The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-01-08
Our Washington Letter.
Especial to The Republican Journal.

WASHINGTON, -. w., Joiis ~ 1A 0'A'~
affairs at Washington were tolerably
quiet with Congress in recess, and there
will not be much perking up until January
is we'll gone, for the President does not re-
turn until January 18th from his sojourn
in the South and Congress does not re-
assemble until the same date. Those
who stay at the federal city in the IN
Grim are marking time. All except two
Of the Maine delegation of six have gone
lack to their homes. Senator Burleigh
IS staying here. So is Representative
Asher C. Kinds of Portland.
Representative Peters started back to
ms district little in advance of the re-
cess, having first arranged pair against
the currency bill, to which he, like all the
Maine Republicans in Congress, was OPP
nosed. The Republican leaders of the
House gave the Third District Congress
nan good committee assignments, con-
sllering the little that they had to give.
He will have some worth while work to
10 in committee after the holidays.
However, as a minority member under a
Qpmocratic regime Mr.. Peters is not al
owed the scope of action that new
pember like him would have under
publican regime.
There is feeling at Washington that
-4r next House of Representatives will
be- controlled by Republicans, in which
Int Republican representatives from
-re Pine Tree State will have their turn,
d, the Democrats will have to take back
EATS. to which they were accustomed for
-any years. Returns coming in from
the country tell of industries paralyzed
Ter the new tariff and of many thou
sands of wage earners out of employ
mt This is supposed to presage a
aange in the political complexion of the
.peernment next autumn, wherever the
.srs can have a say. There is already
.4rk about another revision of the tariff
arh a j increase of rates to a point
where home industries will be adequate
protected.
Senator Burleigh has been putting in
carl ticks recently He has taken up
matters of public buildings for central
Naina. He went before the Horticul-
.arsl Board at the Department of Agri
IL -ura and helped make up the case in
l.hsIf of Maine potato growers who
were IN danger Of importations of the
asy lery scab. He has been working
re the Treasury Department in be-
slf IF Maine granite men, who want
heir product used in public buildings
-rprtei in Maine He has been to the
tenslon office in behalf of numerous
.ererans of the Civil War, whose cases
nave not been adjusted.
The Senator finds his efforts restricted
~ Democratic policies about this and
ttat but is not discouraged. He took
uD his public buildings work about where
he eft it when he ceased to be a member
uf the House from the Third Maine dis
net Congress in the last few years has
made small appropriations for continuing
tt5 construction of public buildings in
Maine. Certain projects that the Sena-
tor had naugurated while he was in the
House have not been advanced. Now
the Democrats tell him they do not pro-
pose 10 have any public building bill this
winter and that all except the most
Urgent cases must wait for another year.
Gardiner was case in point. The city
fas site for a public building, but no
appropriation for the building. But if a
nlUlic building bill comes over from the
House the Senator will leave nothing I'M
lone to have a sum provided to start
mas some chance yet of getting it. He
working with Senator johnson to OBJ
ain an additional appropriation for the
Bangor building, but is faced again with
1sm1cratic cries for economy of eX
cultures to prevent a deficit in the
treasury within the next nine months.
Democrats now realize they are rather
badly off in their management of the
vernment's fiscal affairs and must re-
Surt to extreme measures to prevent ex
posing the bottom of the exchequer be-
fore the Congressional elections are held.
mere is nothing moving at Washing
-on Yet about the postmastership at Bel
last. 1t is one of the good federal
pums in that section of the Stale, pay
IL z ", 400 a year. The term of Post
master A. F. Carleton, however, does
oot eXpire until January 9, 1915, and ac-
cofdlngly there is no prospect of a
change for some time to come. Thus far
republican postmasters in Maine have
no been disturbed until their four years
term has expired. The Democrats are
very hungry, however, and from time to
Tine have been turning out Republicans
N some of the more lucrative offices.
an etfort in that direction was attempt
ed recently in Boston, wnere a Maine
man, Mr.. Mansfield, is postmaster. 1t
wa, halted for time, at least, by
ihfaats of Republican Senators to make
il not for any Democrat whose nomina-
l'oa for Mansfeld's place came before