Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-19
CAPITAL CHAT.
Continued from Page One.)

paign. ILL.,, has left town. He, too, has
private business out in the state and
the double mahogany doors Of his COM
mittee room. just next the headquar-
ters of Senator Crane are shut and
there is nothing doing"
The Fairbanks boom is moving
along, but it always did progress by
very quiet, although, as many people
believe, by very effective methods
Senator Hemenway. it's manager, is
around the Capitol but he has a soli-
tary bearing and looks lonesome. He
wanders up by the Crane and McKin-
ley doors and acts as though he would
like to stray inside but proceeds to his
own committee quarters. Fairbanks
continues to be the leading candidate
i'll point Of delegates elected, for In
diana's so have all been named and
bound to stand under the Fairbanks
colors. There is great ructiOn down in
Kentucky, the adjourning state, where
IT seems to be on the cards for Mr..
Fairbanks to get about 20 more dele
gates. in spite Of the Taft claims that
the Secretary of War was going to
bag the entire delegation and lead its
members captive to the Chicago con-
vention in June.
Many visitors come to Washington
asking the Vice President to go out
and deliver addresses Some came
from Chicago the other day on such a
mission and within twenty-fou hours
more came from Michigan, bidding him
make pilgrimage in their state. He
waved them all aside courteously. Dur
ing sessions of Congress he makes no
speeches that will take him away from,
the Senate. In the three years he has
been the presiding officer of that body
he mas made a record which probably
nc other Vice President ever made. He
has been absent only two DAYS and
that was to attend a general Meth
odist conference at birmingham, Ala,
where one of the leading topics for con-
slderaticn was the unification Of the
Northern and Southern branches of
that faith. He is much interested In
seeing the two churches become one.
Up In his library on the third floor
OF MS Washington residence, the Vice
president has seven large, tall volumes.
They contain the typewriter manu-
script on long pages of every speech
he has made since he became Vice
President. lie has had practically no
vacation in that time, for when Con-
gress adjournS he spends almost all of
his time travelling to and fro and ac-
ceptinS the invitations to speak. Most
or these addresses are about civic top
les. When he goes to lay a corner
stone for a Y. NJ. c. A. building or to
Sunday school, he never talks politics.
He takes the ground that on those and
similar occasions he has no right to
participate in political discussion or to
inject himself as Vice President of all
the people into politics.
But when campaign comes on and
the Republicans in a state want hin,
to make political addresses, it lis diff
eront. He then speaks on politics and
expresses his views upon political is
sues. He is on record regarding every
important national issue since he he
came National figure in 1896 right I'm
to the present time.
So the Vice President declined tho
invitations from Chicago and from
Michigan and the delegations departed
sorrowfully. The Vice President CON
tinues to preside over the Senate and
Is contributing nothing to lift political
washington out of it's slough of des-
pond.
AIRS. l.. NJ. N. Stevens OF Portland
is among the Maine people who bavs
heen in. Washington for some time
past. She mas been in attendance on
the committee hearings of the House
ana senate, which have been consider
ing proposed legislation.