Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-22
vestiges Of Inauguration
Still to Be Seem.
Congress in Full Swing for
The Extra Session.
Work Of Waterways Commission Of
Interest to Maine.

| titan a fortnight has passed, all along
| Pennsylvania Avenue from the White
House to the Capitol there are piles
| Of lumber and the skeletons OF grand
stands. 1t takes quite as long to tear
down inaugural structures as to erect
them. Acres OF flooring and roofing
have to be removed. Nowadays, when
prices for lumber are high, unusual
care is taken by the contractors in re-
| moving the nails and in preserving the
boards
The magnificent court OF honor has
not all been removed. The great
pyions have been taken apart piece
by piece. Carloads of sand were
| dumped into the bases of these tower
| like structures to steady them against
| the wind. The venetian masts. which
held the long Sarlands that stretched
| for several. blocks past the main re-
| viewing stand, have also been carefully
removed These and all the other
pa;phenalia OF the court of honor are
being transported nine miles away to
Alexandria, Va. where they will be
| set up again and made to do duty at
| a local celebration. The reconstructed
| court OF honor, however. will hardly
| look as well as when it served as tho
setting for the scene where President
| Taft reviewed the inaugural parade.
| Washington speedily forgets an inau-
| guration or other great public event.
| There are plenty of other things here
| t. absorb the attention and to furnish
| topics for conversation. Important
people are constantly coming and go
| ing, many Of whom are on important
| business. Washington is more inter-
| coted III this passing thronS than in
| an Inauguration. which it will remem-
| Der chiefly for the blizzard that at
| tended it. True the blizzard would
| have caused small comment in Maine.
| There it would have been thought of
only as one Of numerous snow
storms" Of winter But Maine is
| long on snow storms and Washington
! is not and that makes the difference.
On the other hand inaugurations come
once in every four years at Washing
| tOl and there are SO many of them
that to observation-disclosures they become
commonplace. The weather is often
the most important feature of them
| to local people.
The Taft administration is we'll I'M
|
with the three branches of the Gov
| ernmcnt legislative. executive and
| i,rlicial-in full swing. 1T has all
come about so easily and 50 smoothly
there has been 50 complete coordina-
ton between Roosevelt, retiring, and
| Taft entering upon the stage. that 1t
has almost been as though there had
been no change. About the same pHo-
pie are crossing the threshold of the
| White House Offices. day by day. cX-
| cent that members of the AnanaS club
are returning to obtain their old time
| favor.
| .IanN have come, of course. to pay
| their respects to the new President.
The Maine men have not been behind
i'll that regard. senator Frye dropped
around early. Senator Hale was away
| in Maine. breathing in the inVsorat-
| ing March air, which is very resttul
| and wholesome to him after winter
| OF arduous effort at the Capitol He
did not Get around to the White House
offices till 4 little later, but the glad
hand was outstretchcd for him there
as it is for all the Maine men iii Con
gross
| And the now Congress is swinging
of in right encouraging fashion
| There are a few new faces here and
| there, nut the same leaders are IN
co.itrol. The Republican voters of the
country die not turn out many of their
| Congressional servants. OF course
| there is no change in the Mare dele
CATION. either in Senate or House 1t
does not often happen that new ad-
ministration begins with the executive,
| judicial and Legislative departments
| active. But this is ar extra session of
| Congr"SS-the first to be held in the
| spring for twelve years. The supreme
| Court is always sitting at this time of
| wear and has at its head a Maine man,
| Chief Justice NJ w. Fuller. Advanc-
| inc gears have not lessened his in
| dusty.
Maine will probably find something
Of interest in the National Waterways
| Commission, which Congress author
izad and appointed in the very closing
DAYS of the session that ended March
A. 1t was given comprehensive pow
ers. especially with reference to the
large navigablc rivers where there is
| sufficient water to turn the larg"
wheels. Primarily its duties are to in
|
| and to investigate the possibilities of
water borne commerce. But in the
| meetings which the members of the
commission have already held, con-
siderable attention has been given to
water power and also enhance the
navigabilty Of rivers.
AS there are two loyal Maine men
| on the CommiSsion-Rep ID.
| s. Alexander. of Buffalo, a native Of
| Richmond. Me. and Representative
| Frederick c. Stevens. of st. Paul, who
came from Bangor, they will not over
look such big rivers as the Androscog-
| gin Kenncbec and PcncbScot. The
| pcsSibillties OF water power develop
ment are great on all three of these
rivers. especially on the kennehec and
Penobscot. And this development
would spell great industrial growth. 1t
might mean the building of more
Maine cities and towns eventually. 1t
would certainly mean more mills and
, the attracting of 4 larger industrial
population to the Pine Tree State. The
| building of reservoirs for storage pur-
| ale IN fhp