The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-12-30
Affairs in Washington.
Movements and Doin2s of the Maine Dele
cation.

cation.
WASHINGTON, D. c., December 9th.
The machinery of government. which
was started up with rush two weeks
and more ago is slowing down. Every
one, from the clerks to the cabinet officer
in every department, is participating in
the gay festivities of the season and do
ing no more than is necessary till after
New Years is gone. In Washington, New
Years is always holiday, when the
doors of the Departments are shut not
only for that day but for half of the
previous day. The season is an unusual
ly merry one, for it is the first season of
new administration. There are many
new personages in the administrative
equation and people new upon the scene
in Washington seem to extract more
pleasure out of their surroundings for a
while than those who have grown old in
the government service and find nothing
of novelty in it as administrations come
and go.
But the country is gradually resuming
its wonted prosperity and such a state of
affairs is invariably reflected at Wash
ington. Some how or other the state of
mind of any considerable body of citizens
throughout the length and breadth of the
nation is felt here promptly in some de-
gree. If a large portion of the people
are depressed by hard times, that spirit
is demonstrated in the conduct of affairs
at Washington and vice versa. This
year all Washington has high hopes of
the coming year and there is a conse
quent buoyancy, pleasant to observe.
The exodus of officials during the
Christmas season was exceptionally
small this year. That was due in part to
the hardness of their arrival, which was
coincident with President Taft's return
from the West and South.
The Maine folks who come to Wash
ington during the session of Congress,
have scattered for the holidays. Sever
al of them have gone to their homes.
Senator Hale has gone to Boston for
Few days in the more vigorous northern
air. He seems to like Boston better
than Washington during the cold months
of the year as place for rest from legis-
lative labors. Senator Frye is tarrying
here at present, but will probably get
over to New Jersey to visit his grand
daughter before New Years, for Con-
gress does not reconvene till January 4th
and there is nothing to occupy him here
until that time. He improved the op-
portunities before the holidays to get a
number of small bills out of his commit
tee on commerce and thus start them on
the way through the legislative mill. In
advancing the scores of little bills affect
ing commerce upon the seas, Senator
Frye is wonder He had his commit
tee called together early and persuaded
the members thereof to agree to bill to
construct a vessel for the customs SER
vice in the vicinity of Portland. Maine,
and also to agree on bill for the con-
struction of lighthouse tender for the
engineer of the first and second light
house districts, which include the entire
coast of Maine and of New Hampshire
and Massachusetts.
Representative Bureigh, of the third
district, has returned to Maine for the
holidays and is with his family in Au-
gusta. He cleared up his work incident
to the first two weeks of the session, and
visited several of the Departments to
dispose of the numerous errands entrust-
ed to him by his constituents. He was
one of the two or three New England
Congressmen hidden to the recent annual
fall dinner of the Gridiron Club, which is
usually regarded as big event incident
to the early weeks of session OF Con-
gress. The President most OF the men,
beers of his Cabinet and a large contingent
from official life, invariably attend this
banquet given by newspaper correspond
ents. Good fun and merriment prevail.
All are on an equality and the big Of
ficials. even to the President, have to
submit to the roasting"
The committees of which Gov. Burleigh
is member have held no meetings yet,
but they have considerable business ahead
this winter. The census committee keeps
a lookout over the plans for taking the
census, and the public buildings and
grounds committee already has big
grist of public building bills on its calen-
dar. 1t is to be determined after the
holidays what the policy shall be this
winter with reference to big public
building bill to cover numerous projects,
including several already brought for
ward in Maine. Gov Burleigh holds the
ranking Republican seat, next to the
chairman on each of those committees.
Representative Guernsey, of the
Fourth District, has gone to his home
in Dover for the holidays. While he
was here he took up to the Treasury De-
2oartment an official recommendation for
the denomination of ''Bil' Sewall, the
friend of ex-President Roosevelt, to
another term as collector of customs in
the Houlton district, and also attended a