The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-25
ALICE ROOSEYELT'S
GIFTS MERE TOYS.
Young Woman in q Position to
Know Says She Would
Prefer 1000 Check.
BY w. w. Jermane.

BY w. w. Jermane.
Washington, Nov. 25.-"If some-
body were to hold out to me in -one
hand a check for $1,000, and in the
other document conveying to me the
exclusive ownership Of the presents
received by Miss Roosevelt in the
orient, and should say that I might
take either, I should most certainly
take the $1,0O0.''
This is the opinion of Miss Amy Nc
MILAN, daughter Of the late Senator
Mcmillan Of Michigan, who accom-
panied Miss Roosevelt in her trip to the
far east, and has seen all the presents
given that interesting and much-ad-l
vertised young woman. Miss Mcmillan
has expressed this opinion quite freely,
among her friends in Washington, and
what she says will give the general
public good idea as to the intrinsic
value of the Roosevelt gifts.
It is matter Of considerable regret
at the White House that the presi-
dents daughter was not permitted to
return home from foreign trip, bring
ing her presents with her, as any other
American would have been permitted
to do, without comment Of corced osten-
tation. -
The Presidents Opinion. j
The opinion entertained by Miss Nc
MILAN as to the. value of these pres
ents is shared not only by the presi-
dent, but by the other members of his
family, to say nothing of the officers
in the Georgetown custom house in
this city, where the presents are still
under appraisal. g c. F..
The work has been going forward
very. slowly, and with much, uncer-
there are no standards in this country
by which to value the oriental collec-
tion which Miss Roosevelt brought
home with her. Il
In well-informed quarters, the secre-
tary Of the treasury is being held re-
sponsible for all the talk, in the press
| and elsewhere, about the presents. If
he had assumed the discretion which
is his by law, he might have ordered
the presents admitted without duty,
| and no voice would have been raised
by way of protest; nor would the gen
eral public have been regaled with alb
surd and extravagant stories as to the
value OF these presents. But instead
| Of doing this, Secretary Shaw, as soon
as word reached him that the presents
| had reached the Pacific coast, went
| direct to the president and asked him
| what should be done. Of course, there
was only one thing that the president
could reply, and that was that he
wanted his daughter treated as any
other American under like conditions
would be treated. Then the secretary
set the red tape machinery Of his big
! office into motion, and pretty soon the
press and others began to talk about
the value of the presents, for it was
claimed that Secretary Shaw took the
| question up with the president on the
theory that the value of the outfit
would run perhaps into six figures.
Filled Freight Car. Il
The presents, in bulk, are formidable.
They filled large freight car at San
Kansas City. This bulk, however, was
very largely Grating. The presents
| themselves, as they are assorted at the
custom office in this city, cause the big
| room in which they are displayed to re-
semble an oriental junkshop. While
for the most part they are cheap in
| price and small in size, they represent
| as whole practically everything which
the orient has to offer in the way Of
souvenirs, and among them are dupli.
|
entail traveller would bring home as re.
membranes Of his trip, excepting only
that in this case these reminders are
almost unlimited in number, y
| What most impresses one is the trivial
character of the presents. There is a
multitude of such trifes as children
are usually interested in-dolls, pretty
baubles of no value, and miscellaneous
trinkets. The collection embraces sew
eral hundred of these things. There is
for instance, almost hundred fans
ance from those which one may see ii
any American city which contains :
Japanese or Chinese souvenir store
| There are a score Of frescreens of va
| rious patterns. One or two of these
screens is of the better sort, but fol
the most part they are comparatively
inexpensive. In the collection are sew
eral fantastic paperknives and bottle,
for toilet use. There are several rope
and bamboo portieres, bamboo stools
and settees and needle baskets. Balls
on cords. and intended for home orna
mentation, are in the collection, ant
| fiber rugs for the floors and headrests
such as are used in rural Japan anc
in nearly all Of China, by the middl
classes of the people.
Hard to Fix Valuation.
Just how to place value upon suc]
lot of plunder, the custom-house of
6cials do not know, and as they will no
complete their work until after con
gress has met, it is understood that the.
hope that body will pass a joint resc
luton, admitting the goods free of a.
duty. y
AS showing somethinp of the diff or