Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-14
SEWALL' IMPRESSIONS
Presidents Guest Talks of His
Visit to the Capital.
NONE so GREAT AS THEODORE"

/
Like Prince-washingtOn "Pretty
Gorgeous but OIdtOwn, Me-, and
>Other Large Cities Have style.
Sightseeing In New York.
Bill Sewall hasrgone to his home in
Highland Falls, Me-, quite convinced
that. even if Theodore, as he fondly
calls President Roosevelt, is bigger
man than all the princes on earth, New
York is ''some punllins" as a town.
Bill fatty put himself on record as to
| the former opinion while he was form
| ing the latter idea under the guidance
of New York Herald reporter, who
undertook TO guide him and his party
the other day through the labyrinth of
skyscrapers and subways upon their
return from Washington, where they
had been having the 'time of their
lives" as guests of the president.
Sewall is a powerful name down
! Maine way, but with the prestige add
ed to it Bill's share of the great family
patronymic will become part of history
in the big state of moose and wilder
nesses. Bill has guided Theodore
Roosevelt through Maine woods, as he
tells it, since the president made his
first visit as a STRIPPING of eighteen.
Bill thought he won ldn't have time to
see much of New York, for he wanted
to take one of the Boston boats for a
good sail and chance to sleep a little
after the round of gayety at Washing
ton, where he and his party didn't get
a chance to go to bed until a quarter
after any night
But there wasn't a Fall River boat,
it being Sunday, and the reporter sug-
gested a o'clock train from the Grand
Central station. Bill clutched his grip
! Bills party clHtched their numerous
hand baggage and chorused with Bill.
Where is it?" Crossing the ferry. an
eager line of Maine folk it was that
lined up at the front windows and
peered through the gray dampness,
watching with awe the looming sky
line of lower New York. The big
buildings were pointed out and de-
scribed.
Ground must be mighty DEAR" OBJ
served Bill sagely. 81 s'pose it comes
at dollars to the foot about here.
Kinder wish didn't have TO get back
so soon. Like to stay awhile, but got
All tuckered out from our visit, We
see."
j. The gaping subway bitches called
forth much wonder, which did not di-
minish when it was explained that
they were to be covered up and trains
were to run in them at fifty miles an
hour.
mot for me-" remarked Bill senten-
tiously. Pm in no hurry to get under
ground till my time comes"
The FlatirOn building put a kink
in seven Maine neclzs rs it was passed,
and young memeS of the party
''ducked." as though h did not like the
way it hung up in the air.
washington monuments pretty tall"
remarked Mr. SewaH. "but that thing
beats it a bit, 1 guess. Don't it rock
when it blows hard? Must have gone
down a mile to dig hole to plant that
in"
While waiting for his train Bill Sew
all chatted of his week at Washington
as the presidents guest.
cts pretty gorgeous down there" he
declared, land the congressional recep-
ton was a mighty fine affair, but the
style 1 was told was going to dazzle
us all didn't scare us to amount to
much. Why, We've got some style of
our own down to home. There's Old
town and some of the other big cities
they're just as stylish as Washington
and lot more sincere about it"
''How did the White House impress
your
"Well, just as 1 told Theodore, it's
about the most elaborate and elegant
camp on earth. We take good care of
our presidents, and we'd ought to, for
we get good presidents, and the job is
worth the best we can we 'em. And"
with great earnestness. 1--WE never got
better one than Theodore Roosevelt
But he's Just the same man down there
as he is while I am guiding him down
in Maine. You can't change that kind
of man. He'll be himself wherever he
is. White House living won't hurt his
kind, and he's at it just as hard wheth-
er he's trailing moose or foreign allies,
and he'll bring 'em down either way.
Theodore treated us all like he would
a prince. When he told me last supf
mer that I'd have to run down and Wis
it him, 1 was a bit doubtful whether
we'd get to go. It was so far, and the
things he has to bother him might make
US feel we were taking up his time.
But, bless you, he just made US feel to
home, and We've seen everything In
Washington from the capitol and the
big library to the grave at Mount Yer
non where our first pres dent was bur
led.
But" wistfully, 81 do wish we had
some time left over TO see more of New
York, with its buildings that hit the
sky. its big bridges and its queer ways
of carrying people up in the air and
under the streets"