The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-02-10
MEN AND AFFAIRS m wASnpssION.

Maine Representatives Stand by the Presi-
dents Legislative Program. The Corpo-
ration Tax.
WASHINGTON, D. c., February 7th.
The past week has been one of consid-
cradle activity for Maine people at the
Capitol. Congress at last is settling
down to it's big tasks in earnest. In the
House the Republican insurgents have
been quiescent, but watching for an op-
portunity to be on the aggressive. The
four Maine members, like many other
Republicans Of the House, have not al
lowed themselves to get far away from
the legislative chamber during the con-
tinuance of proceedings, lest the Demo-
Gratis and insurgents suddenly determine
upon coup and succeed in overturning
the Speaker. With the insurgents thus
in revolt the normal Republican majority
is very small. The situation in that re-
gard is very like the days of the 51st
Congress, when the late Speaker Reed
had only margin of about half dozen
votes behind him.
There has been much talk about in
surgent sentiment in New England. 1t
has been voiced by the Vermont Con-
gressmen, especially by Representative
Foster of Burlington, who is pretty we'll
known in the Pine Tree State But the
Maine Representatives have no sympathy
with it. They are staunchly for the Presi-
dents legislative program and ready to
vote on his bills any day they can be pre-
sented in the House and brought to a test.
The Maine men are hearing occasionally
from their constituents in protest against
the corporation tax. Some of the cor
porations of the State have joined in
asking Congress to repeal the publicity
provision of the corporation tax. A num-
Der of influential business men have been
in Washington to urge that a resolution
be adopted by Senate and House, sus-
pending for six weeks, after the Supreme
Court has decided whether the corpora
ton tax is constitutional, the provision
requiring returns to the Treasury De-
partment. AS is we'll understood the
New England men were almost all
against the corporation tax, but it was
adopted to prevent the enactment of an
income tax law and the publicity pro-
vision was one of the features which the
New England men had to accept as a
matter of political expediency. Congress
is not at all likely to attempt any re-
medal legislation now. The conditions
are the same as they We're at the extra
session and any move to pass such a
resolution would probably result in open
ing the entire tariff situation.
Representative Burleigh of the third
district has recovered from rather
severe case of grip and was able to be
out-of- doors little last week. Repre-
sentative Allen of the first district has
also just weathered bad attack of this
malady, which has been very prevalent
in Washington during the last six weeks.
A large percentage Of the public men of
both houses of Congress have been driven
to bed by its ravages.
For couple of days Gov. Burleigh,
Immediately after he was able to get
out-of- doors, held the helm of the House
Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds. The committee room was
crowded with delegations that had come
to plead in behalf of public building
projects. One of these delegations was
composed of influential business men
from New Haven and vicinity. They
want a $1,000, 900 public building for that
university city and told Gov. Burleigh
and his colleagues of the Public Build
ings Committee why they thought they
ought to have it at the earliest moment
Representative Richard Rartholdt of
Missouri, the chairman of the Public
Buildings Committee, was very much
occupied with some river and harbor
projects, now coming to head before
the Rivers and Harbors Committee, and
for that reason delegated Gov. Burleigh,
the ranking member of the committee,
to act in his stead. The project will
eventually be referred to a SUBJ commit
tee, in charge of projects for New Eng
land. Gov. Burleigh has been chairman
of that sub committee for number of
years.
He has quite number of Maine prof.
ects to take care of, whenever it is de-
cided to have general public buildings
bill. The idea prevails that there will be
no such bill this session, although there
is great pressure for it. In case there is
bill this year Gov. Burleigh will natur-
ally try to obtain appropriations for
Maine towns where a site has already
been purchased. Gardiner is town in
point. Then he will probably seek to
obtain something for sites in Maine
towns. That is the method he has fol-
lowed very successfully in getting
number of public buildings for Maine.
1t does not involve such large appro-
priation as authorizations of site and
structure would in one bill, and is there
fore more easily obtained. 1t causes no
serious delay, for it takes year or two