The Republican journal., 1909-07-15
Washington Letter.

AAVu0S olC AouS1u8 OoAACosiy OVCA IAAS
work of the tariff conferees this week.
That is because most of the States have
favorite items on the bill which the Sen
ate enacted few days ago, and these
favorite items are hanging between the
contentious of five Senate Republicans
and six House Republicans. Maine, how
ever, is in pretty good shape in that re-
gard.
The paper mills and the cotton mills up
in Maine are very much concerned about
the duty on bleaching powder and want
it kept at one fifth of a cent pound, as
the House voted, rather than at one half
cent pound as the Senate voted at
the instance of Senator Burrows Of
Michigan, in which State considerable
bleaching powder is made. The lime
burners down Rockland way would like
to have the duty on their product kept at
10 cents hundred pounds, as the Senate
voted, instead of 5 cents hundred, as
the House voted. Those who have
something to do in one way or another in
the making of potato starch in Maine,
would like tapioca and sage flour asses
sed with duty when those articles are
used as starch and not as food product.
The mating mills, at Sanford, want
high specific duties retained on certain
grades of mating to keep out japanese
competition. The Senate voted the high
er rates on these grades.
The old fight over the duty on
paper, in which the paper mills of
Maine are tremendously interest t.
ed, is raging in conference, where it is
to be determined whether paper shall
pay duty of So a ton, which the House
favors, or 81 a ton, which the Senate fav-
ors, or duty at some intermediate fig
ure. Some of the big metropolitan pap
ers want the lower duty and are bring
ing all the influence at their command to
obtain it. Then there are several shoe
factories in the Pine Tree State with an
interest in the rates finally fixed on boots
and shoes and sole leather and hides. The
proprietors of saw mills and the logging
companies and their employees will be
glad to know what the conference de-
cides about duties on rough and dressed
lumber
The only real working man just at
present among the Pine Tree Skaters in
Congress is Senator Hale of Ellsworth
The conference on the tariff is progress
sing forenoon, afternoon and evening,
and as one of the five Republican con-
ferees, who has important local interests
to look after for his constituents, not to
mention the general interests, political
and national, entrusted to him in part,
he has his hands full
Because Of trouble with his throat, the
Senator was directed by his physician
late in June to take little rest trip to
Maine. He returned here few days ago
much refreshed. His throat trouble had
disappeared and the Senator
was in good shape for the ordeal of the
conference. These conferences over tariff
bills are very tedious. They involve con-
tests. AS matter of principle the Sen
ate conferees fight for the items that the
House passed. The conferees are natur-
ally put under something of a strain.
They are well aware that almost 500
legislators are restless, anxious to pass
the tariff bill and get home, but at the
same time the work must be performed
satisfactorily in conference or there
might be danger of the rejection of the
conference agreement in one house or
the other, which would mean a bad
tangle, party decentralization, and per-
sistent delay.
Senator Hale is an old hand in confer
ences. Almost ever since he has come
to Congress he has been member Of
committees and those COM
mittees handle the largest conference
reports. During the last ten or fifteen
years Senator Hale has been member
Of half a dozen conferences annually on
big appropriation bills. He has had more
in that line than any other
of the Senate and, in some ways,
his services will be very valuable to Con-
gress and to the party in the tariff con-
ference now we'll under way. He is a
past master in handling such large legis-
lative undertakings methodically, in sug-
gesting practical compromises and, with
al, is hard ighter-all important quail
fcations for a Congressional conferee.
Many Of the legislators have sent their
families home and are keeping bachelors
hall in Washington. This does not hold
true of all the New England men, how
ever. Governor Burleigh, who is now
living at The Raleigh, is accompanied by
Mrs. Burleigh. She always takes live
ly interest in her husbands legislative
work, knows the old Third District al
most as we'll as he does, which is saying
a good deal, and prefers to stay with
him in Washington in spite of the sum-
mer climate which drives many ladies of
the Congressional circle to their homes
or to the resorts in the mountains and at
the seaside. She is now in better health,
much to the qualification of her friends.
Gov. Burleigh is keeping up with a