The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-18
Van buren, In A HOLE
VAIN EFFORT OF A STAGE DRIVER
TO CONVINCE THE
PRESIDENT
THE ROAD NEEDED REPAIR

And He Wanted to Prove 1t, as 1t
Was a National Highway-The
Trick Played ON the Chief Magis-
trate by an Indianian-It Failed
of It's Object, but Cost the Con-
spfratOr a New Hat.
PLAINFIELD. Ind, June 16.-"It was
right over thar under that elm that Stage
Driver Mason Wright dumped President
Van Buren, into mud puddle for a s.
hat" and as though to impress the point
of consideration the Quaker repeated,
"fer q S. hat
President Van Buren, entered upon his
duties in 1887, just when the nation was
reaching one of her most severe CONNER
cial crises. The Opening of the West"
was the great issue at that time, and all
centered around internal improve
ments.''. The business of the country
was then carried on over waterways and
highways. All traffic was carried by ca
nal boats and on stages, and the propo-
sition to improve this public service in
the interior was one of the very greatest
moment. There were many other obli-
cations just at that time pressing In on
the nation and the finances were getting
low.
During his term Of office there came
general demand for extra appropriations
for the construction of roads and i'm
provements Of canals and other water
ways. Seeing that the nation was cramp-
ed and realizing that it was also being
sandbagged by lot of contractors, who
were taking everything in sight, he We
toed the appropriation bill. This brought
about such a great sweeping storm of
alleged indignation that in light of the
fact that he was to be a candidate in
1910, he felt that something must be done.
He properly attributed most of the dis
approval to the sandbagging contractors.
Finally he was driven to taking a trip of
investigation. incidentally 1t may be add
ed that the trip was the first one made
by any president into the states west Of
the original thirteen.
LONG TRIP BY STAGE.
His trip was outlined over the national
read. which runs from Baltimore to st.
Louis, and was then, as at present, the
greatest road. In the nation. The finest
stage coaches, the fastest horses and the
best drivers were arranged in relays so
that he might cover the territory in the
fastest, most elegant and most comforta-
BILE style possible, He was accompanied
by his secretary of stae. They rode, as a
general thing, on top of the stages, and he
Inspected the road, leaving it here and
/ there to go to some capital or city or to
Inspect some canal work. It was three
weeks after he left Washington that he
landed in Indiana. Up to that time ne
had not had reason to change his policy
on the internal Improvement appropria-
ton bill veto The road was in very fair
condition, though he admitted that 1t
might be improved upon. He thought,
however, that the funds provided for an
nually were sufficient, if expended with
some discrimination, to place the road and
all other improvements in very fair con-
dition and to keep them SO.
At present 1t is not known what was
the sentiment in Indianapolis on the in
ternal improvement question, but what
ever 1t was the city laid 1t aside and gave
Martin Van Buren, reception worthy of
the city. He was wined and toasted and fes-
tivities were planned which would have
taken a week to carry out. But he stop
ped them by the positive announcement
that he wan not out on a pleasure jaunt,
but on a trip of inspection, and that he
would only remain in Indianapolis until
the next day. He made several statements
which showed most conclusively that SO
far he had not changed his mind on the
internal improvements. He thought the
provisions were ample, and he intimated
that If robbery of public funds was quit
there would be no need of more funds
for the internal improvements.
TRYING TO CONVINCE HIM.
An old Wing named Hale had charge
of the stage coach line between Indian
apolis and Terre Haute. He was a very
pronounced advocate of the internal i'm
provement bill, and was, In his way.