The Republican journal., 1910-12-22
Letter from Washington.

lem. Inc MAINE NOlOny. Regret over
Senator Hale's Retirement.
WASHINGTON, D. c., December 10th.
Names distinguished explorer, Capt.
Robert E. Peary, of the Navy, seems in
a fair way now to receive from Congress
some proper recognition for his remarka-
BILE exploit in reaching the north pole.
Senator Hale got through the Senate
last year bill, authorizing the nomina-
ton of Capt. Peary to the retired list of
the Navy with the rank of Rear Admiral,
but it was blocked in the House, largely
bv the efforts of a former Somerset
county man, Representative Ernest w.
Roberts. The Maine men in the House
worked assiduously to get the bill out of
the Naval Affairs Committee and were
aided materially by California member
of the committee, Representative w. F.
Englebright, who came from down Cape
Cod way in Massachusetts. The effort
was chiefly to avoid embarrassment to
the Navy Department lest it should be-
come necessary to assign Capt. Peary to
duty as civil engineer, as he belongs to
that branch of the Navy and the only
work he can be given is supervision OF
construction work at some of the navy
wards, unless some fancy duty could be
found for him. 1t was finally decided to
assign him to the Department of Justice
to act as adviser in certain cases, involv-
ing Navy Department interests. That
was, in fact, only nominal duty and the
work is very light.
Now that President Taft and Secre-
tary of the Navy Meyer have both rec
commended that Congress make Capt
Peary an Admiral on the Civil Engineer
retired list and as both President Taft
and ex-President Roosevelt have an
nounced their convictions that Peary &C
tually reached the Pole, it is expected
shat much of the opposition in Congress
will subside. Action by the House is
about all that is necessary, as the adop-
ton of the Senate bill which Mr.. Hale
introduced and passed, with some slight
amendments, would meet the situation.
This will probably be done before the
session is over If such bill becomes
law it will give Capt. Peary a salary of
about 81, 600 for life and will leave him
on the retired list, where no further du
ties can be required of him. In the
course of events he would be retired any,
way as a captain, and the difference in
pay would be only about 1000 a year.
Accordingly it amounts to paying Capt.
Peary pension of about 1000 year
for the rest of his life.
The colony of distinguished sons of
Maine, who have made at least a portion
of their public careers in other States, is
being rapidly depleted here at Washing
ton. The memorial services here few
days ago by the Supreme Court in honor
of the late Chief Justice Melville W.
Fuller emphasized this. Although he
was appointed to the court from Illinois,
he was very loyal son of Maine, who
loved strongly his native city Of Augusta,
and Sorrento had for years been his sum-
mer home. The Chief had long been the
President of the Bowdoin Alumni Asso-
citation of Washington. AS his health
grew feebler he was unable to attend
the annual dinners but he invariably
came down to the Raleigh Hotel, where
the dinners were held, to preside at the
annual meeting and to shake hands with
the Alumni. Another Bowdoin man is
Representative D. S. Alexander of Buff
falo, who has been much identified with
Maine interests at Washington and came
very near to being fifth Representative
from the Pine Tree State, where he was
born and reared. He went down in the
Democratic landslide and retires now
after long and very honorable service
in the House.
There will be some accessions of
Maine men to the next Congress. One
of them is Representative Wilder of the
Fourth Massachusetts district, who has
been very successful in the Bay State as
business man. He got into the next
house by very few votes, almost as
few as Representative Alexander was
defeated by. There is some talk in Mon
tana about re-electing Ex- Senator Paris
Gibson, as the State legislature is Demo-
cratic. Senator Gibson was in Washing
ton six years. He is native of Oxford
county and, like many of the Maine men
who get to Congress from other States,
a graduate of Bowdoin College. The
fight in Montana, however, will be very
hot and no one can tell yet who will win
the Senatorial prize.
Congress is drifting along with routine
work, which is, of course, very impor-
tant but which does not stir the interest
profoundly. The holiday recess for
about fifteen days will begin this week
and during that period some Of the
Maine Congressman will return to their
homes. Representative Burleigh of the
Third District, took up the matter of
an apportionment bill as soon as he
reached Washington, and now that the
total census of population has been an
nounced is as busy as man in four