The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1905-09-29
REASONS GIVEN FOR PREsI-
DENTS SOUTHERN TRIP.
WILL BEAR OLIVE BRANCH
Desire Is to AIIay sectionaIism and
Wipe Out Feeling That May
Remain.

Washington, Sept. 28.--Several New
York newspapers with characteristic
prescience, tell their readers all about
the presidents forthcoming southern
trip. They say he is going south to
| solidify that section in favor of his
policies, and thus assure democratic
| votes in congress in their support
next winter.
| Among the policies mentioned in
that connection are those relating to
| railroad rate legislation the Panama
canal and Venezuela. The prevention
of several departmental Investigations
| by congress is said to be another OBJ
| ject of the presidents trip.
I am reliably informed that the pres
| ident is not interested as to whether
congress takes up his proposed inves-
| legations or not. He has been push
ing the probe with all his might and to
good purpose and will continue to do
SO. Should congress manifest a sim
cere desire to help this work along,
he would be the last to object, for his
attitude from the beginning has been
that the rascals should be turned out.
AS to railroad rate legislation, it
should be known that the south as a
whole is closely in sympathy with him.
In the last congress nearly every DEM
ocrat in the house voted for the Esch-
Townsend bill and they will do so
again. Southern members of the sem
ate are just as difficult to control
through local public sentiment as SEN
~ ,4o
| ly speaking, however, these southern
senators will be more likely to sup
| port the presidential programme than
senators from the north. If there
should be southern senatorial obstruc-
tionists they will be found in those
states through which powerful south
ern railway systems run, and presi-
dental trip will have no effect upon
them.
Bearer Of Olive Branch.
The presidents chief purpose in go
ing south will be to carry an olive
branch to that section and thus do
what he can to allay sectionalism. His
motives are high and broadly patrio-
tic and his friends here who have talk
ed with him recently say that he has
not been moved by any consideration
such as those referred to in the papers
today In the south he will discuss
railroad rate Legislation, the Panama
canal and various other matters which
will come before congress, but his
speeches will be meant for the country
at large and not for a particular por-
tion of it. He will have his message
pretty well thought out by the time
the trip is undertaken and this will
give his speeches an unusual interest
as they will indicate in general way
the lines his message will take.
The president has been trying to
live down the Booker Washington in
cident He has always insisted that
the south misunderstood his motives
in giving Washington an invitation to
dine and has been anxious for the
time to come when he could with pro-
priety go into that section. That time
has now come.
Time for Trip Is Ripe.
In fact it had come when he Went
through Texas last spring as his re-
ception there demonstrated. He be-
lieves that the south is already in
hearty accord with him, not only as
to railroad-rate matters, burt as to the
isthmanian canal and proper settle
ment of our disputes with Venezuela.
He will talk all these and other ques-
tions over with his southern friends,
not with view to bringing them over
ITO his side, for that, he thinks, is al
ready accomplished, but that they may
more clearly understand that his ad-
ministration is as much southern as
it is eastern, western or northern. The
motives assigned for the trip in New
York papers are unworthy of him and
his high office, and he would give them
emphatic denial if the subject were
of sufficient Importance to call for
such notice.
Follows Mckinley Policy.
1t is one of Mr. Roosevelt's ambi-
tions to take up the work of conciliat-
ing the south where Mr.. Mckinley left
it off and for that reason regretted the
misunderstanding following the Book
er Washington luncheon more than
anybody else.
That is about all there is OF the
southern trip, arrangements for which
were made more than a year ago or
long before the railroad question had
become acute or there was talk or
Panama legislation or of Venezuela.
Driven desperate by the straitened