The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-04-30
letter from WASHINGTON


son of the year has come when all Washing
ton tires Of legislative and governmental topics
and yearns for the open country. Business
drags at the Capitol. The lawmakers have
to force themselves to work, when they
would prefer to go out into the parks and
look at the flowers or go to baseball game.
The spring season is at its heighth, the trees
are full of leaves, and the fever of inditfer-
! ence is in the blood.
The Maine people in Washington are
sticking to their tasks, but looking forward
now to the flight northward. Ii it were
March, and the close of a short session, they
would be dreading the trip to the cold eli
mate and would be delaying their departure.
Now the minute the adjournment OF Con-
gress comes most of the Maine Congress
men and their families will be boarding the
first train out Of Washington
The last days of the session, which will be
about the middle of May, will be enlivened
| by the presence of a considerable number OF
| Governors in town. All the Governors OF
States and territories have been asked to
meet at the White House to confer about
|
Cobb of Maine is among the invited and 1t
is understood here that he is coming There
| will be numerous social functions in honor
of these gubernatoral visitors. including
reception by Clifford Pinehot. the Chief For
ester of the Department of Agriculture,
| member of the tennis cabinet and personal
| friend and chum of President Roosevelt.
/ mo- frnr, hair O
rious topic the governors are likely to have
jolly'tme during their visit to Washington.
| Incidentally they will have opportunity to
talk national politics and get into better
| touch with what the parties are planning
with reference to the election OF the next
| President. The governors will be IN town
at least three days, and about the time they
| conclude their sessions in the East room of
the White House Congress will be ready, as
matters look now, to adjourn until Decem-
| Der.
| REPRESENTATIVE Burleigh has just emerged
| from an unusually busy week. His address
| in the evening for several days has been at
the House Office Building. His address in
| the morning and the afternoon has been at
the same place At intervals he has been
running over to the House of Representa-
! tives along with big group OF other mem
bers, answering hurry calls to make a
| uuorum against the Democratic flibusters'
| or to get in his vote, along with numerous
other Republicans, on some measure when
| the Democratic flibuSterS have forced to a
roll call The Governors day vigils and
night viglls have been with the omnibus
public buildings bill, which has had tor
tuitous course of ups and downs ever since
the first steps toward framing 1t were taken
| some five or six weeks ago. Gov. burlelgh
| is chairman of sub committee number two,
which deals with matters in the six New
| England States and the States OF ONO, A Ia
bama, Georgia and Louisiana, and IN that
capacity has had a hand in passing upon
more than one hundred projects and has
personally interested every member of Con-
gress from these States. When he and his
subcommittee had decided upon the projects
they favored they had to take these projects
before the full committee, have them fitted
| into the omnibus bill and adjusted SO as to
be in harmony with those allowed for other
sections of the country. 1t was Il long and
tedious task and Gov. Burleigh, as well as
other members of the public buildings COM
mittee, have reason to dislike the sound OF
the words, public buildings" But after
all the tussing and dickering the country
will get public building bill carrying
about $1,000 5000. 1t will mean a step to-
ward the providing OF necessary facilities
70, pu
required to erect these buildings will keep
a large number of men employed in these
hard times. 1t will occupy large forces OF
cutters in the granite quarrieS of Maine
and other States IN getting out the building
material. And incidentally the bill will con
tain quite number Of items for Maine cities
some of which are to have new and better
public buildings in the course of the mex
year or two.
A petition of the International Brother
hood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mil
workers at Madison and Scion, Maine, was
presented in the House the other day
against the removal of the duty on wool
pulp. This was among the first OF the
petitions of this character which are com
ing in upon Congress and which emphasize
the other side of the story involved in the
efforts to have the duty on pulp and paper
abolished, 1t has been said all along here
by Republican protectionists that the work
ers in the many pulp anC paper mills Of
New England would want to know the effec
of the proposed legislation on wages before
they would acquiesce in it. Several of the
! New England members of The House have
come out very strongly against any reduc
ton of the duty on pulp and paper till Thai
subject can be thoroughly discussed anC
the result of the proposed legislation on the
wage earners determined.
Whatever may be done with the pulp and
paper duties eventually it is about as GER
tain as anything can be that there will be
no legislation thereon at this session OF
| Congress The Republicans do not pro-
pose to allow the tariff to be revised piece
meal. What is done toward revision will
be done at one time, probably Immediately
after the next president is inaugurated
Then the Maine Senators and Representa-
tives will have big task on their hands.
for there are few Maine industries that
will want the duties in the existing Dingley
law reduced. But it will be inevitable that
many of the duties will be either abolished