Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-07-21
CAPITAL CHAT.
State Of Maine Men Are
Taking Lead.
They Will Shape Important
Legislation in Committee.
Pres. Taft Unable to Accept An
Invitation to State Fair.

ativeS soon according to all the signs
One of them will be Representative
Alexander, of New York, native OF
Richmond, Maine, who has been coming
to Congress from the Buffalo district
for about dozen years. Another is
Representative Stevens of ST. Paul,
who is well known down Bangor way
where his family lived for many years
Both are graduates of Bowdoin and go
down into Maine once or twice every
year to keep their old-t time friend
ship. Both are in strategical legisla-
tive positions and probably will have
much to do with the important work,
outlined for Congress at it's session
next winter.
Representative Stevens, for instance,
is a leading member of the Committee
on Interstate Commerce, which during
the years of the Roosevelt agitationS
about corporations, has become very
influential committee of the House. II
framed the railroad rate bill and to it
will probably be referred this winter
the recommendations of the President
for the revision of the Sherman anti
trust law and also of the railroad rate
promises to be about as strong and
capable a Representative as there will
be on that committee. He is not SUI
ficiently near the top through SEMI
GRITTY of service to become it's chair
man, but he will be one of the leading
Republican members and will have a
big part in deciding what the program
on the committee on those matters of
legislation shall be-
Mr.. Stevens constituency in ST.
Paul is naturally keenly interested in
transportation and corporation ques-
lions, for it is a great transportation
center, where several big railroad
lines have terminals. He has given
a deal of attention to such sub
jects and has a fund of practical know
ledge that should be of use to the COM
mittee.
While Mr.. Stevens in his jurisdiction
as a member of Interstate Commerce
promises to have much to say about
transportation questions on land Rep
resentative Alexander will be the lead
ing figure in the House, probably, in
matters of improved transportation
facilities on water. 1t is in the cards
for him to be chairman OF the Rivers
and Harbors Committee, which will
have as important, probably more i'm
portant work to do in the next two
years than it has ever had before. The
agitation for very decided improve
ments of the Waterways of the cOun-
try is now well under way. There are
forceful demands for authorization Of
great series of canals, including the
Boston to Beaufort, N. c., scheme and
the fourteen foot waterway down the
Mississippi to the Gulf so that Chicago
can send cargoes up the Illinois River
and by its drainage canal to New
Orleans, These are divers other water
improvements not only call for
greater expenditure than is involved
in the Panama Canal but present en-
cheering problems of great magnitude.
1t is not thought for a moment that
Mr.. Alexander as chairman of Rivers
and Harbors will be able to set about
work on all these projects during the
next two years but he will have super
vision over the initial stages of prelimi-
nary legislation of vast Importance. AL
ready some of the survey work has
been undertaken and probably more
will be authorized. The question of
funds is not the least important. The
discussion of the issuance of govern
ment bonds for the prosecution of these
public works is very earnest and the
Rivers and Harbors committee will
have to put on the brakes to keep Con-
gress from plunging too precipitately
into great schemes that would cost
MOI hpn dc Of
There will probably be a River ana
Harbor appropriation bill at the next
session of Congress and Chairman
Alexander will have a hard time keep
ing the size of that bill, in it's total of
appropriations, down to limits that the
treasury can stand. There are many
enthusiastic supporters Of a liberal
waterways policy, both in and out of
Congress Chairman Alexander is in
a position to shape the realization of
that policy to very material degree
during his encumbency as Chairman
His constituents, who are Republicans
by large majority are disposed to
keep him in Congress as long as he
wishes to stay there and, if the House
continues to be Republican, there is
little doubt that Mr.. Alexander will be
chairman of Rivers and Harbors for
number of years. His accession to
the Craftsmanship therefore offers him
an unusual opportunity to make the
development of river and harbor i'm
provement in the United States a
big feature of his political career.
Over in the Senate Maine man will
have charge of the big Navy Appro-
priations. which are a feature of every
session of Congress. Senator Perkins.
of California, now chairman of Naval
Affairs in succession to Senator Hale,
was born in Kennebunkport and goes
back to Maine once or twice every
year. There are important policies
to be shaped by Congress with refer
ence to the Navy and Chairman Per-
kins who spent the most of his early
life upon the sea, will have hand in
shaping those policies annually as
long as he remains chairman of Naval
Affairs He was recently elected for
a full term and therefore has six years
ahead of him.
These instances, together with the
influence of the members of the Maine
delegation in Senate and House in
dicates that Maine men are not to be