The Republican journal., 1915-02-25
Our Washington Letter.

people at the Capital are passing the last 4. >.
OF this session Of Congress with comno.,,..
They believe an extra session Of Concrs.. 4.
less probable. President Wilson Seems mo-,
disposed to heed the protests Of the bu.;n...
men to give the country a little rest. eve can
not tell Just yet what the outcome will he !,
said Senator Burleigh today. at will not be
certain till the very last hour and We do No
know whether we shall be able to get the an.
preparation bills through.
III Democrats had applied Themselves in thu
Senate to disposing of this imperative bus-
ness. instead of trying to drive through shin
bill that the country does not want. there
would be no likelihood at all now that Conoras.
would assemble in the spring. The appropria.
tion bills must be enacted into law, and il this
Is not done by March 4th we shall simply have
to return to Washington while the Democrats
complete their tasks"
Senator burleigh is Fastening with lot of
business in his Office, on the theory that Con-
gressional work will be over by one week from
next Thursday. He keeps well up with his
correspondence from Maine, but there are
matters necessarily in allegiance. Among these
are the pension cases for veterans Of the Civil
War in Maine. The Senator carries along lot
of these cases al the Pension Office. where he
has for many years made practice of getting
out the papers, ascertaining what was neces-
sary for early adjudication and then supplying
that as far as it was possible.
The Senator bore up Well under the trying
days of sessions upon the ship bill. He was in
his seat early and late, helping in the manage
ment of the opposition on the Senate floor and
being always on hand when the roll was called
and his vote was needed. The three Maine
Republicans in the House-Hinds, Peters and
Guernsey-all voted against the hodge podge
ship purchase bill that Democrats jammed
through there under gag rule.
Senator Burleigh, as member of the Com
mittee on Claims, has been making an inquiry
concerning one Of the old alabama claims"
payment of which was provided for under a
treatywith Great Britain, bearing date of MAY
8, 1871 The vessel in the case Senator Burleigh
has been investigating, was the schooner "Pal-
metto" of Eden, Maine, and was owned by
residents of Eden and Lamo ine The owners
and their heirs contend they have not received
IhS pS-SCAIoSSS PAoVAuS0 AoA uhOSL tAc Treaty,
which says that such owners shall receive
per cent.
There moneys undisposed of in the
Treasury connected with this matter. Sena-
tor Burleigh has placed before the Secretary
of the Treasury certain data called for by the
Department, necessary to determine whether
there is any validity in the claim, Capt. Orrin
r alo ~ JoJ ssD
Hon. Horace MITCHELL lawyer of Kittery,
Maine, has been in Washington on business be-
fore the Navy Department He has been taking
up with Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Roosevelt the matter of water supply at the
Portsmouth Navy Yard. The water has been
furnished by the Kittery Company in the past,
but the present year the Navy Department
would not enter into new contract, claiming
that the charge for the service was excessive.
Nevertheless the Portsmouth Yard still used
the water service from Kittery. Mr.. Mitchell
called upon both the Maine Senators regarding
the matter, whichsis about to be satisfactorily
adjusted.
| w. A. Martin, of Houton, president of the
National Potato Growers Association, has been
in Washington, trying to help along an addl-
tional appropriation for federal quarantine.
The House voted only $4,000 last year for the
enforcement of the quarantine, which was in
sufficient, SO that the Maine Potato Growers
had to dig into their pockets at the rate
of 81 for every car to assn re inspection. Now
the House has voted $4,000 for such a service
again the present year. but it is certain this
will not be enough. Senator johnson has pro-
posed amendment to the Agricultural bill to
increase this to s125,C00. Probably more than
that will be needed.
Ex-senator Obadiah Gardner, of Maine, who
resides at Washington on $500 year as a
member of the International Water Boundary
! Commission with Canada, with next to nothing
to do, is applying dingbats to the admnistra-
ton. He recently gave an interview here de-
claripg that "if the executive branch Of the
government is going to take charge of and
supervise every bill that comes up in Congress
then we might as we'll abolish Congress"
That may be true enough but President Wilson
will not like to hear that from the Democrat
to whom he has given such soft berth and.
altogether out of sympathy for him because he
(Wilson) was unable to go to Maine and help
Gardner to reelection.
Mr. Gardner goes record in this interview
as being opposed to the ship purchase bill,
which is SO near President Wilson's heart.
This interview will be consoling indeed to Ser
ator Johnson, Of Maine who has been going to
the front for the administration and voting
for the bill in whatever form it was presented
from day to day as the parleys among the
divers factions dictated. Of course Elk Sen.
ator Gardner never particularly consid-
crate of the Maine Democrats who served
with him in Congress, but he has been little
more friendly in recent months since he began
to appreciate fully the enjoyment Of that ST.
500 salary.
1t has grown q little lonesome for the Elk Sem
ator up in the Commission Office to be sure.
There is little business coming that way and
officials pay practically no attention to the
Commission, except now and then. But the
Commission is the result of treaty with
Great Britain and can not easily be abolished
When the Republicans come in two years from
now, they will chop off the Maine Ex-Senators
official head in q hurry, but that is two years