Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-03-23
CAPITAL CHAT.
How President Taft Gets
Down to Business
Matters Of Special Interest
To Maine Members.
The New Seats, the Tariff Bill and
The Census Bill.

Washington, ID. G., March 22.-(Spcc-
iaD .-COngresS and the new admins
tration are gradually getting into
calmer waters. The extra session is
now q week old although it has
Weathered some tempcstuouS periods
The administration is getting into its
third week and President Taft is show
ing the StcaGinesS of veteran. He
comes to his office early, stays late,
ana dispOsCs of a lot of business
Most of the time he does not tarry
for luncheon, longer than to consume Il
couple of big apples. A few minutes
after /. on most days, a colored waiter
comes over from the White House with
a big red apple and a big white apple
on a large plate A silver knife and
fork nestle under the bullying fruit.
This Presidential luncheon is carried
through the cabinet room and into the
Presidents inner office and put upon
his official desk to await a moment
when there is a lag in the visiting
throng.
President Taft does not turn off
work of Importance as expeditiously
as did his predecessor. That is because
he wants to give important matters
the most careful consideration and see
th1 aspects OF q case from
every point Of view. He listens pa
tiently and makes no decision until at
ter he thinks the information has been
exhausted. When his mind has been
made up the politicians are finding
that he is as Immovable as a rock.
The session of Congress is proving of
,n,,fn ~ a.in rI,n ;,t,
duction of the tariff bill, its report
from the ways and means committee,
and now the formal debate thereon
have proceeded in fine order The Re
publicans have shown their capacity
to deal with a situation, without
sWerving materially because of the as
SaultS of insurgents within their own
lines. The Maine congressman will
not waste much time upon the bill in
the House, but Senator Hale. has al
ready sounded the war cry against
some features of the new duties. He at
once set about organizing his forces to
bring the Senate to restore the duty on
mechanically ground pulp and on print
paper. He is looking for support from
New Hampshire, New York. Vermont,
Michigan and Wisconsin. which are the
great pulp and paper producing states.
1t is not improbable that he will be
able to obtain some change in the
House schedules for those products.
Senator Burrows of Michigan is like
Senator Hale, a member of the finance
committee, whose Republican members
are already at work on the Payne bill.
which they propose to revise very
thoroughly Maine's influence in the
finance committee, through Senator
Hale, Is all important at this iuncture
Two years ago when it was arranged
for Senator Hale to become a member
of the finance committee he foresaw
the hazard to which some Maine indus
tries might be put by the next tariff
bill But for the Senator's foresight
at that time, the Pine Tree state would
probably be now in almost a hopeless
position with reference to the tariff re
ductionS that threaten her prosperity
So materially.
The Maine members of the House
came off handsomely in the drawing
for seats in the hall for the next two
years. Representative Burleigh has had
a desk for four years near the center
aisle and in the rear row. He had be
come accustomed to that locality, where
he long sat next to Representative
Theodore +. Burton, now Senator from
Ohio. Two years ago. however, he lost
that place but this year he rcSaincd
the desk he had in the 59th Congress
and feels very much more at homo
back in tho seat he occupied so long,
Representative Parker of New Jersey
sits rn his right and Representative
Henry of Connecticut on his left. Rep
resentatiVe Allen. Of the first district,
was The first Maine man givon the op-
pCrtunity to choose. He chos" a place
almost in the center of the Republican
side and close to Floor Leader Payne
chairman Of the ways and means Com
mittee. Representatives Guernsey and
SWascy We're compelled at the recent
session of Congress to take what there
was left in the matter of House seats.
as they came in to fill uncxpircd terms
They werc fortunate in the new draw
ing and will be well located
Tho lottery for seats during this
Congress may be the last to be held,
and historic practice may pass out,
That is because the House has voted
to reduce the size of its hall. The
desks will be taken out and only seats
left. As this will mean no places for
keeping papers and stationery, and
only places for members to sit, as at
almost any public meeting, the neccs-
'sity for the biennial drawing will be
gone. Although the size of the hall
wilt be reduced it will have a seating
capacity for 450 members, the present
membership is 391.
Representative Rurleigh has been oc-
cupied in recent days with the census
bill. which the House took up late in
the week and has already disposed Of
1t was modified in the census commit
tee, OF which GOV. Burleigh is mem
Der. to meet the objections that fur
nlshed the basis for President Roose-
vclt's veto last session. Gov Rurleigh
favored changing the bill at the last
session. but a majority Of the census
committee thought otherwise. In the
form in which it now becomes law
the appointments to clerkships in the
census office and also to other posi-
tons, such as enumerators. will be
made through the Civil Service. This
takes the responsibility for such an