Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-19
CAPITAL CHAT.
Sudden Stagnation in
Political Matters.
Presidential Booms on a
Vacation.
Vice President Fairbanks Sticks
Close to Business.


cial)-An Washington is now wait
ing with baited breath for some
thing to drop. AS the expectancy has
to do with booms it might be mora
correct to say for something to go up.
There has been an absolute presiden-
tial calm for quite seven days. The
picture of such a condition is almost
a. interesting as of the excitement and
hullabaloo or real red hot maneuvers.
Almost 400 Representatives and al
most 100 Senators act like strong men
who have been taken off a full diet
and compelled to live on one meal a
day. They are as cross and fuSsy
without their daily political pabulum
as the late Secretary of State Hay
once found a distinguished diplomat,
with whom he could make no progress
in negotiations for an important treaty
till the diplomat located a place where
he could have game of bridge every
evening.
Usually the morning papers bring
the Congressman load of political
news. They may agree or disagree
with much of it, but it furnishes a
theme for gossip all day long There
is no legislation, worth talking about
much, and at the heighth of political
season Congressman are quite as in
sistent about having something to talk
about in the cloakrooms and corridors
as are the members of the fair sex.
Then the presidential headquarters
have been shut. The big mahogany
door to the little Office of the Secretary
of War is shut. A visitor, if he comes
properly accredited. may walk right
in past Private Secretary Carpenter
ard see the room, where the big chief
works. But the telephone in the north
west corner where the Secretary talks
with all the country, north. east, south
and west, this side of the Mississippi
River. when he is in town has not been
ringing its head off as it constantly
does when the Secretary sits within the
office, and the Secretary's high pitched
notes as he converses with political
leaders all over this tremendous area
are not heard.
Up at the Capital the headquarters
Of the chief Of the allied booms, by
which is meant the headquarters of
Senator w. Murray Crane, Of Massa-
chusetts, are exceedingly uninviting.
The double mahogany doors, of cloud
ed glass panels are locked. Few visi-
tors, except those on politics bent, go
up the winding passages or ascend in
the little box of an elevator, to those
headquarters, which are really the
Senator's committee room. Mr.. Crane
has been out of town for a week on
business. He has large interests at his
home town of Dalton. Mass, and also
in New York city which demands his
attention occasionally.
Some people think that Senator
Crane, who represents no particular
boom. but is working for the common
welfare of the anti-Taft booms on the
theory that it is quite as we'll to send
delegates to the Chicago convention
uninstructed, claiming also that 1--WE
shall be just as wise in June as we are
now" will be doing few political
stunts during his absence. Some people
would like to know whether he has not
been holding a confab or two with Gov.
Hughes, who is something of favorite
in New England. 1t was all arranged
about a month ago for Senator Crane
and Gov. Hughes to meet and confer in
New York City but someone let the
cat out of the bag and made the meet
ing impossible.
Then to add further to the political
stagnation with which Washington has
been engulfed all at once, Representa-
tive William B. Mckinley, Of Cham
Continued on Page Ten.)