The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-01-02
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT


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-
man Burton of Ohio, VINO in his broad
and thoughtful way, ana cultured and
| finished style. made AN appearance
never to be forgotten.
| "Oh! Lucky jim"
Next to him was Jim Hill, the
great railroad man. Several things he
said will be interesting. He advocated
heartily the opening Of the rivers. al
! though it was noticed he spoke en-
tirely upon the improvement of the
Mississippi. where he has no competing
lines and never mentioned the Column
bia. He said that in the last 10 years
the requirements for traffic had in
creased 100 per cent While the trans
portation facilities had increased but
90 per cent, which latter figures he said
Represented the limit of construction.
Steamboats, and barges are the tWen-
tieth century method of transportation
according to the great railroad mag
mate. He said that on the Ohio river
a steamboat with a string of barges
had carried 10000 tors of freight. which
would have required a freight train
Is miles long It was his opinion that
boats must be big. however. to COM
pete with the box car. A boat of 1000
tons can't do it, but a 1O.OOO-ton ship
can put a freight train out of business.
He said that the twentieth century liS
vision of traffic was the heavy freight
| to the rivers. the light freight. ex-
press and passengers to the rails.
",The congress showed me that we
! are on the eve of a great new epoch
of transportation. which will change
the front Of the world in freight bust
ness 1t is simply a, matter of drift OF
events, we have not progressed as far
/ as the other countries. but We are COM
ing to it surely. if somewhat slowly.
Teddy Was Enthusiastic.
81 was the guest of my old Williams
college classmate, Representative M. F.
Driscoll of New York while 1 was in
Washington. l had the pleasure of a
chat with the president in which he
spoke of Walla Walla in the above
fattering terms 1 spent few adys i'll
New York where l met some former
Walla Walla people, among them Mrs.
Sharpstein. DR.. Arthur Boyer, Prof.
Hauerbach and the Misses Emile, Flo
ra and Marion Bauer. l also spent
some time in Massachusetts and Con-
necticut visiting with friends and rel,
atives
Zone thing which 1 noticed while in
New York was that it is fashionable
to decry Roosevelt All the richer or
upper classes seem to have no use
for the strenuous, patriotic president
but / was told the middle classes are
strongly for him.
! President Hard to Pick.
"The race for presidential candidacy
lis somewhat of a puzzler. Taft, a while
ago probably the strongest man the
republicans had. has been losing popu
larity along with Roosevelt. Hughes
lis strong man and New York is SOL
idly for him. although New England
will probably go for Taft Fairbanks is
pulling hard and Cannon is working a
! boom as hard as he can. LaF'ollette
even in the east, seems to be gaining
popularity. Foraker is thought to be
out OF it,
among the democrats. Governor
Johnson of Minnesota, is looming up
strong and an influential eastern re-
publican told me he is feared more by
republicans than Bryan, although no
one questions the sincerity of the lat
! ters motives, his ability and his lead
ership. But many think he would be
stronger as an editor, a free lance
set people thinking. rather than as the
lchef executive Of the United States.
Republicans all over the country show
apprehension as to the outcome of the
election and nowhere is there any
overbearing confidence that it will be
q walkover for the republicans"