The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-06-03
VACATIONS OF THE PRESIDENTS.


toned to spend more or less of their
time away from Washington, although
once in the history of the country the
lower house OF Congress took it upon
itself to criticise the Chief Executive
for his absence from Washington.
The criticism consisted in asking the
President what executive acts were
performed by Chief Executives while
they were away from the capital.
The House that asked the question
was Democratic. The President of
whom the inquiry was made was
Grant. The act grew out of partisan
feeling. 1t was considered good poll
tics by the opposition at the time.
AS matter of record, Presidential
vacations began in the administra-
ton of Washington. Investigation
shows that the Father of his Country
in the eight years of his Office took
18I days to himself.
The country at that time did not
offer the same inducements in the way
of travel as now. It is not mentioned
anywhere, so far as investigation has
extended, that Washington suggested
any deduction from his pay for the
time he was on his jaunts.
Adams the first beat the travelling
record of his predecessor. While he
was in Office only one term, he was
away from the seat of Government
altogether one year and twenty days,
or more than one-fourth of the time
for which he was chosen.
Jefferson was good deal of an ab-
sentee. Unless the figures in his
case are wrong, he was away from the
capital 1876 times in the eight years
of his administration.
Monroe, in whose term there was a
surplus of good feeling in the country,
was away in the eight years he served
nearly one-third of the time.
Jackson served two terms and took
more than year and a.halfout of his
time.
While all the Presidents have taken
vacations, those who served in the
good old times, when, according to
some, the Government was nearer the
people than in more recent years, did
good deal more knocking about than
the Presidents since the Civil War.
Lincoln, by reason of the war, was
forced to remain III and about the
capital more closely than any other
President. After Lincoln's death
Johnson made his famous swing
around the circle, for which he was
censured by the country generally, as
his travels were Enthusiastically for po-
litical purposes.
Grant made several trips while he
was President. Hayes made few.
Arthur was the first President to go
into the Far West. During part of
his visit he, like Roosevelt, disap-
peared for few days from the cores
pondents when he went into the
depths of Yellowstone Park.
In Cleveland's first administration
he went fishing to one of the inland
lakes of Wisconsin. In his second
administration he made several brief
trips, and hunted ducks frequently.
Harrison, who came between the
two administrations of Cleveland,
made swing through the South,
and later made a rapid journey
through Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and
Missouri. During that trip he ad-
dressed the Grand Army of the Re-
public of Illinois, laid the cornerstone
of college building at Galesburg,
dedicated corn palace in Iowa, at
tended Grand Army of the Repub-
lie review at Topeka, Kan, spoke in
Kansas City the same night, and
visited St. Louis the day after.
AS is we'll known, President Nc
Kinley was the first President to visit
California. His was the longest con-
tinuous Presidential journey in point
of miles. -.s
President Roosevelt is the greatest
Presidential sportsman in the history
Al