Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-02-10
uNFR|ENDL|NESS
TO TOCuS HOME
IS APPARENT
Chairman Fitzgerald Has Long
Favored Closing of the Maine
Branch-Visitors at. the Ma
tional Capital

Washington. D. c., Feb. s-tSpecial) J.
The unfriendiy attitude Of the Demo
cratic Congress toward the Soldiers
Home at Tog,s is shown il the appro-
psiat.ons for its maintenance during tie
next fiscal year. 1t has been no secret
that Chairman Fitzgerald, Of the House
appropriations Committee, where the
Sundry Civil Bill, carrying the funds for
Soldiers Homes is framed, has long .av-
ored the closing OF tie Togus Branch.
He thinks It is not economically managed
and that it would be a better policy to
provide for the veterans elsewhere.
There are seen heads under which ap-
preparations for the various branch
homes are made. In every one Of these
branches, with a single exception, the
! House Appropriations Committee reduced
the amount this year over what was vot-
ed last year. The amount voted By the
! Committee under the head Of current ex-
penses is $500, against IS No provided
! in the current law. For subsistence the
House committee has recommended ST.
SO as against Sls,oOO in the current law.
This is due to the high cost OF living and
was something on which the House COM
nlittee could cot curtai.. The veterans
of course must be fed and fed we'll
| The House proposes TO appropriate TO-
the household expenses at Togus this
session s7o,an. as against $500 ar the
last session OF Congress; for the hospi-
tai $500 as against $40,0D; for Transport
tation $50 as against .,Nb; for repairs
5000 as against sS 90: and for the
farm $3.50 as against $500 This
makes a total Of sS11, 30 for Tosus which
! it is proposed to appropriate on the
! pending Sundry Civil Bill, as against
E32,Tr appropriated at the last session
| Of Congress.
| There is little likelihood that these fig
ures will be increased. The House will
| undoubtedly follow its appropriations
committee when it takes up the Suudr.
Civil Bill this week Similar cuts have
been made in appropriations for the di-
vers other branch horues This is in
line with the stringen. economy that
! Democrats are now practicing in the
! face Of a heavy deficit in the National
Treasury.
| Representative Kinds, O. the First
Maine district, has got his dogdsh biz
! through the House. slightly rnutilated.
and is fastening with it to the Senate
! CONGESTION Of public business there i
very discoureging to friends OF scores Of
/ like measures It is more or less Of
question whether action there can b.
hoped for at this session.
! Minority Leader Mann was friendly in
part to Mr.. Kinds bill and compelled ac-
ceptance Of an amendment before he
would let it pass, the bin having been
brought up under unanimous consent
This bill" said Mr. Mann Provides
: for ar investigation of dog ash and othe,
predaceous fishes and aquatic animals.
That is all right. Another section. which
l think has not met with very much ap-
prevail even from the committee tfat re-
ported it, authorizes the Department o.
Commerce to go into the business OF
buying, selling, or giving away o. fish.
think It will be realized. that whether
this ought to be In the Law OF rot
there IS no possibility of the bill being
enacted into Law at this session Of Con
gress with that section in ito catch,
buy, or otherwise obtain. and to sell at
cost or less or to distribute gratuitously
such quantities of the said aquatic
products as may be necessary for tests
! and so forth. We can not undertake
that"
Representative Kinds promptly an
nounced that ne would not object to that
provision going out if that would save
the bill. Mr.. Mann said that was the
! only way the bill could get through. and
out tine Objectionable provision went. All
in all it was s narrow shave for there
were very few members in the House
and a point Of no quorum probably
would have prevented action that day.
| Col. Charles P. Allen of Presoue Isle
has recently been in the city on his way
to Los Angeles and other places in Cali
fornia where he has relatives and friends
and will be absent several months. From
1889 to 1892 he was a member Of Cover
nor Burleigh's staff.
Hon. Joseph F. Gould Of Bangor was
in the city a few days ago. He was
formerly a resident of Old Town. He is
one OF the ab.est lawyers IN New Eng
land His many friends here were
pleased to meet him again.
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