The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-09-22
BY Ernest G. Walker.

(Ma1 Special to the Advertiser.)
BEVERLY, Mass, Sept. when
the President steps aboard his private
car in few days for a $1,000 mile
ride, probably as many thousand men
will have busted themselves in some
capacity concerning his transconti-
mental journey. Operations, covering
more than eight months of large plans
and worrisome details, will have come
to elimination in an itinerary, crowd
ed with daily events, every one of
which will be of keen interest, to
populous section, many of them to all
the people. From Boston to Washing
ton, by the longest route ever travelled
by President, there will be a series
of programs, of an exceedingly
varied character, in which all possible
contingencies have been carefully an
ticipated.
1t may look easy, to those who see
the progress of the presidential party.
AS a matter of fact, a small army
could be transported to San Francisco
and back again with less difficulty if
not at less aggregate expense. Letters
and kilograms have seen sent by the
tens of thousands. Hundreds of men
have been travelling on errands in con-
nection with the presidential journey.
If their movements had all been in
single line, it would have gone sew
eral times around the world. Of such
magnitude are the preparations for the
Pacific Coast trip, which precedent
now seems to require of every Presi-
dent at some time during his admin
istration.
Mckinley took the first of these
transcontinental journeys, as they are
understood in recent years, although
it is not to be forgotten that Harrison
made a swing around a nationwide
circle, The Mckinley journey was of
gorgeous proportions, as planned and,
in part. executed He travelled in
special train of nine cars, leaving
Washington at. 10:3O a. m. OF Monday,
April 20, 1901. He proceeded through
the South. into Texas and the south
west territories, participated in mag
nifcent flower festival at Redlands,
Cal, in early May, and was in the
midst of splendid five days program
in San Francisco, when Mrs. Mckinley
fell i'll. The schedule, which was to
have extended into the northwest, and
would have occupied the distinguished
traveller till June IS, was abandoned
there The party disbanded and the
President and Mrs. Mckinley and FIVE
members of the cabinet returned di-
rectly to Washington. The original
arrangements called for 10,5s1 miles
of travel by special train.
Roosevelt followed his predecessor
example of /" touring to the Pacific
Coast" He, too, travelled by special
train, covering 1885 miles between
9:05 a. M, April 1, 1908, and 7:O5
a. M, Friday, June 5, when he return
ed to the Capital. He followed on
that tour much the same course that
President Taft is to take, only Presi-
dent Taft will travel farther. He will
go from Chicago to St. Paul. where
Roosevelt steered straight across the
country, and from Texas, will come up
to st. Louis for a long trip down the
Mississippi. Roosevelt did not go into
the South. The exact mileage of the
Taft tour can not be figured because
s;ppi. McKinley's tour to the Pacific
Coast cost the railroads 100000, but
he travelled entirely at their expense.
Roosevelt IS tour to the Pacific Coast
considerably less. although it, too, was
at the expense of the railroads. That
was before tine anti-pass law went into
effect. Taft is the first President to
make a similar tour, travelling on regu
lar trains, but his expenses viii be paid
bv the government out of the $4,000
Congress recently voted for his travel
ing expenses.
Invitations from cities and towns be-
gan to pour in upon him, from the mo-
ment it became known that he con-
templated tour to the Pacific this au-
tumn. Some of these invitations
came to him while, as President elect,
he was sojourning last winter at
h-r,,c4a 90 Ahout 1000 invitations
were extended to him to visit as many
communities during the tour. Most of
them were from mayors. but some were
from chambers of commerce and other
like commercial bodies. It was en-
tirely impractical that he should ae-
eept more than very few of these in
vitations. but every invitation was
properly acknowledged and fled away
for reference when the time was at
hand to make up the route and the
schedule When the President had
come to Washington in March Senators
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