Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-05-30
.Do-noihing Days for Maine
Contingent al The Capitol.
Kinds Giving Strict Attention 10
Fortunes Of RECIPROCITY" Bill.
La Toilette Keeping Apporiionmsnt
Bill from Seeing The Light.


| for the Maine contingent at the Cap
| itol. No wheels are turning IN the
House. Representative Guernsey is
| home at Dover, but will come back
| here in time for the discussion of the
| bin for the revision Of the wool and
WOODEN schedules Representative Gould
| is getting into the house he has been
remodclling on Maryland avenue. a few
steps from the Capitol. Representative
Kinds is giving attention to some mat
ters cf correspondence and watching
very closely the progress of the Cana
dian reciprocity" bin in the Senate.
He takes the liyeiest kind of interest
in the tate of that measure and Is
probably the closest student III the
House of what is happening to rect
procity' in the Senate. Representative
McGillicuddy is dropping in occasional
~ upon Senate debate for there has
been heap of big talking there OF
late. Pretty soon they will put Mac"
TO work ON that Steel Trust investiga-
ton.
Senator johnson is still sitting in
on that finance committee hearing Of
tho reciprocity" bill but has been TAX
ing no part He is letting the cid Dem
ocrats do the talking. For the present
he VIII content himself with voting
whenever the Republicans of the com
mittee give an opportunity for vote
Every few days some Maine Demo-
| Gratis drop into town 1t is so unusual
for Maine Democrats to have any of
their own party faith in Congress 10
visit that they seem disposed To make
ha nj
have Democrats here to represent
them.
The Senate is getting a little more IN
dustrious but it remains to be seen
whether that legislative branch will
warm up to action this week. II APP
pears to be holiday week all along
| the line in Washington The House Is
! not trying to do any work and While
| the House assemblies Memorial day it
| will adjourn as a matter of Formally.
till the following Friday. Congress fire.
| quently keeps in session on Memorial
| day, however, and it is nothing unas-
| ual for Senate and House to work hard
| on that holiday. The big House event
Of the week viii be the Democratic
caucus Of Thursday TO decide upon lie
| wool and wooden bill, in which there IS
no little interest in Maine because Of
| the large number Of wooden mills in
| that state.
While Senator La Toilette has been
making the Senate reverberate with
| his propaganda against Senator Lor-
inner of Illinois, he has been keeping
:hr li1 down tight ana hard on that ap-
pCrtionment bin. Several states want
| that hill, known in the last Congress
as the Crumpacker- Burleigh bill, be
cause II was framed by Representatives
Crnppacker of Indiana and Burleigh
of Maine Although the spring Is
dragging along into the summer. there
are still two or three Legislatures in
session and at least one or two OF
| these Legislatures would like to re-
| district their states for members OF
Congress in the next campaign.
But Senator La Toilette sits on the
lid and shows no disposition to get
off and allow the bin to come before
the Senate. 1t is very much of a
question whether he wiz allow the bill
to come out Of committee for several
weeks yet. The New York Legisla-
ture at Albany is stiu in session but,
as it would probably gerrymauder the
state so as to get as many OF the As
districts. which New York state will
have, for the Democrats as possible
Senator Root is cooperating with
Senator La Toilette TO keep the bill
| in committee
Presumably it will be forced out and
passed by the Senate some time dur
ing the extra session, The Demo-
an Il n
Congress to adjourn till that is done.
The issue is of importance to numer-
GUS states, in fact to nearly all the
states from Maine to California be-
cause if, by any possibility. the pend
ing bill is defeated and larger House
membership prevented numerous
states would have to elect their con-
| gressmen at large next year. Ar
rangements have been made already
| in California for an extra session of
the Legislature in the autumn to take
care of the reapportionments problem.
Senator La Toilette says he is I'M
| alterably opposed to increasing the
| size of the House but is willing TO
| leave the question to the Senate cen
| sus committee, of which he is chair
man. He is inclined to believe that a
majority OF the census committee will
favor the House BILL The census COM
mittee is composed of Senators La
Toilette of Wisconsin; Guggenheim of
| Colorado Cummins of Iowa; Du Pont
lof Delaware; Mclean of Connecticut.
Townsend of Michigan. and Ifppitt of
| Rhode Island, Republicans, and Bailey
| of Texas; Shively of Indiana: Thorn
ton of Louisiana, Chiffon of West Viz
ginia, and Pomerene of Ohio. Demo-
Gratis. The bin apparently cannot
have consideration till after Canadian
reciprocity" has been disposed Of.
| Forcibly as the House Democrats
perform these DAYS. accoI ding to The
specifications that are outlined in the
caucus and in the councils of The
leaders, they are tremendously afraid
of the big ones on the RepubIica n
side. EX- Speaker Cannon takes mr.
ticular pride in pummelling the Demo
Gratis and reminding them of the
things they used to do and the do
mands they used to make, when the
Republicans We're in power and he was
Speaker. Then there is Minority