The Republican journal., 1911-02-23
Letter from Washington.

gresham Burleigh's Apportion ment Cam
paigns. Senator Hale Opposing Reel
procity.
WASHINGTON, D. c., February goth.
The Maine members of the House are
rounding out their present terms in the
61st Congress. Before many days that
Congress will have passed into history
and they will be speeding back to their
homes. 1t has been short session but
busy one for all of them and, on the
whole, pretty satisfactory session.
The big matter of satisfaction to them
is the successful outcome of the long
and tedious apportionment contest. The
Crumpacker. Bureigh bill, giving the
House 433 members during the next ten
years, of which number Maine will have
four, is~not yet law, but it is as good as
that. The ordeal came in the considera-
ton of the me asure in the House. 1t has
been presented to the Senate and refer
red to the Census Committee of which
Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin is chair
man and Senator Hale of Maine, the
ranking Republican member.
Gov. Burleigh, after his efforts in be-
half of that bill, is naturally keeping an
eye upon it in the Senate, but he feels
that there is not the slightest doubt it
will be favorably reported within few
days and promptly disposed of by the
Senate. There is no question that the
Senate will accept the measure as the
House enacted it and that some time
next week it will go up to the White
House Offices and receive the Presidents
signature.
Indeed, it would be unprecedented in all
the history of the government if the Sen
ate should not accept the bill, line for
line and letter for letter, as the House
enacted it. Congressional etiquette pre-
scribes that the House shall decide for
itself how large it's membership shall be.
Gov. Burleigh has received many con-
CALCULATIONS from both Democrats and
Republicans for the success he had in
organizing the apportionment campaign
He retires from Congress with record
that probably no other member ever had
that of having organized two success
full apportionment campaigns in behalf
of his home State. He bore the brunt
of the fight IN 1900, when it was also
question whether the States representa-
ton in the National House should remain
at four members or reduced to three. He
had the earnest cooperation of his col
leagues in both the contests, which COM
tributed materially to the successful out
come.
Names senior Senator is rounding out
his last days in the public service with
heavy battling. The Senate never took
more notice of his opposition than it is
taking now. Almost single handed, as
far as open warfare is concerned, he is
dealing heavy blows against the Canadian
reciprocity. He is making his stand for
the farming population, whose protection
from Canadian competition would be re-
moved if the Mccall bill, embodying the
Presidents Canadian reciprocity agree
ment, should be enacted into law.
Senator's Hale's grim and unyielding
opposition is all the more attractive be-
cause it has been directed from mis- sick
bed and also because, when it was no
longer feasible to defer consideration of
the Mccall bill in the Finance committee,
of which Senator Hale is a member, he
left his sick bed to continue the fight at
the Capitol. These opposition duties are
all the more onerous to him, because, in
any event, his last days as a Senator
must be crowded with deal of other
work. The time for getting the appro-
priation bills ready is now at hand.
The new apportionment bill, which the
House has just passed, giving Maine four
members of Congress for the next ten
years, is pending in the Senate Census
committee. 1t would have been taken
up there before this but Senator Hale
sent request that the meeting be de-
ferred till he was able to get out. This
has been granted. Mr.. Hale wished te
be present to safeguard Names interest
in the measure, which, Of course, is very
great He has to do the heft Of the work
in revising the Naval Appropriation
bill after it gets out of the House ano
also the heft of the work in revising thu
Sundry Civil Appropriation bill. These
are two of the most important of tn.
appropriation bills.
Senator Hale hardly expects to pre-
vent favorable report of the Canadian
reciprocity bill. That is too much t.
expect with the influence of the admins
tration bearing hard for speedy action
But he will make the best fight he can il
behalf of his constituents and, if the en-
actment of the Canadian reciprocity il
defeated or deferred it will be due yer,
/ largely to his efforts. A score of othe
Republican Senators are sincerely il
sympathy with his efforts but no one O
them has been willing to come out int,
the open and make the vigorous resist
ance that he is making and, at time