Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-01-02
CAPITAL CHAT.
Members Arriving Back
From the Recess.
The Sessions New Honors for
Senator Eugene Hale.
Maine Visitors to the Capitol Activities
Of Maine Members.

Washington. d. c. Jan. 1 Especially
While Congress came together this year
displaying great avidity in both
branches for legislative action and
sputtering constantly about it's tasks,
as though there WAS grave discomfort
with things. its Senators and members
have "hiked' away from town for the
holidays in unaccustomcd numbers. 1t
| looks as though most of them were glad
| to drop politics and law making with
the alacrity often ascribed to the drop
ping of hot potato" Surely twenty
four hours after the gavcls had fallen
| i'll both branches, as adjournment was
announced, practically all the states
| men were far away, rolling towards
home in express trains. The mon from
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New
York, and all the states one can men
ton in the Union, except those on the
other sides of the Rockies. were glad to
| leave Washington and its tempetuous
atmosphere i'll the distance for Il while.
Now they are all getting back again.
The sunny climeS of the South are at
| tractinS a few of the vacationists from
Capitol Hill, as usual. But some, like
Senator Hale, of Maine, say that the
| steady cold climate OF the northern tier
| of states is better for the health and
| therefore moro 10 be desired than the
enervating Southern climate. Mr.. Hale
stays in Washington during the holiday
season, as do men like Senator Lodge,
of Massachusetts. The Maine Senator
does not go north now, because the
weather is little too uncertain. He
waits till along in February, when leg
| iSlativc tasks become a little Wearisomc
and then goes to the Maine coast for Il
week of the bracing winter air and for
| a chance to tread on the hard, crisp
snow.
AS Il large proportion of the Senate
and House are men of business and
men of learned professions. they wei
come an opportunity for a week or 50
| to go home and look after their inter-
! eSts. Speaker Cannon is one of these.
He would gladly stay in Washington
but has business affairs at Danvile. ILL.,
which demands his attention. Nova
days many members slip home during
the session to look after their business,
but it is not permitted for the Speaker
who must be here, unless seriously i'll,
SSSiS WI Nils ueiy VI SOllSicS
HOnors seem to be coming thick and
| fast for Senator Hale this session. He
is now looked upon as floor leader of
| the Senate in debate taking. in large
part, the role that Senator Allison has
| been performing. Because of advanced
| stand the stress and strain of that duty.
Heretofore in debate Mr.. Allison has
been looked upon as the leader, with
Senators Hale, Lodge, and Spooncr, as
his immediate licutcnants. Senator
Aldrich has always played role as
| manager, in which he has especial
strength. But it is expected hereafter
that Mr.. Hale will bear the brunt of
the speaking, when majority meas
ures are before the Senate. with Sena-
tors Lodge and Spooner as his ready
assistants, just as he did last week, in
the Panama Canal debate.
| Mr.. o. II. Briggs, whose home is at
Portland, Me. although he resided in
| this city several years as an emplOyc
and is now chief clerk of the purchas-
| ing agent of the war department, has
prepared some figures on the compara-
| tive cost of similar articles in the vari-
Gus departments of the government
| which are attracting no little attention
here. He has shown by a table, which
he prepared after long inquiry. what il
! costs the different departments of the
government for such supplies as
fOolscap paper. hand blotting pads, and
even red tape. AS an example he has
shown that the war department pays
S1.f2 cents per dozen spools of ~ yards
| to the spool for red tape and that it
costs other departments varying sums
up to $2.2J for exactly the same mater
ial as the war department pays SLAP
Similar variations in price apply to
other articles, which have to be pur-
chased in large quantities for the gov
eminent offices.
The subject has never been eXhaus-
lively treated before but in report
of the purchasing agent just made pub
lie, Mr.. Briggs has set forth this ia
bic and it will be considered by the
Keep commission, composed OF officials
appointed by the President to inquire
into departmental methods of doing
business. 1t is also to Mr.. Briggs cred
it that he and his immediate official
superior the purchasing agent. have
secured in most cases, the lowest pos
sible prices for government supplies.
Prof. William f. Sargent of Hebron
Acade my has been in Washington the
past week on visit. He registered at
the Raleigh hotel During his stay here
Prof. Sargent visited some of his old
friends and the former pupils of the
academy.
Fred Bunker Of North Arson.
member of the last Maine Legislature
and Charles S. Walker of Emblem, are
staying in Washington a few days on
their way to California, where they will
pass the winter. Mr.. Bunker has rela-
tives in California and is thinking of
settling there to engage in business.
Representative Allen Of the list Maine
District. is not letting the experts on
insurance control in the House. get
ahead Of him. As the program is to re-
fer insurance bills to the District Of
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