The Republican journal., 1908-01-16
Letter From Washington.
Ftorrespoudence of The journal. !


that Congress has at last gotten reaoy
to attend to business. Possibly the
country loses some of it's interest in
the meeting of Congress because II
takes so long for it to get down 70
actual legislation. There is month oi
flashes in the pan, Of meetings that &C
complish nothing, of debates that mean
nothing, of ,maneuvers that come 70
nothing, before one finds the lawmakers
really in harness and putting thell
shoulders against the load.
Now they are in harness. AS cary
as 9 or 10 O'Clock every week day morn;
ing the stream of people sets IN toward
the Capitol. The two street car lines
find traffic capitolward congested al
that hour. Some of the Senators ana
members enjoy walking the mile OF
more between their places OF residence
and the legislative chambers. A re" oi
the more well to do ride In their car.
riages or automobiles. But the great
proportion of them prefer by necessity
or choice She finely equipped electric
cars, propelled by underground power
In that category are the Name Repre-
sentativeS. The two Maine Senators
generally ride in their own vehlcies 10
and fro. Representatives Burlelgh and
Littlefield are frequently IN the pedes;,
TRAN class. Representative Allen, OF
the first district, has the advantage OF
all of them in that he resides very neal
the Capitol-only two or three blocks
away-and therefore can walk BACK
and forth by simply crossing the Capt.
tol grounds. But he has to go farther
when he wants to visit the Departments,
which are up town, SO that the thing is
evened in the long run.
Congress in session is generally the
whole show in Washington. Every
man ana woman who comes here ON
business errand or sightseeing goes TO
the Capitol. Congress in action Is more
than all the great buildings or than
historic sites. Hence the great cur
rents of humanity always surglng there,
for the transient population OF WASH
ington is always large and never larger
than during the first two or months OF
session of Congress.
All the Maine men in Congress here
are now well occupied. All have had
several terms of service, nave oeen
constantly advancing in influence IN
influence in legislative councils. Hence
when there is something to Go, they
are less likely to have to sit with fold
ed hands and wait for others to shape
up the preliminaries.
Representative Burleigh, like his
three colleagues of the Pine Tree State
delegation IN the House, is Industrious
in dispoSing of the volume OF routine
tasks that confront every member OF
the House. He is now settled down at
his residence on Vermont avenue, after
having spent the holidays in Name.
His mail is brought to him there every
morning from the House OF Represen-
tatives post Office. A big wagon, with
the House of Representatives printed
on each side in big letters drives up to
his door early and a messenger hands
in the bundle of letters and papers de-
llvered to him. Similar wagons are
driving up to the doors of many other
Congressional residences and mes
sengers are harding in similar bundles
of letters III numerous parts OF the city
about the same hour. Some of the
law makers prefer to see their mall first
at the Capitol Gov. Burieigh likes to
look over his letters after breakfast
and after he has skinned through the
morning papers to learn the news.
Three or four mails day reach
dS!iHS ION loI tilS wing loHoioitttl
contingent. Before Gov. Burielgh
starts down town III the morning he
has generally dictated answers to all OF
them that can be answered forthwith.
Others are put aside till some informa-
ton asked for can be obtained or some
action requested Can be determined.
the Maine members are ALI very
prompt in answering communications
II tys mn rA
prompt than the third District Repre-
sentative.
In the old days, before private secre-
talles were provided, members USED TO
answer many letters while sitting at
their desks in the House. Then auto
graph letters from congressman were
the rule Now it is rare thing to see
a Congressman sitting at his desk IN
the House answering his correspond
ence and an autograph Congressional
letter is the exception. Three or four
hundred typewriting machines, scatter
ed about i'll residences, committee
rooms and offices are Gathering through
the day, turning out the many thou
sands of letters which the mails are
carrying back to voters all over the
country.
Representative Burleigh's inside coat
pocket is receptacle for goodly
number of the letters that come to him.
Those are letters which cannot be
answered off-hand but must be looked
up. He usually starts out by 10 O'Clock
or soon thereafter and the package of
letters in his inside pocket determines
very largely what course he travels for
the next hour or two. He has never
objected to being Congressional
errand boy, although some Congress
men balk at running around the de-
partments and using the telephone for
the accommodation of their cnnstltu-
entS.
There are committee meetings gener-
ally one or two mornings Of every week
that take the Maine members to the
Capitol earlier than usual. Gov. Bur
leigh is very constant in attending
these meetings, as are all his Maine
colleagues. They do not countenance
the practice of absenteeism, which
makes it difficult to get quorum of a
committee together, unless the meet
ing has to do with specially important
business or with something OF lmmedl-
ate concern to the member himself.
The House meets at noon. GOV.
Bureigh tries to be in his seat when
the gavel falls or soon thereafter. He
plans to spend the next three or four
hours around the Capitol, either follow
ing the House proceedings or attend
ing to matters near by SO AS to be on
hand if he is needed in the House
ohan,har NnU a davs ba will SDend A