The Washington herald., 1907-08-21


sedate Provincetown received Presi-
dent Roosevelt to-day. just like an old
maid, decked IN ribbons and brand-new
hustle tthey still wear 'em here, afiutter
and giggling.
It was the biggest day in the whole his
tory Of Cape Cod. and that history goes
hack some: 10 the time. in fact. when a
Viking named ThOrwald Something-or-
other ran his queer craft into the harbor,
took one look at the sandy waste. and
sailed away for Newport. where the first
families were even then collecting.
1t is perfectly safe 10 say that the Pres
ident's visit stirred up more commotion
and more real excitement than Bart Cos
mold OF Capt. John Smith. OF Virginia, or
even the husky Miles Standish.
Last night, walking along quaint old
Commercial street, the Broadway OF Pro-
vincetown. which is walled in by frame
houses that were built most OF them be-
fore America broke loose from King
George, one got the impression that
Provincetown was celebrating over the
laying Of the cornerstone of the Pilgrim
monument and getting ready to make old
Plymouth bite its nails from jealousy.
PrOvineetOwn COrrects Impression.
in Plymouth. If you hint that maybe
the MayfiOwer did drop anchor first In
Provincetown HarbOr. and that Miles
Standish and other ancestors did put foot
on land first on Cape Cod. you viii get a
cold, plying look, and be regarded as one
who is shamefully ignorant Of the funda-
mental facts Of history
Provincetown. getting tired OF that de-
cided some years ago to take its proper
place in history and 70 let the world
know with a glad shout that IT was really
the cradle Of liberty So they decided 70
put up a pilgrim monument on Town
Hill, tall sand heap, where Standish
and his Ow-adventurers got, il Is said,
their first look at Plymouth and promptly
made for it,
Town Is Shocking Gay.
The celebration really started yester-
day afternoon when the Cranberry rail-
road" the single-track road which the
New York, New Haven and Hartford
uses for two trains day, brought the
first crowd of city people, and the Boston
steamer landed a lot more. BY nightfau
many of the old inhabitants. like Capt
Simeon West and Capt. Joe West had
TO blink their eyes and admit right out
that they could not have believed il pos
sible for Provincetown TO get so gay.
out in the dark harbOr were the bat
tie ships Kentucky. Kearsarge, Illinois.
Georgia, Alabama, Virginia. and Rhode
Island at anchor. The boats search
lights wheeled around in great arcs
as they followed the hooked outline
OF the Cape. They sparl1led with lights.
flashing red, green. and white on deck
and aloft, and the many colored lights
OF PrOvincetown's fisher fleet. trim and
useful cod schOOners and sloops, twinkled
back at them in a friendly sort Of way.
Harvest for Home with Spare Room.
Provincetown had not really any idea
how many people would be coming along
10 see the President and the cornerstone
laying. BY S o'clock you could not get
room. The little hotels We're crammed.
and every citizen who wanted TO take a
chance entertaining a stranger had his
house full, and his pockets. toe. Province
town does not get many chances to pick
up easy money, and last night they put
IN the knife and twisted it around The
cheapest price for rooms was s.. and that
was getting a bargain. Naturally. with
all this fuss and excitement the Province
town police force was pretty hard worked
No Change in Policy, Says President.
President Roosevelt, whose address was
r.-fr. al.
attendant upon laying the corner stone
OF the Pilgrim monument. made it per
fectly plain that the trust-busting cam
paign Of the administration is to be car
Tied straight forward for az least eight
cen months more. no matter who cries
that business is being hurt The Presi-
dent fairly snapped his jaws as he said.
with the utmost emphasis. that he could
cut out the words:
Once for all, let me say that as far
as I am concerned. and for the eighteen
months of my Presidency that remain.
there viii be no change in the policy we
have steadily pursued"
The President said he had received
countless requests TO do something to
ease the stock market, but that be he
Neved most of the disturbance in Wall
street was due 70 matters not peculiar TO
the United States, and the remainder to
matters wholly unconnected with govern
mental action.
New Section in Speech.
He declared sharply that he was certain
financial stress had been brought by GER
tain maIefactors OF great wealth in an eff
fort TO discredit the policy Of the govern
ment and bring about reversal of tha.
policy. It was lost effort, the he8President
intimated. as there would be no let-up
while he is in Office.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he was sorry that A
few heads Of predatory trust could not be
Jailed. since they were equally guilty
with their corporations, but that il was
hard 10 get jurors to see things that way.
In the original copy of his speech. sent
out to the newspapers the President had
nothing TO say about the stock market
slump, nor did he say so bluntly that
there would be no wavering in the policy
Of the government toward corporations
under suspicion, and especially the rail-
roads. Coming from Oyster Bay 10
Provincetown he prepared an entirely
new section for his address.
The Presidents speech will be
found ON Pare