Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-19

the train rounds the curve and disappears.
Travelling in State
nF course the President has his special car,
~ even if Congress did not vote a made-to-
order train for his State trips out OF the public
purse. Any railroad company is willing to carry
the presidential party free as far as its mileage
goes and throw in its best private car at
that
Sometimes the private car courtesy of the
railway is accepted; but like other passengers
the nations head, especially the present head,
objects to changing cars. 1t loses time. SO
the usual plan for long tours is to get special
train of Pullmans, one for the President and
personal guests, dining car, baggage car, and
a sleeper for the writers who tell the world
about him through the newspapers.
But this is no junket for the one for whom 1T
is provided. Little time has he for a smoke and
refreshments. The rear platform with its gilt
tering rail is rostrum on wheels where he may
stand in the peltlng rain or the driving snow
The people want to him, if they cannot
hear him. He draws his salary partly to ex-
hibit himself.
But that's only one thing that keeps him
busy. When the train starts, something else
gets in motion also. You hear the click of the
typewriter. You see pencils running rapidly
over notebooks. as the official stenographers
take replies to letters and kilograms received
by the morning mail too late to go through
the offices at the White House.
Part of His Program
HERE'S an idea of what occurs when the
IL President is on the move. The letters and
papers he must know about are d1SSeCted with
his secretary and replies outlined or dictated
word for word according to their Importance,
then:
whats on for the forenoon?"
The secretary turns to page OF his memo
randum. I'VE stop at Smithville in an hour
for ten minutes; Red Creek half-hour later,
Just long enough to let 'em you and take
on Senator Jones' You were to talk with the
Senator about his bill for income tax"
Yes, | know. Go on"
This afternoon we run without stops until
four o'clock. After lunch you were to have
that conference with Congressman Blank and
Blank about their bill for the new State House.
They wanted your idea to where to put the
capital" 80,
It's half an hour at Lodge City The Gov
ernor and Mayor meet us at the depot Five
minutes for reception. Go to town hall IN
autos. Speech fifteen minutes, with just an in
PRODUCTION. Then shake hands with card hold
ers and back to train. You're to talk with
Governor Blank till we get to the next stop,
where he leaves. He wishes to explain that
trouble in the caucus for Senator -"
YES know. Anything else?"
There's the telegram l showed you from
the Elks. They want you to head torch
light parade on horseback to the hall where you
speak tonight. They're going to give you
live elk"
Tell that committee when they get aboard
that am too tired from travelling to 60 in the
procession; that l appreciate the honor, but
must go direct to the hall. Just say thank
them for their gift and to have the beast Grated
and sent to the Washington Zoo. Have you
said anything to the correspondents?
"A committee wants to see you this evening
before train leaves, so they can get off mes
sages."
"Say I'm sorry, but am too busy. About
that editorial in The New York Star l have
nothing to say, tell them 1t is not worthy of
notice. have opinion to express about that
church resolution on my action regarding the
canteen. You can add that what have heard
thus far from our leaders on this trip convinces
me that this section is for the party by large
majority and everything is working harmoni-
ousy"
This last goes down word for word in short
hand it will be typed in ten thousand dailies
the next morning, and they must have it
exactly right.
The days coaching over, the President gets
down to business, and the chances are it is mid
night before the porter locks the stateroom and
he seeks the repose of the sort that comes with
the rattle of carwheels and jolt of the shifting
engine.
The President as an Ad
THE President of the United States is a HUI
man advertisement so valuable that his