The Republican journal., 1911-02-09
Letter from Was ington.
The Maine Delegation and their Work.
Congressional Arportionment. Senator

The Maine Delegation and their Work.
Congressional Arportionment. Senator
Hale.
WASHINGTON, D. c., February 9Th.
The Maine men in the House are engage
ing themselves much with the odds and
ends of legisla ton and of departmental
work that have to do with the termina-
ton of a Congress. In little more
than three weeks there will be an ad-
journment sine die. For two years
thereafter, the Democrats will have a
majority in the National House and the
Democrats and Insurgents majority in
the Senate
Just half of the entire Maine delega-
ton in Congress retires to private life,
because Of the Democratic victory in
Maine last November. They are giving
special attention to closing out their work
and to concluding work in behalf of
measures and appropriations. Repre-
sentative Burleigh was much disappoint-
ed over the decision that there should be
no public building bill at this session. He
was very anxious to take care of few
more projects in Maine. These, how
ever, will have to go over to the next
Congress, where it has not yet been de-
termined whether Maine will have a
member of the Public Buildings commit
tee, as has been the case for quite twenty
years. He was one of those who urged
the necessity of appropriating at this
session for projects that have already
been authorized. As the result of rep
reservations which Gov. Burleigh and
others made the president some time
ago had the necessary estimates for
warded to the Speaker of the House.
The friends of the various pending pro-
jects are looking out that the neces-
sary sums are carried on the Sundry
Civil Appropriation bill, which the House
appropriations committee is now franz
ing.
Gov. Burleigh is making special eff
fort to close his work before the Pension
Bureau. All that he can do in further
ing the adjudication of claims there in
behalf of veterans in the Third Maine
district will be done during the next
three weeks. He has made several visits
of late to the Bureau, whose officials are
giving special consideration to the cases
he has called to their attention.
representative Allen of the First Dis
trict, has also had quite budget of De-
partmental work, but he has been grad
ually turning it over to his successor,
Representative-elect Kinds. Most of
the Maine men here will return to their
homes as soon as Congress adjourns and
give attention to their private affairs.
1t is not believed here that there will be
an extra session of Congress, notwith.
standing the many assertions to the con.
trary. Nothing is likely to force an ex.
ira session, unless it be filibustering by
the Insurgents of the Senate.
At last the House fight over Congress
sional apportionment, which has beer
strung along through the entire session
seems about to come to head. At times
it has looked we'll for the Pine Tree State
and at other times it has not. No one
can say positively today that Maine will
obtain the desired four members of Con
gress for the next decade. And yet ex
Gov. Burleigh thinks there is still some
thing more than fighting chance. He
thinks that the prospects are almos
good for victory.
The Maine Republicans in the House
have had to stand the ordeal of party
caucus on the matter. 1t is decidedly tt
their satisfaction that the caucus ha!
proved something of fizzle. They pro
tested against making such a caucu.
binding. Representative Guernsey, O.
the Fourth District, insisted in vigor
GUS speech that it certainly was not fail
to try to hold man to go into the House
and vote to reduce the representation
from his own State. That sentimen
was much applauded. The attendanc,
was lean and was not regarded as at al
representative of the party strength O.
sentiment in the present House.
1t is apparent that only small contin
gent of the Republican members will re
gard the verdict of the caucus to kee]
the membership at its present strength
of 391 as binding. They believe it wa
not fair play and have been saying s.
right out in the open. The Crumpacker
Burleigh bill, providing for member
ship of 433, which would give Maine four
will probably be brought up this week
Chairman Crumpacker expects it will b
on Thursday.
4 The tug-of-w will come on the figur
433. Gov. Burleigh and the Maine mel
have been busy as could be ever sine
the caucus trying to get enough Repub