Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-29
At THE WHITE HOUSE
Ezra Meeker, the Oregon Trail
Man, Received.
GOT CORDIAL GREETING
And the President Inspected His
Automobile"
BORN IN A PRAIRIE SCHOONER
Representative Needham Of Califor-
mia So Came Into This World and
Wanted to Meet Mr.. Meeker.
BORN IN A PRAIRIE SCHOONER

The little stranger in our midst should
have been at the White House executive
ofices this morning collecting material
for letters home. There was certainly
slathers Of 1t right ready for the gather
ing.
For the President of the United States,
bare-headed, hands in pockets. with his
cultured coat tails Tapping in the chill,
November breeze, spent a quarter of an
hour or SO out on Executive avenue in
specting the old-time, ox-drawn prairie
schooner which has just completed
two-year journey from Tacoma, Wash, to
Washington, D. c. and chatting. betimes
with Ezra Meeker, the Oregon trail man.
Ezra blew into Washington in his prairie
schooner at the rate of q mile an hour
some days ago, and since then has been
living in anticipation of a visit to the
White House, a talk with the President
and a chance to explain his idea of
great national highway along the route
OF the old Oregon trail. Last Wednesday
Representative Cushman of Washington.
who has known Mr.. Meeker for many
years, made an appointment with the
President for him, and this morning Ezra
drove to the White House to keep it.
Nowadays some of the folks with whom
the President makes engagements walk
to the White House, but most of them
ride-some in private horse-drawn or gas
driven vehicles and others in public hacks
or autos of varying degrees of respecta
bility. But it has been many long
day since a visitor drove up to the dool
of the Executive Mansion in a prairie
schooner of the vintage of 40 and the
folks who loped ACROSS lots to vantage
ground, after glimpsing its dingy sign
| marked top, considered their violent curl
osity quite pardonable. Anyhow, there
was quite a crowd on hand when Ezra,
white-haired. bearded. weatherbeaten and
boy. hoped over the muddy front wheel.
gave the nigh OK a parting goadful swat
and ducked into the executive office to
keep his presidential date.
Got Cordial Greeting.
Meeker got very cordial greeting from
the President, who. listened attentively
while the old man told of his effort to Sc
cure recognition. through the medium of
great national road or pioneer way"
of those winners of the farther west who
fought such a strenuous battle in their
long weary march to the Oregon country
along the trail. which later, for 1000
| miles. was marked by the unbured bones
OF fallen frontiersmen.
Il don't know whether you know it or
not. Mr.. President" said Ezra but the
first wagon train to reach the Pacific
coast passed over this trail In 1913 near
ly thousand people with 40 wagons
opened their own wagon road from Fort
Hall to the tidewaters of the Pacific,
distance of nearly 800 miles. This was
the first real emigration. of the home
builders to the Oregon country. and it
was the advent Of this first wagon train
| with its thousand people that made it
possible to maintain our flag, and that
caused the overthrow of British rule over
The daring deeds Of those great pi-
| oneers deserve recognition at he hands
Of the American people as true heroes.
The loss of life along the trail was
In groups of seventies and rows of fif
| ties. strewn along the trail for 1000
| miles. In passing over the trail in
| 1852 l saw one group of fifty fresh
knew of one train where forty people
| died in one day; of one grave where
family of seven all lay. Shall the
deeds of those heroes pass out Of mem
| Org? Mr. President, we look for you,
| for Congress and for the American peo-
pie to say No."
Mr.. Meeker then told the President
that a recent effort along the line of
the trail had been made and that TWEEN
ty monuments have been erected by
| the people along the way. Now ma
| tional aid Is desired, not only to COM
plete the work begun. but to make it
wider in its scope. combining utility
with sentiment, and accomplishing the
double purpose of fostering patriotism
while building up the material re-
sources of the nation!
Give us. Mr.. President he said. "a
great national highway over the route of
| the old Oregon trail. to be known as
| Pioneer Way with suitably inscribed
| miiestones to remind the generations to
follow of the heroic acts Of the wners of
the Farther West"
President Saw His Automobile.
Then Ezra, having relieved his mind of
what he had come to say. became some
what less formal.
Come on outside he said, taking the
President by the arm. Come on outside
and see my automobile"
And the President went just as he was,
hatless, hands in pockets, the crowd fol-
lowing, Ezra introduced Mr.. Roose-
welt to his hired man. who bowed four
times and then busted himself. slipping
the lash Of his long blacksnake whip
through his fingers and scratching the
calf his left lep with tho foo of bfS