Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-03
Busy Days for Both the
Maine Senators.
House Members Working on
Appropriation Bills.
Senate Tributes to the Late Con.
gresham Powers Of Maine. 1t.

WdolllHSlOii, u. -, NNtTCu -.-NopeC-
iaD.-The last week of the session has
been d hummer" for the Maine Sena-
tors and REPRESENTATIVES. SENATOR
Frye has been trying his hand anew
at putting an appropriation bill
through in the closing days. He 'kick-
cd" hard against a River and Harbor
bill this session and his advice was
needed, as for as big bill was con-
ctrnod. He knew the little ways" of
senators in loading UP such a bill on
the floor and then threatening to talk
the bill to death il their items We're
not kept in by the ccnferees. So SEN
ator Frye preferred that the big River
and Halbor appropria tons should be
made at a long session, when there is
no time limit for adjournment and
when it is easy to call the bluffs Of
those who want to force big items up
on the measurc-items that the COM
,nerce committee does not approve.
But it was decided to- put through a
river and harbor bill for surveys and
also to furnish money for established
prospects that are urgent. The total
was only y few millions. When tile
\ bill got out of his committee and Sena-
tor Frye took it up III the Senate the
usual battle for amendments began,
but it was confined largely to surveys
Mr.. Frye STAYED off as many of these
as he could and will cut out several
more in conference. 1t required only
about an hour for him to pilot the
measure of total of about $10,000,0D0
to a final passage and this week he
is closing it out in conference and see
ing that it gets to the President in
time for signature before March a.
Senator Hale, as usual in the last
days OF a session, has his hands full of
appropriation bills but the work is well
advanced HIS last tug of war is to
get the sundry civil appropriation bill
through. Much interest attaches to it
because of the possibility that the
President will veto it. The paragraph
about restricting operations of the Sec
ret Service are Objectionable at the
White House, but very generally sup
ported by both houses of Congress. If
the bill is vetoed, however, it can cas-
ily he reenacted at the next session
of Congress, which President Taft in
tends to call March Is.
Two Maine members of the House
are having hand in putting the fin
shlng touches upon appropriation bills
this week. The Indian bill is holding
the special interest Of Representative
Ai,en Of the first district, because he is
a member of the House committee that
framed it. That is one of the most
troublesome of appropriation bills, be-
cause it carries many holly controvert
cd items. A few eastern men are al
ways named for the Indian committees
Of Senate and House because they are
expected to be disnterested parties
VINO can scrutinize the appropriations
without pressure; from home, such as
many western men are subjected to-
Representative Allen has been one of
the eastern men chosen for that role
during the last two years and Will
probably be chosen again when speaker
Cannon selects his committees for the
rCyt Congress.
Representative Burleigh has been oc-
cupied considerably this week with a
small public buildings bill, which car
RES authorizations for considerable
public building work. 1t, like the riv-
e. and harbor bill, is framed simply to
tide over the period till the next reg
u ietl oSoSI'i vi SOISftsoo WIKI IL -
probable there will be a large public
building bill. covering numerous new
projects in divers parts of the country.
Hon. Waldo Pettingill of ,Eumford
Falls, accompanied by his wife and
daughter, have been among the Maine
visitors of recent days. Mr.. Pcttcn-
gill saw most of the Maine statesmen
at the Capitol and enjoyed looking on
at the passing legislative show of the
end of the session.
The last Saturday of its session the
Senate devoted in part to eulogies Of
the late Representative Llewellyn
Fowers of Maine. The culogies in the
House. where he was long a member.
had Eeen spoken some three weeks ago,
Representatives Burleigh and Guern-
scy having been among the half dozen
speakers on that occasion. Senators
Hale and FRYE Dixon IF Montana