Durango semi-weekly herald., 1903-05-11
SOME PREVIOUS
PRESIDENTIAL TOURS


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The presidential junket was begun
under President Andrew Johnson; 1t
vas partially developed under Presi-
dent Harrison. and was brought TO its
present state OF high development un-
der President Mckinley. President
Roosevelt Is following in the footsteps
OF his immediate predecessor. Prior
TO the days of Johnson American pres
idents seldom left the Capital City un-
less II was for flying trip of II pure
ly personal nature To Philadelphia.
New York or some other nearby point
and these trips were not attended by
any special ceremony nor were they
widely advertised.
So new WIS the idea OF a presiden-
tial tour that when johnson proposed
it and made his plans known for what
was afterwards known as his swing
around the circle" tho entire country
talked about it, and opinion was pretty
well divided as to the propriety of the
thing. 1t being known that Johnson's
purpose was TO attempt to allay in
some degree the bitter feeling which
had grown out of his reconstruction
| policy. and which at length eliminated
In an attempt at impeachment. The
/ idea that the president was at liberty
to use the immense prestige of his
| high office Tor partisan or personal
purposes did not sit well on the aver
age American mind.
The opposition which Johnson en-
. 4.
priotlos. as they were understood in
his day, prevented his immediate sue
cossors from following his example.
Grant made no trips Hayes went for
trip TO his old home In Ohio. and
while there accepted an invitation to
visit Detroit. where he made an ad-
dress. Before returning TO Washing
ton he stopped at half dozen places.
making speeches and meeting the peo-
/ pie but all this was an afterthought.
and It was not In his mind when he
loft the White House.
! Garfield. during the few months he
was In Office was not out Of Washing
ton. He was at the Pennsylvania de
/ pot one morning early in July. 1881.
/ to take n train for Baltimore, when he
/ foll by the assassins bullet. Arthur,
who succeeded him, left no record of
/ tour OF any sort his occasional alb
scnccs from Washington being due to
calls of private business character
TO New York City.
| The hrst long trip ever made by a
| president was made by Cleveland in
| the tall OF 1858. during his first term,
shortly after his marriage. Johnson's $
] swing around the circle" was confined
10 the country east of the Alleghenies
and north OF Maryland and West Nir-
| ginia 1t lasted only few days. and
/ The total mileage was very small com
/ pared with what later presidents have
4 done Cleveland went as far west As
| the Missouri river and as far north as
/ the cities ot Minneapolis and st Paul,
in Minnesota, lie touched at Omaha,
| ST Joseph and Kansas City on the
| Missouri. and then crossed the state
10 SL-Louis. from which point he re
turned to Washington by the Ohio
route. making frequent stops. on the
way west 10y the northerly route he
visited Chicago. Milwaukee and the
chief cities ut Ohio and Indiana. He
/ was away from Washington about
three weeks and covered about $500
/ milcs.
THIS one long trip was the only one
/ NJ consequence made by him as presi-
4 dent during either OF his terms. He
/ went occasionally on hunting and fish
/ ting trips to the rivers and bays near
| the coast, and within easy reach of
/ Washington, but on these occasions he
was invisible to the public and away
from the scrutinizing gaze OF the cor.
respondents
President Harrison took up the pres
idontiai jnnket where ii had been left
OF by Cleveland during the latter's $
first term, and added to II both In the
number of miles travelled and In the
number and Importance OF speeches
made The Harrison junket-there
was but one of them-was a memor-
able one In several ways, In the first
place. II revealed the president to the
country as one of the most eloquent.
forccful and tactful shortspeech max
ers OF It's entire history. The speech
es OF the Harrison junket were mod
els of style and their subject matter
disoloscs much OF the culture and pol
ish of Harrisons splendid mind. In