Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-31
CAPITAL CHAT.
House Of Representatives
Resumes Wonted Calm,
Provision in Senate TO Revive
Several Pension Agencies.
High School Glasses Have Enjoy.
able Visit at National Capital.

has resumed its WOnted calm. Ine
new elective Rules Committee of ten
rs ION the job" Business is proceed
ing steadily. There is disposition to
legisatc through to finish the pro-
eramme which President Taft out
lined some months ago and there is
less and less talk about insurgency.
Gossip about the probable attitude
of eNPresident Roosevelt toward the
Taft and anti-Taft, factions continues
TO abound. There are Il few very good
pointers on that subject. One is the
course Of his soninlaw, Representa-
tive Nicholas Longworth. of Ohio. 1t
is hardly to be supposed that Mr..
Lcngworth would be voting and act
put him into opposition against his
distinguished f2ther-m-law.
During the long, hard fight in the
House over the authorization of u
now Committee on Rules, which was
brought about by the combined votes
of the House Democrats AMI some
thirty odd insurgents, Representative
LongWOrth voted steadily with the
Regulars. He co-operared in every
particular with Speaker Cannon and
was one of the most consistent of
Cannonites. II any of the Maine
members of the House cared for par
ticular light on the subject, apart
from their personal convictions as to
the merits of that controversy between
the Speaker and the Insurgents, they
regarded the action of Representative
Lonsworth as showing pretty clearly
where eX- President Roosevelt would
have stood had he been member OF
the. House.
Representative Longworth has not
permitted himself to be quoted, but
he has said many times in private
conversation that he has had several
letters from his father-in-law. in
which the cX-President has made it
plain that he proposes to back the Taft
administration to the limit. He be-
lieves in Mr.. Taft, just as he believed
IN him when trying to make him his
successor in the White House.
/ Another very good pointer in the
same direction is the attitude of Will
liam Loeb, Jr., formerly secretary to
President Roosevelt. He comes fire.
quently to Washington these days
and is talking exactly as does Repre-
sentative Longworth.
Senator Hale's mail these days con-
tains many letters from business men
of Maine, expressing appreciation of
his course regarding the publicity
feature of the corporation tax law. 1t
was very effective effort of the
senator's part toward removing the
possibility that business corporations
world be harassed by the big trusts
which are their rivals in particular
Illness Of industry.
After the corporation tax law was
PASSED, as a provision of the tariff
law. it was discovered that a clause
requiring the records Of each corpora
ton to be made public in Washington
would enable the trusts to get line
uDon the business of their rivals The
S>eel trusSe for instance, could ascer-
tain accu fly the amount of business
the inc thing would be true in
Msiarge Number of industries. Fur
|&&Shorc it would give business ri
|sEMs that We're not in any trust, val :
'uabis. information.
1t" was regarded as impossible to
repeal the publicity feature thereof,
because such an attempt would throw
the tariff law wide Open President
Taft looked into: tkk case carefully
ard decided that.tlle publicity feature
could be nullified for the present.
because there was no appropriation
for making, the records public. Com
SresS would refuse to make the necesA
sary appropriation of $4,000 But that
arrangement did not entirely relieve
business mer from uneasineSS. The
question would come ZIP anew appetizer
year and continue to be the subject
of agitation. At that point Senator
Hale suggested tho advisability Of
putting qualification upon the legis-
lative appropriation bill, modifying
the publicity feature by providing that
its enforcement should rest entirely
with the President Some people
thought that il Senator Hale got the
provision upon his appropriation bin
as rider he could not got it through
debate. He not only got it through
the Committee but he got it through
the Senate and there was no debate.
Liz pIbNlSlOu Is now III lar way
to become n law.
The senior Maine Senator had had
hundreds OF letters from business men
in Maine, implorng him to do Some
thing to protect them from this pub
licity feature. He proceeded with his
customary promptness and thorough
ness and accomplished what probably
no other man in the Senate could have
done so thoroughly ana so successfully.
Representative Burleigh. of the third
district has been actively interested
IL recent days with several matters
of Maine concern. in which his Pine
Tree State colleagues co-opcrated
with him. He helped in the hard
House fight to prevent the elimination
of the pension agency at Augusta.
Although that fight was lost, the &C.
termined work that group of such
men as Gov. Burleigh did will he'll,
the cause along in the Senate. where
1t is expected the provision for con-
tinuing the pension agencies al
number of cities, including Augusta.
will be revived
There has been strong effort for