Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-01-22
FROM WASHINGTON.
Ellsworth in Congrcss-B Harbor's
PostofIice - Maine's "Grand
Old Men5,

Ellsworth In Congress Bar Harbor's
Postofice Mains's "Grand
Old Mem.
WASHINGTON, d. c. Jan. 20 (special)-
Probably there is not city of its size in
in Congress as many terms as has the city
OF Ellsworth. There has been some
searching Of the old congressional records
here OF late, which brings out that inter-
esting bit OF information.
Other Maine cities have furnished more
members and senator's. In the matter of
numbers Ellsworth is far behind, but its
residents who have gone to the capitol at
| washington in representative capacity
have proved their ability by long tenures.
worth man, listed as such in the records
OF the House, is Leonard Jarvis, an old
| timer. After graduating at Harvard and
settling at Ellsworth, he made his way to
a number OF important offices. He was
sheriff OF Hancock county for eight years,
and then he held down the job Of collector
OF customs for the Penobscot district for
about year. Then he broke into Con-
| gress as Jackson democrat, taking his
seat Dec. 7, 1929.
Maine was very much Of a democratic
State in those days, and Congressman
Jarvis held the job for eight years. Maine
used to have eight representatives in the
| House in those days. In the twenty-fi fifth
Congress, however. Joseph c. Noyes, a
Wing merchant, got the seat from that
district, and Jarvis went to Boston as navy
agent. He closed his life at Surry,
whittier he moved on his return from Bos-
| ton.
| The late Judge John A. Peters was
elected to Congress from Bangor, and
w oil h..
native of Ellsworth, and later on made
! his home in Bangor. Then Senator Hale
! served i've terms, or ten years, as mem
Der OF the House, prior to his election to
the Senate in 1881. Accordingly an Ellis
I worth resident has been a member of the
house of representatives for about
twenty-four years since Maine became
| State, and an Ellsw orth resident has been
senator for about twenty-six years.
They have all made an impression at
| Washington by the influence exerted in
the shaping of legislation.
| Maine is now the only state that has
two grand old men in the Senate, and
also almost the only state that ever had
two senators at the same time who were
entitled to that distinction, and were
| keeping up an active interest in the legis
lative work OF that branch Of Congress-
| Alabama had two grand grand old demo-
! Gratis in the Senate in Mr.. Morgan and
Mr.. Pettus, both of whom died during
the past summer. They were considerably
older than the Maine senators and took an
active interest in legislation, but bore
nothing like the burdens that Senators
| Hale and Frye bear.
| New York has two old senators, old in
years ana in point OF service, but they
are infirm and are little more than figure
heads in the Senate. Iowa has one grand
old man in Senator Allison. There is
| hardly man in the Senate more worthy
OF the appellation, but he is too ill most
| of the time to do much hard work, and
the tasks that fall to him are taken up
largely by Senator Hale, as has been the
case for the last three years.
Senator Hale is having his hands full
with two important measures, which are
| the most prominent matters before the
Senate. One is the currency bill, being
I shaped up in the finance committee; the
| other is the bill to increase the efficiency
OF the navy. There are honest differences
| OF opinion regarding both bills, and they
will be holly contested. The senior Maine
senator Is capable OF giving and receiving
hard knocks, and is in both fights, show
| ing his usual resourcefulness and the
energy OF a youngster.
Senator Frye, in the meantime, is trying
to do the work that most senators would
| do later in the session. He is getting all
the little bills which come up before his
committee through the Senate at odd mo-
ments. He sits by the hour waiting for
opportunities He is very clever at that
sort OF effort, and prefers to do what he
has to do right away at the earliest mo-
ment, and to do his resting, if there is
resting ahead, later in the session when
| nearly every body else is in a scramble to
| gather up the odds and ends and balance
the books for the end Of the session.
Representative and Mrs. Burlegh were
invited a few nights ago to the diplomatic
reception by President and Mrs. Roose-
welt. They have also had invitations to
one OF Mrs. Roosevelt's musicales which
are given in the east room to audiences OF
distinguished officials in Washington.
Bar Harpor is getting FESTIVE under what
| it regards as delay in the building of its
new postotfice. The following letter from
the supervising architect, J. K. Taylor, to
Congressman Burleigh, under date OF Jan,
16, will perhaps allay the unrest:
Referring to your personal call at this
| Office on the 18th instant, relative to the
status Of work on the new federal build
| ing which it is proposed to erect at Bar
| Harbor, Maine, you are advised that in
taking up the drawings for the buildings
provided for under the act OF June 80,
1905, extensions to buildings already con-
| structed receive first consideration, the
exigencies OF the case demanding that
they be expedited as much as possible.
In view of the great amount of work
placed on the department by the last
omnibus building bill, system OF taking
buildings up in some given order was
necessary, and the one that has been fol-
lowed-that of taking the new work up
in the order in which the titles are ac-
quire1-is believed to be the fairest to all
concerned.
II you and your constituents will bear
this in mind, it is believed that you will
readily understand why the plans and
specifications for the building in question
have not yet been completed.