Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-06-17

vent ana MS swing around the circle:
Why shouldn't the president be
happy? He has Just completed a A.
0O0-mile tour OF the country without
accident or untoward incident. AS
Secretary Loeb said tonight:
Nothing has occurred to mar the
pleasure Of the trip. We have had no
unfortunate incidents. We have made
schedule time throughout without n
break. Why, we have not even had
a hot box" A tribute to American
~railroading skill and to the care AMI
faithfulness OF the men who run the
trains, surely.
When Mr.. Roosevelt started on his
great swing-around-the-circl many OF
the political wiseacres here shook their
heads. Some of them thought 1t a
mistake, and openly said so. In the
first place, they were afraid OF acct
dents. They feared the strenuous
president would take too many risks.
He might get in a railroad wreck. He
might take a cold from exposure In
the Yellowstone or sleeping out In the
snow in the Yosemite. A thousand
and one things might occur. While
he was gone these conservatives again
shook their heads and said he would
better be at home attending to busi-
ness. All the time IL was noticeable
that Secretary Hay, who would be
president in certain emergencies,
stuck close to his desk and his home.
But with Mr.. Roosevelt's usual luck
he has come through without turning
a hair. He told Secretary Root to-
night that he never felt better In his
life. The trip mad done him good.
He was rested, and wanted to get to
work. To another he said the thing
which had impressed him the most
during his long journey was the un-
ity, the homogenity OF the American
people; all dressing the same way,
all thinking the same thoughts, all
moved by the same love of country,
and so on. The president was quite
eloquent on this theme. He is always
eloquent, at least emphatic, when his
feelings are stirred.
Then, again, the wiseacres were
afraid the conservative people of the
country would not like this swinging
around-the-circle business. They
might regard it as too much Of a play
for popularity, too obviously a bid for
reelection. No such criticism has
been heard anywhere in the country,
except in Wall street, and there your
correspondent heard a few weeks ago
that it was the general opinion Mr..
Roosevelt was "on a transforming
trip" and was playing to the gal
%leries." Everywhere else there ap-
pears to be the liveliest satisfaction
with the tour and with the presidents
demeanor. Besides, he is not making
his campaign for reelection by cater.
ing to Wall street.
Once more, the wiseacres land some
of them members OF the presidents
official family feared in making so
many speeches to all sorts Of people
and under all sorts of circumstances
some break" might occur, some hasty
or unfortunate expression. Here again
the prophets of evil are COMPOUNDED
by the presidents luck, or his wis
dom. So far as the records show he
has made no breaks" He may not
have set the western rivers on fire
with his eloquence and wisdom, but
what he did say evidently pleased the
masses of the people and strengthen
ed his popularity with them. Possibly
he did and said many things that an
J other mar in his place would have
been too stiff or too timid to do. But
as a member of the presidents family
+ recently remarked: Theodore was
5 always that way. All his life he has
: been doing things which his friends
r thought would turn out fatal blunders
= and every time he has come out OF II
! stronger than when he went in" That
: is luck or something better than luck,
Now, that the presidents extraordi
: nary tour has turned out a big sue
cess the wiseacres have stopped shak'
:, ing their heads. Nothing succeeds
like uccess. Members of the cabi
I net are pointing to the great results
of the trip and to the incidents which
have accompanied 1t. They declare
the president has:
d Won the hearts of the people of the
4 western country and has made it i'm
e possible for the Democrats to carry
I a single state in that section nex'
year.
Made absolutely certain his nomi
nation without opposition by the ma
tional Republican convention OF 1904
Broken down the first show Of :
wish to wait and keep the question
e of the nomination an open n for an
e other year by turning the flank o.
Mr.. Hanna in Ohio and OF Mr.. Fair
banks in Indiana.
And in addition to all this they ave.
that he made himself the most popu
lar president with the plain, common
4 people the country has known II
: years by means of showing himself
I and getting close to the masses
Probably Mr.. Roosevelt himself be
e %lieves these things, too, or some 81
them, and he has a right to feel hap
. by over the results and effects of his
somewhat daring excursion.