The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-05-16

to S,,, bsstew upon his priyste affairs. This
e%er e ssnSsht Of h the sac state sDS
ways helped pile up big vote for h -.
at election time. nun
sRe Sssn 2s9% ss.1 Gs
Maine, and especially in Kennebec conn.
ty, of which his home city Of AueS,sta
is the seat, he has retained many good
friends in their ranks. and but for ro an
unexpected detection in a couple If
cities. which might have been avoided
would have even survived the big land,
slide of last September.
Maine has very few living former re.
personalities. Mr.. Burleigh is the oniv
survivor in that class, save one who
pabeans SaTe ana FOLLOWED a Maine tha no Re-
of keeping their representatives at Wash.
ington, and of promoting representa- lives
of long and efficient service to the
Senate"
These are but a few of the public
tributes to Governor Burleigh's stand
ing, selected as typical of the esteem
in which he is held both at home and
in Washington.
How is "influence" Acquired?
The Boston Herald, the leading in
dependent paper in New England.
in an editorial on Seniority in Con-
SfeSS, mas THIS 10 say:
"A mans standing in Congress is
gained by seniority. His influence
there comes from length of service
New men, no matter how ambitious
and Jealous, have very little infiu-
ence. They do not and cannot be-
gin their work where their prede-
cessors left off. Speech making does
not bring them influence; work
brings it-committee work. Mem
bers work in their committees by
seniority. Besides new members do
not get and cannot get, in the US
ual course of things, appointments
to the more important committees"
Truer words were never written. Add
to this analysis the elements of a fine
personal character a genial personality
and kindly disposition, keen insight in
to human nature, ready appraisal of
men and their motives, and tact and
judgment in dealing with them, unsur-
passed ability as an organizer, untiring
industry, and a sincere and unselfish
desire to be of service to his State and
country, and you have solved the Sc
c1et of the influential position which
Mr.. Burleigh has attained in Washing
ton.
Speech making alone, as the Boston
Herald Justly remarks, COUNTS for but
little. The real work of Congress, the
framing of important measures, COM
mittee hearings thereon, their discus
sion by the public press, the personal
interchange of views between members,
and ali those things which operate to
mould the sentiment Of members of
Congress and determine their votes
these things take place not OH the floor
OF the House or Senate, but in the
weeks and sometimes months of work
and consideration and conference which
precede their actual submission to vote.
Debate serves useful purpose in
making clear to the country and en-
balming in the public record the posi-
ton of the contending parties. There
are many brilliant orators in both the
House and Senate, but their oratory
rarely changes a single vote in either
branch. The Senate often listens with
quiet amusement to the INSPIRED
bursts of oratory'' of those new mem
bers who have not yet learned the
ropes" and who fondly imagine that
the fine sounding phrases of a political
stump speech are effective in influence
ing legislation in the national councils
The United States Senate is not unac-
custoned to talk. 1t is heard day In
and day out, for weeks, months and
wears The proceedings of a single SEES
sion of Congress often fill over 5000 of
the closely printed pages Of the Con-
gressional Record, equivalent to per-
haps over $4,000 pages of an ordinary
novel. and a considerable portion of it
is talk. To actually and effectively in
fnence legislation, is matter of long
service and training, combined with
those elements which Governor Bur-
leigh possesses in pre- eminent de-
gree. Lacking these elements, a man
may fill many pages of the Congress
sional Record with his speeches with
out accomplishing anything for his
constituents. Possessing them, he
will get results.
2. What has the candidate actually
accomplished for Maine?
This is Il most important considera-
ton. Words and promises count for
naught if they are barren of results.
We start with Governor Burleigh's rec
ord in Congress
The Re- apportionment Contests.
In the third year of his service as q
member of the National House, the
question of e-apportionment arose,
consequent upon the taking of the cen
sus in 1900 Mr.. Burleigh was then a
member of the Census Committee, in
which, by reason of continuous service,
he subsequently acquired the position
of ranking member
1t was his membership of this COM
mittee which enabled Maine, at the
time of the last apportionment, to re-
tain four members in Congress instead
of being reduced to three Ten years
before, after the Maine delegation
B. Reed. Nelson Dingley, Charles A.
Boutelle and Seth L. Milliken-had
succeeded in retaining four members of
Congress for our State in the appor-
tionment of that time, Mr.. Dingley ex-
pressed the opinion that never again
could such a victory be won and that
the next apportionnent would certainly
see Names representation in the House
reduced from four to three Ten years
later, however, as a member of the
Census Committee, Congressman Bur-
leigh was able to organize and carry
through bill, bearing his name, which
provided for a representation in Con-
gress sufficiently enlarged to enable
Maine to retain all four of it's repre-