The Republican journal., 1907-12-19
Letter From Washington.

pect with the bill for the extension of the
present Structure which Representative
Burleigh introduced the first day OF the
session. AS the machinery of Congress and
of the Treasury Department is now operat
ed it is matter of three or four years be-
tween the introduction of bill and the
completion of the public building for which
that bill provides. Gov. Burleigh occupies
a strategic position on the Public Buildings
committee and will be able to expedite the
Belfast bill He may be able to get it EN-
acted into law at the present session. pro-
vided there is public building act at this
session. That has not been determined yet.
Considerable information will have to be
complied as the foundation on which the
House and Senate can act in authorizing all
appropriation for Belfast. The volume OF
business in the community will be tabulat-
ed. including the receipts of the postoffice
for series of years, all OF which goes pc
fore the Supervising Architect OF the
Treasury and finally before the Secretary
of the Treasury, who is asked as matter
of formality to make Recommendation as
to the ACCESSIBILITY of the structure. Gov
Burleigh has already prepared much OF THIS
material and shortly will have 1t IN COM
nact form. he has been instrumental IN
securing a considerable number OF publlc
building appropriations for Maine during
his term, and therefore goes about the Bel
fast task with pgacticed hand.
The Treasury Department makes SLOW
,,rooress. as a rule, in getting buildings up
after they are once authorized. 1hat Is
largely because of the great amount OF pup
lie binding that is always going on anu'
sometimes. because contractors are not
oosiIv tn I've found to do the building. Sew
eral public building projects are now uhder
WAY i'm Maine, among them that OF the Dig
new federal court house at Portland
The passage of the service pension Dill
has not materially lessened the volume Vi
business which members OF Congress nave
of the rension bureau. The Third Maine
district, like many other Congressional dis
+ricts with a large population of ex- soldiers,
COMPRISES a considerable constituency tha1
is interested in pensions. GOV. bnrielsh
has always given very close attention to
nension matters, in the way of looking up
pending claims and ascertalnng what could
he done to further their adjudication
Inst now many of the Third District vet
Grams are anxious to have their service pen
sions awarded The money will be PAID
from the date the applications are FLED out
This does not lessen the earnestness OF the
haneticiaries to see the government war
rants on which they can secure the long
Green's" Gov. Burleigh visited Commas
siouer Warner last week and called up two
or three scores of pension claims when
Maine soldiers had asked him to expedite
as much as be might be able. He is taking
mn still another batch of these requests TINS
week and will continue at it, as fast as they
come in during the session.
The Pension Bureau hopes in the course
of a few months to dispose or the pulk OF
the applications for service pensions. They
ara NOW being granted at the rate of several
thousands day.
Sonp after the holidays Gov. Burleigh will
have an office in the new office building OF
+he House and viii make that the headquar-
ters for handling his mail and tranSactlng
mucb other business pertaining to the thru
district. Heretofore he has done much OF
This desk work at his hotel. The new Office
building is planned to provide good offices
for all the members of the House ana VIII
also be a convenient place at which to re-
npiv4 callers. 1t is only a block away from
the Capitol, with which it is connected by
subway. Telephones and bell signals Will
enable the members who are in the building
10 keep Informed about what is doing in the
House and also to know when they are need
ed there for a roll call. The office building
Will be a great convenience fol- all the Maine
members, none Of whom at present has
desirable committee room.
Representative Burleigh came to Wash
ington this year along with quite delega-
ton of New Engianders, who ate their
THANKSGIVING dinners at home. AS Thanks
giving was the last Thursday before Con-
gress opened the following Monday this
brought them to town just a day or two
before the session opened. The Governor
and Mrs Burleigh will live on Vermont
Avenue this winter, few doors above the
residence of Speaker Cannon.
congressman generally busy themselves
the early part of the season with setting
THEN official houses in order. That means
drawing their seats in the big hall of Rep
resentatves, paying duty calls upon the
President, the Speaker, and other high
officials, especially cabinet officers in the
Departments where the Congressman have
more or less business to transact during
the session. Among the calls that Gov.
Bnrleigh paid was one at the Office Of Sec
Rotary Straus, of the Department of Com
merce and Labor, and at the office OF Sec
rotary of the Treasury Cortelyon. The
Census Bureau, with which Gov. Burlelgh
has been in close touch almost ever since
he came to Congress, is under the jurlsdlc-
ton Of the Department of Commerce and
and Labor. Ali of the legislation under
which the Census Bureau operates has
been considered and approved by the Cen
Sus Con mittee of which Gov. Bnrleigh is
The second Republican member. 1t will
lave nCIe OF less legislation to consider at
lie coming session, If President ROosevelt's
reCt mel dalton, as embodied in his an
nua mt ssage, for provision for taking the
next census is carried out, as is probable.
HE committee on public buildings and
gltuuds has much to do with the Treasury
Al