Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-04-27
Paying Lille Attention TO
Congress in These Days.
Plan Of Democrats Would Fur
Their Injure Farming Interests.
Names Evenly Divided Delegation
In Both Houses Of Congress.

Washington, April 2G.-(Speeial)-
These are not days of throhbing ae-
tivties for Maine folk at the Capitol.
1t is still n matter of marking time in
the Senate and it probably viii be
some days Yet before the senators
from Maine or from any other state
have any legitimate opportunity for
figuring in the legislative program.
Consequently Senator Frye is resting
easily at his apartments at the Hotel
Hamilton, conserving his strength and
trying to be as comfortable as possi-
he with that sore heel. Senator John
sen is spending a few hours daily in
his eapacieus suite in the Senate office
building. trying to get better aequaint-
ed with men and methods around Of
fetal Washington. and waiting for the
S nate to organize. The new senator
is getting 20 feel little more at home
and is progressing fairly well, when it
is remembered that he is the first alb
saIlfa stranger to washington and to
ceasf = TRAIT Maine has sent TO the
senate in more than half century.
The acquaintance of all the Maine
Democrats in Washington was exceed
iHely limited. That OF necessity. is a
h,Hdieap which can not be readily
overcome. senator Johnson and Repre-
sentalives McGillieuddy and Gould
haee been struggling against this dis
advantage and have been doing the
only possible thing one can do to over
come it-get acquainted. Bat it takes
ears. not days, to get acquainted at
Washington and to know the ropes,
which the Maine Republicans, of
course. were well aware of when they
instituted the policy of keeping their
men continuously at Washington and
of promoting Representative in the
House to the Senate.
Representatives McGillicuddy and
Gould have had their opportunity to
go on record fer Canadian reciprocity
and against the protests of the farm
ers of Maine, and have improved it to
the utmost. They will vote for the
farmers free list bill, SO called, when
it comes to verdict in the House. al
though that bill would injure the farm
ers of Maine further by taking the
duty off lumber and depreciating the
value of timber on the back lots. not
to mention other items. In this
they have stood Loyalty by the Demo-
cratic legislative program as outlined
by the House leaders. Thus far they
have voted steadily with the House
majority and will undoubtedly con-
tinue in this through to the end of the
extra session.
Representative Asher Kinds has re-
ceiyed commentator from many quar-
ters for the stand he took and the
speech he delivered against the reci-
procity bill. His speech made an ex-
eellent impression in the House. as was
emphasized at the time, but he is still
hearing eneomiums about it in his
daily mail from Maine. The Pine
Tree State Republicans have taken
their ground boldly and Will undoubt-
eddy fight through to the finish against
Canadian reciprocity.
None of the Maine men in the House
these days have any committee work
to do, because none of their commit
tees is allowed to report any bills and
accordingly is holding no meetings.
As matter of fact there probably will
be little or nothing else for them to do
during the remainder of the extra ses-
sion beyond responding on roll calls.
bill, which has just been reported to
the House from the Democratic COM
mittee on census and which is virtual
~ a duplicate of the Bartholdt- Bur-
leigh apportionment bin that the
House enacted at the last session of
Congress, is expected shortly. 1t
probably assures four members of the
House for Maine during the next 10
Years in accord with the efforts of
Gov. Rurleigh and others of the Maine
delegation in the last Congress.
There is some opposition to this
Rartholdt- Burleigh bill in the Senate.
The opposition that prevented its en-
actment there in the closing hours of
the last session is still somewhat ac-
tive This includes Senator L.aFol-
lette eff Wisconsin, chairman of the
Senate census committee. There is
little likelihood. however. that the OPP
position will prevail, unless the Sem
ate gets into such snarl over the
tariff and the reorganization of its
committees that no legislation is en-
acted there during the extra session.
If Senator Johnson gets upon the
finance committee of the Senate, as
Democrats at the North end of the
Capitol say he will the latter part of
the session should bring him consid-
cradle committee work. The under
standing, however. is that the Re-
publicans of the Senate do not pro-
pose to undertake any tariff revision
beyond the enactment of the Canadian
reciprocity 1t looks as though the
insurgent Republicans might join with
the regular Republicans in pre-
venting any reduction of the rates in
the Aldrieh-Payne law. beyond what
the Canadian reciprocity provides. till
after the tariff board has had full OPP
portunity to investigate and report.
There is Calmness at lhe White