partments. There have been constant in
| quiries for the news conveyed in these bull
letins, before the evening papers were pub
lished. Most of the local newspapers have
been printing extras, but these did not sa.
tiate the eagerness of officialdom for the
latest news.
One Malne-bOrn man, Senator Perkins of
California, has been especially active in
promoting the measure for relief. Although
he lives in Oakland, which is Just across
the bay from San Francisco, most of his
business life has been passed in the latter
city. He came from Kennebunkport, Maine
| many years ago, starting as a sailor before
| the mast Since then he has acquired
comfortable fortune by mercantile and mari
time pursuits, but in recent years has re-
tired from active business in considerable
part. He had large holdings in San Fran
| cisco. Before the Senate and House had
voted million dollars for relief work, in
fact the very day of the earthquake, Mr..
Perkins went to the War Department, urged
the Secretary, Mr. Taft, to put the machin.
cry of the army in motion at once for send
ing relief, and pledged his personal fortune
to reimburse the government, should Con-
gress fail to make appropriations. Congress
acted promptly and Mr.. Perkins will not
have to pay from his own funds, but his
willingness to make the pledge is not likely
to be forgotten by the people OF San Fran
cisco and California.
Representative Bureigh has been in con-
sultation the past week, with the authorities
of the United States Fish Commission with
reference to the supply of young fish with
which to aid in stocking various lakes and
streams in the third Maine district. The
output of fish by the Commission is larger
this year than ever before and Gov. Bur-
leigh is DESTROYS that very large quota
Shall go to Maine. On his recommendation
the ulSIIlDutioHS loT the Luuu uiSLilct dl =
made Fish Commissioner Bowers has as
sured him that Maine will be given an I'M
usually large supply of trout and other
sporty fish.
Owing to the serious illness OF Mrs. Bur-
leigh the past week, Gov. Burleigh has been
paired at the House of Representatives and
has been keeping very close to the Rich
mond Hotel, where they live They were ex-
pecting to welcome many of the delegates
from Maine to the Congress of the Daugh-
tiers of the American Revolution during the
past week, but Mrs. Burleigh's illness. has
interfered materially with their plans.
Mrs. Burleigh's friends in Maine will be
glad to know that she is now considerably
improved.
Owing to the destruction of the public
buildings in San Francisco, Gov. Burleigh's
committee on public buildings and grounds
will have to consider soon the feasibility of
appropriations at this session for their re-
construction. He and Chairman Bartholdt
have already given some attention to the
matter and talked it over in a general way
with Speaker Cannon. They had their
omnibus bill for public buildings in various
parts of the country as good as completed,
1t only remained for the subcommittee on
review, of which Gov. Burleigh is MEM
Der, to 60 over the various paragraphs and
put on the finishing touches
The Daughters of the American Revou-
| ton had d glorious week here for their Con-
gress. The weather was as Spring-lke as
! could be, and they seemed to enjoy every
=,
time, as usually happens, in seeing the
sights OF the city as in attending the SEES
sions of their continental Congress. In
fact the programme of the Congress was
arranged as far as possible with that end
| in view Nearly all of them devoted
little time to visiting the Capitol to see
how a real Congress is run. Senators and
members, with their usual courtesy, often
acted as escorts for these visitors about the
| Capitol.
There will be some interest along the
Maine coast in the recent acquittal by the
federal court in North Carolina of Repre-
sentative Spencer c. Blackburn. He is
young Republican member of the House
who has had some hard factiOnal fights in
! his State. A few years ago he was married
| in Camden, Me-, to Miss Parker, daughter
! of Col. NJ. NJ. Parker. The Parkers make
| their summer home in Camden: in fact,
I Col. Parker is now legal resident of
| Maine, although in former years he was
prominent as an official and politician in
! Vermont. Mr.. and Mrs. Black burn so to
| Maine nearly every summer. Some weeks
ago he was accused by some of his political
| rivals in North Carolina of having prac-
ticed before the Departments here as a
| lawyer while he continued to be a member
| of Congress. That is the same Offense for
| which Senator Burton of Kansas was tried
and convicted by federal court in St.
Louis. But Judge Golf, one of the strong
| judges of the federal courts in the circuit
that includes the Carolinas, after hearing
the evidence directed the jury to return a
verdict of not guilty. 1t was a complete
triumph for Mr.. Blackburn.
The exodus of Washington people to the
Maine coast this year will be unusually
large All the prominent people in Wash
ingtOn have been very much occupied this
winter, because of the activity in many di- |
rections. A very large contingent OF Them
nprfpr the Maine coast as summer re- !