Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-03
A Busy New Year for the
Westinghouse.
Plans for New Public Building
Appropriations.
Senator Lodge Predicts that Session will
Last till August.

washington. D. c., Jan. 2.-(Spccial.)
The national law makers are return
ing tardily for the New Years work be-
fore them. Ii takes several days for
the Legislative wheels to begin their
normal revolutions and accordingly
many members and Senators reason
that il is time lost to come back here
till the session is on in earnest. Some
like to get back before the New Year
so rs 10 participate in the New Years
reception at the White House. That is
always an interesting function. The
long line of officials, army and navy
officers, and others filing into the White
House and emerging therefrom under
the broad arms of the great trees III the
White House grounds always makes an
interesting picture.
The big task of the day at New
Years reception fell upon the President
who has 10 shake thousands of people
by the hand and who is also supposed
to give them cordial word and Il
pleasant smile. Probably no man was
ever in the White House who could do
all those things as successfully as
President Roosevelt can do them. 1t
seems easy enough to shake a half
dozen people by the hand but very few
people have ever had Il chance to see
how it feels to multiply tie process
many times.
Here in Washington the receptions
get to be an old story. Local people
see so many of them year in and yea
out that the novelty wears out. They
y npVGrf hnlaSS n tor inc {ai,
and there are always thousands of new
Corners in a cosmopolitan city like this
who enjoy looking on or participating
on such occasions.
The New Years reception was fol-
lowed by series of evening receptions.
beginning with what is called the
Diplomatic reception. That is regarded
as the most desira bic of all those re-
ceptions and the invitations are always
welcomed. The Maine delegation in tn
House headed by Gov. Burlcigh. have
been invited to the diplomatic recep-
tor. The cards went out Il few days
ago by the White House messengers.
who carr led the big envelopes around
to the Richmond. where Gov. and Mrs
Burleish live, to the Hamilton. where
Representative and Mrs. Littlefield
make their home during the winter.
ana so on through the list of Maine
representatives.
Speaker Cannon will soon have a talk
with Representative Bartholdt of Mis-
souri, and Representative Rurleigh of
Maine about the public buildings pro-
gram for this session. The Speaker
has decided to have an omnibus bill
and he will talk with those two because
they are the two leading members of
the committee which frames public
building legislation. There are several
hundred public building bills already
introduced in the House and it is a task
of no small magnitude to decide which
of those are most pressing and most
demanded from The standpoint Of good
public service. Gov. Burlcigh is an old
hand at the work. however. having been
on the public buildings committee ever
since he entered Congress and having
Lad a hand i'm framing several omnibus
bills.
This winter. as in previous years. he
will have immediate charge of the New
England bills ANA will try to look out for
Just as many New England buildings
80 Io'1'si''N. A>tN I1dfIl!jSiiIIC IL dSklIS
for several public buildings. Vermont
has bill or two and Massachusetts
has several, not to mention bills Offer
ed by Connecticut and Rhode Island
members. 1t is always hard to reject
the nleadings of members for these bills
Tor the construction of public buildings
to accommodate poStOtfices. customs Of
fees. internal revenue offices, and fed
eral courts arc always urgent. That
is especially true in q session which
2rcccdcs Congressional election. for
members hailing from close districts
want the public buildings not only for
the accommodation of public business
but as proofs to their constituents that
they are accomplishing things down at
Washington.
The other three members of the
Maine delegation will not be idle for
legislation to handle this winter. EN-
Gov. Powers is full up with business
on his territories Committee. where
Speaker Cannon relies upon him in con-
siderable part to keep things going
straight. He has his hands on the two
statehood bill and later will have some
thing to do with the bill to authorize
the construction of railroads in Alaska
and for refunding part of the federal
collections in Hawaii to the territorial
government. The Judiciary committee,
of which Representative Littlefeld
is a member, always has lot of legal
measures pending and no one takes
more active interest or a more promi-
nent part in handling these measures
than the member from the second
Maine district. Representative Allen is
a member of one of the business COM
mittees of the House, that on the Dis
trict Of Columbia. He is the author OF
several District Of Columbia bills now
pending and after the holidays will
have TO conduct hearings on these
measures.
Everybody is prophesying a lively
session of Congress from now on. Sem
ator Lodge. of Massachusetts. said to-
day that he expected also to see a very
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