The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-09-25
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22.
TO INVESTIGATE MIR. DOSE Elf
WESTERN TOUR.

Since MIR. Roosevelt mas DeS4 PI0oi
dent he has made twenty-five eXcur-
sions by railroad to different parts OF
the country. not counting his trips to
Oyster Bay and back TO New YORK.
The longest of these tours was the
one to the Pacific coast last spring.
1t covered twenty-five thousand miles
of travel, lasted sixty-six days and Is
said to have cost siXty-five thousand
dollars.
The charge has been repeatedly
made that non of these tours have
cost the president a single cent. He
has accepted them, including all the
Incidental expenses for himself and
party, such as food, wines, cigars, ETC.,
as presents from the railroads which
transported him.
There has been so much said about
the presidents western tour. especial
~ in some republican newspapers.
that it has been determined to have
a congressional investigation of the
matter; at least, the democrats of the
senate will try to procure inquiry into
the truth of the charges
soon d1ter the COuSTeSS HIcclS d
resolution will be introduced in the
senate for this purpose. According to
the Washington City correspondent
of the New Orleans Times-DemocraI
the resolution has already been
drawn, demanding information about
the alleged practice of President
Roosevelt in obtaining and using spe-
cial trains and special cars from va
rious railroads and paying nothing
for the service
The resolution sets forth that the
public press of the country openly
charges that the president paid none
OF the expenses of his trip to the Pa
cific coast and calls attention to his
nan other trips and demands infor-
NATION as to who paid his expenses on
these.
The Times-Democrat ~espond
says:
THE reason for the resolution Is
the discussion aroused by the Pacinc
coast trip. 1t is stated in the pre-
amble that it does not seem credible,
to the democrats, at least. of the SEN
ate that the president of the United
States WOuIu accept tOIlp&IIIlcLIldIy
transportation and food and drink
and service from the railroads and
that the senate desires to know if its
faith in President Roosevelt in this
particular is unWarranted. 1t is the
present intention to introduce this
resolution early in the session and
seek to have it considered. If the re-
pubIicans hold it up and do not ALLOW
it to pass the democrats Will take
that as evidence that the preside1t
and the republicans are afraid 20
have the questions answered, and will
so announce. 1t is admitted on every
side that the president did not pay
for the train to the Pacific coast on
which he made his long trip of sixty
six days, beginning in April and end
Ing in June. 1t is estimated that the
train cost nearly one thousand dol
lars a day. Indeed. the a cost of
the train is given by those who have
means of knowing as So. GOO.
Those who have the proposed in
quiry in hand allege that, not only on
the long western trip, but on every
other trip the president has made,
lavish entertainments was given his
guests and that IN no case a the
president paid the bills. There have
been twenty-five of these trips of
greater or less length. beside the few
times the president has come from
Oyster Bay TO New York and back"
This resolution. if introduced. will
hardly be allowed by the friends of
Mr.. Roosevelt to pass. unless there is
not n word OF truth in the state
ments.
Those outside of the senate. ard per-
haps some IN hat assembly, will say
that a demand for such investigation
comes with bad grace from a body of
men who have their pockets full of
railway passes. That may be true. but
1t does not alter the fact that the peo-
pie should know il if Mr.. Roosevelt
while president accepted from he big
railroad systems of the country a
present costing s~ixty-ive thousand
dollars and used that present as an
aid IN a campaign inaugurated and
carried on for siXty-siN days in the
interest of his personal political ad-
Vancement. If every one of the
ninety senators has a free pass from
every rOad over which the president
rode on that western tour that in no
way effects the question as to
whether the president accepted that
tour as a present from these rail-
roads and, If so, OF the prOpriety of
his so doing.
If the charges are untrue. then Mr..
Roosevelt and his friends should vel
come this inquiry as the best means
Of establishing their falsity; or if the
statements are true and there was
nothing wrong in the presidents con-
duct IN accepting the "courtesies" Of
the railroads, then also should there
be no objection to the people knowing