Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-02-18
We STEHs AEN HAVE PLEAS
AIT VISIT WITH THE CHEF
EXECUTIVE.
WEATHER MISERABLE
New Mexico Delegation At The Cap
itai Haven't Seen Sun Since They
left State ef Kansas.
asrmclal Corre.pondrnee.l :.

tSpeclal Correspondence. ,...
Washington. Tuesday Feb. ~.
Leave ~ all sun behind who enter
here"
Thus would paraphrase the fam
ous quotation from Dante for those
Who have To come into this eastern
land Of ours.
We said good bye TO the sun In
Kansas and 20 far haven't seen him
since.
To-day has been bitter cold with a
wind sweeping up and down these
broad avenues that cut ones face like
an arctic blast.
On the whole / think New Mexico In
quite good enough for yours truly.
Today the stockmen called on the
president In a body at $50 p. m. MT
pinchot of the Forestry bureau chap
eronei Us and did the introducing t"
the President.
As we passed up the walk TO the
front entrance TO the white house we
passed q huge policeman who eyed US
closely.
.Iooks like tough lot" said some
Joker I'm the party to the copper.
Yes" said he looks like bunch OF
wood choppers" and as he knew Mr..
Pinchot we laid It all to the presence
of the chief forester.
We were ushered into the green
room, where We were all seated wheh
with a quick active step the president
strobe into the room.
He made a few remarks expressive
of his pleasure at seeing us and tneh
was introduced around the room 10 'he
whole eighteen of us.
To each one he had some word OF
greeting and most of them a hearty
slap on the shoulder.
To those whom he had seen oefore
like Mr.. Luna, or Mr.. Jastro he was eS-
pecially hearty and cordial. Mr.. Con
rad Koors the well known Montana
cattleman he saluted as an old time
ranch neighbor Of his early days.
Captain McKittrick of Wilcox Ar'-
-
zona and the president had not met
since the day he with Mr.. RooseVei'
and several other officers In the old
palace atSantiago in Cuba drew up the
now famous letter to the secretary OF
war demanding the immediate return vi
the troops to the United States.
The president Immediately recalled
4, IN Cant McKittrick, who was on
Gen. Skaters staff at the time.
Mr.. C. w. Merchant of Carlsbad
broupht him a message from his old
hunter friend Burk Burnett. An
said the president "Burk the salt OF
the earth. He's a bully fellow"
And so he went around the room'
open and free as around a camp IRE In
the mountains.
He then asked us all to be seated
and for half an hour 1t was a general
conversation in which all took a hand
the president recalling several expe-
riences when he was in the cattie
business telling them with all the zest
and boisterousness Of boy.
He then withdrew and we met Mr.. |
Garfield who soon becomes the new
Secretary Of the Interior.
He made a most excellent impress
sion on all by the frank manly way he
asked us as western men to come to |
him freely with any wishes or critic |
isms of his bureau.
Told us not to go to any OF his sub
ordinates but come direct to him and |
We should always have hearing.
Secretary Wilson having sent word
that he wanted to meet us at his office |
we all went over to the Department Of
Agriculture under the guidance OF DR..
Melvin chief of the Bureau Of Animal
Industry and spent an hour discussing
the problem of the handling OF cattle
and sheen during the coming year az
fected with scab.
The promised MESSAGE by the presi'
dent to congress upon the question Of
the leasing of the public lands did not |
make its appearance today but, I am