The Republican journal., 1909-02-18
Letter from Washington
Work of the Maine Delegation in Congress.
Senator Hale's Leadership.

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Work of the Maine Delegation in Congress.
Senator Hale's Leadership.
WASHINGTON, February 18th. Maine
visitors are coming to Washington these
days in increasing numbers. Some are
coming on tariff errands. Others are
people who are on the way South for
little trip during the cold weather, and
most of these stop here en- route and
drop around to the Offices of their Maine
Congressman. But the flights of Maine
people southwark this winter are not as
numerous as usual. Some who usually
take southern trip are probably waiting
until Inauguration time, SO that they can
tarry here and witness the pageant.
Business has been humming with all of
Names Representatives in the House of
late. They have been filling the fore
moons of the spring like Washington days
with visits to the Departments and with
committee meetings, and the afternoons
with attendance upon the sessions of
the House, where there is great activity
in clearing decks and getting ready for
the fourth of March, now getting very
near. Representative Allen of the first
district is still keeping an eye out for the
Indian appropriation bill, of which he is
one of the legislative guardians; Repre-
sentative Swasey of the second district
is looking after some shipping legislation
of local and national interest; Represen-
tative Burleigh of the old third district
is now tackling public buildings bill,
which, however, will carry no oppropria-
tions, and Representative Guernsey of
the fourth district is helping pilot the
joint statehood bill for Arizona and New
Mexico into safe haven.
Names present delegation comprises
men who look closely after the little
matters of their individual CT nstituents.
None of them is more alert in that direc-
ton than Representative Burleigh. Soon
after he came to Congress ten years ago
he championed the rural free delivery of
mail and he kept plugging away session
after session for the establishment of
rural routes in his district. He went to
the limit that the annual appropriations
for those enterprises permitted. When
that was reached he devoted himself
with special energy to perfecting the
service on routes in the third district and
to improving the mail service generally.
Hardly week goes by that he has not
been laboring with the Postofice Depart
ment for daily mail service to half a
dozen small towns, in lieu of tri-weekly
service, or for some kindred change.
The Department has long followed the
practice of curtailing mail facilities to
many Maine towns in winter, especially
along the coast. Representative Burleigh
has been giving lot of attention to these
cases and Of late has obtained marked
improvement in the mail service in a
number of localities.
The voluminous comments which
abounded last session about Western
Senators getting into the saddle at that
end of the Capitol has been rapidly SUBJ
siding. 1t is due to the vigorous leader
ship Of Senator Hale of Maine. He leads
more firmly and unerringly, the Senate
is learning, than any man who has at
tanned that high position for many years.
The young Senators from the West are
. GrIi,,er 70 fboi,
1--WE have to turn in and lick them once
in while,'' quoth Senator Lodge of
best lieutenants, the other day. This was
after some of the Western Republicans
had been trying a cantankerous trick tc
empasize determination to have their
own way, whether the Senate leaders
liked it or not They have received two
or three such drubbings Of late and it has
quelled their spirit Most of them are
now coming around to eat out of Senator
Hale's hand, for he stands forth as the
one man who embodies the personifica-
ton Of the Senate leadership.
During the two or three years that the
late Senator Allison of Iowa, long the
Senate's floor leader, was ill, the new
Westerners took liberties. Senator Bev-
eridge of Indiana, a good orator who
never distinguished himself at all in con-
structive legislation, openly aspired to
the floor leadership. This session he has
been tame as ba lamb. A coterie of
radical Western Republicans, headed by
Senator LaFollette, had made consider
able trouble, They would vote with the
Democrats as often as with their own
party and were boasting what they were
going to do with the leadership one of
these days. Senator LaFollette still lives
off the reservation most of the time, but
his opportunities for making trouble have
been greatly restricted.
The change is due in a very large meas
ure to the good tact and consecutive
judgment, backed by energy in enforcing
his will, on the part of Senator Hale.
There is accordingly less inclination to
start revolts. There is more party har-
monv Tho Copato crifioc oyx, ssC1,r, nc