The Republican journal., 1909-08-12
The Adjournment Of Congress.
Members Depart for their Homes and
Washington is Quiet.


Washington is Quiet.
WASHINGTON, D. c., August 9th.
After all the prophets have been discred-
ed and many wagers, that like most sure
things went wrong, have been paid. The
extra session OF Congress has at last adj
journed. The White House is deserted,
for the President has rolled away in his
private car to Beverly by the sea. The
Capitol is deserted, for the Senators and
Representatives and all their retinue
have rolled away by the trainload to all
the points of the compass. Washington,
the great capitol of great nation, is
now for the time being like a country
village.
No grass is growing on Pennsylvania
Avenue, and men with unkempt whiskers
are not loafng around the corner gro
Gerry stores. But the population has
thinned nightly. The interest in the
throbbing life of the city has experience
ed tremendous drop. There is no more
yearning for Congress to get through,
but for the summer to pass and for the
officials to return. For it is character
istic of Washington that folks here al
ways look forward to two big things an
nually: for Congress to assemble, and
for Congress to adjourn. Once Con-
gress has met, in extra or regular ses-
sion, people in all walks of life here
measure activities by the time when
Congress is to adjourn. And once Con-
gress has adjourned, they all begin with
in twenty-four hours to talk of the day
when Congress will be back again.
1t will be almost even four months,
gentle readers, who live outside Of Wash
ington, before the legislative hosts re-
turn. Everybody in Washington has al
ready figured it. The day will be the
first Monday in December and it will be
long session, extending up into the
summer, but in all probability not into
August. The President will probably
not be back in the White House for three
and half months, which will be very
long time, and Washington will be glad
to see him when he returns and helps
quicken dead town into "a very live one
along in the middle of next November.
He has left lot of trouble behind him
and probably he will be facing lot of
legislative trouble when he returns.
That is the usual fate of Presidents.
There were high old times when the
closing days really came and the Maine
men were present to help hold the
passes. The House had hard struggle
keeping quorum after the vote had
been taken on the tariff bill, which
meant there was danger of the general
deficiency appropriation bill, carrying
S25, 900 for the Presidents travelling ex-
penses, and other important items, fail
ing. Men were arrested by the Sergeant
alarms as they were about to leave the
city and others, who got through the
Gordon of deputies, We're hailed back.
Representative Burleigh always stays
in Washington until the gavel falls and,
following that practice, was here till the
very last hour of the extra session, as
were the other Maine members of the
House. He and Mrs. Burleigh found
they could be very comfortable in spite
of the hot weather, and, as matter of
fact, agreed that their stay here in July
and August had been very much in the
nature of a vacation. They had cool
apartments, there was no rush of legis-
lative work, and the third District Con-
gresham and his estimable wife were
quite surprised at what pleasant time
they could have at Washington in the
heart of the summer There are many
very pleasant drives about the city,
which can be enjoyed along in the sum-
mer evenings. Then the weather was
really favorable and there were very
few trying days.
Speaker Cannon needed every Repub-
lican vote, with all the aggressions of
the Democrats and the opposition of
insurgent Republicans from the West.
But the Maine Congressman gave him no
trouble. They always vote straight and
there is no difficulty in finding where
''they are at. This has not been the case
this session with Representatives of the
Republican party from some of the New
England States.
Gov. Burleigh is very well satisfied
with the way Maine has come off with
the tariff bill. He thinks the people in
the northeast corner of the union will
find the new rates working before long
just about right and business will be
booming.
A little rejoinder and surrejoinder be-
tween Senator Hale, of Maine, and Sena-
tor Beveridge of Indiana, enlivened the
very last hours of the extra session.
1t tickled a lot of the older and more in
fuential Senators to hear Mr.. Hale ''put
it all over" the irrepressible one from
Hoosierdom. The latter is not as popu-
lar as he might be in the upper legislative
branch, because he poses much and fills
tie days with voluminous speeches when
ever there is a good audience in the gal