The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-08-03
ROOSEVELT AcOUAINTs HIMSELF
PERSONALLY WITH PENN
sYlvANlA CONDITIONS.
TALKS WITH MEN, At WORK
Hiding His Identity, Former Executive
Goes Through Mills, Sitting With
Dust and Crime, and Black as
Miner. Enters TYPICAL Homes for
Further knowledge.

Scranton. Pa. Aug. 2.--Thcodore
Roosevelt srtnt the day In Dickson
city among the workers In the heart
Of the Pennsylvania anthracite region.
While the real object of his trip Ii not
known. il IL said he intends to write
n story descriptive OF the fields He
met and talked with the men who dig
coal. as they came from the mines.
black with CRIME. lie talked with
them about their homes their children
and their manner of living and learned
from their own iIps how they look al
life. He climbed TO the top Of a coal
breaker and spent half an hour there
In the stifling coal dust so that he
might see what the boys who work
there have to do.
He spent another half hour in silk
mill talking with the girl workers. He
piodded, two miles through the dust
up hills and In all manner OF places.
and he returned to Scranton as even
ing was drawing near, black with
CRIME. but smiling with delight at his
experiences.
Many OF the toilers had no idea of
the x-president's Identity which he
took care to conceal when possible. un-
I'll after he had finished his talk
Goes to Miners Home.
Meeting Jake Kavanaugh, miner,
walking down the street. Colonel
Roosevelt stopped him. saying: Il
want tn go home and talk with you."
and Kavanaugh agreed They walked
up side street TO small frame
house with most OF the paint worn Off
kavanaugh led the colonel In and sat
him down on the porch. Then he went
inside and brought out Mrs. Kava-
nnugh and the two little kavanaughs.
1t was at the noon hour so that
kavanaugh had time to talk with the
former president. who spent half an
hour there. He went inside the house.
looked at the small. neat rooms and
complimented Mrs. Kavanaugh on her
proficiency as a honsekeepcr Then
all f'nds went back to the porch.
Where the talk concerned mine life In
general.
Everybody soon became aware OF Mr..
Roosevelfs presence and the whola
population rushed out to see him Mr.
Roosevelt tore himself away from the
crowd at length and turning from the
main street. walked up the hill. AT the
top OF the hill IL clustered a group OF
ugly black buildings at the mouth of
mine. As he walked up, Isaiah
Jenkins pattered down, barefoot, In the
aust. Jenkins II miner. He had no
coat, no hat. no shoes. He had Just
come from the mine and was black
with dust. Colonel Roosevelt stopped
him and the men shook hands. Jcn-
kins offered To show him the BREAKER
and the colonel accepted They climbed
three iiights OF stairs to dizzy
height and reached the top of the
chute, Colonel Roosevelt found three
breaker boys who kept on sorting coal
as they talked with him. The dust
was stirling and the heat Intense. bur
the colonel stayed there quarter of an
hour. When he came down he was
as black as Il miner
Jenkins took the colonel home and
they found Mrs. Jenkins on her knees
scrubbing the Kitchen floor. The col
ohei went over to the sink and washed
Off some of the dirt before he wonld
shake hands with her. The party then
left the village and motored to Preek-
vile, hamlet four miles further north.
There Is silk mill in Preekville, and
Colonel Roosevelt Went through 1t.
talking with young girls who spend
their days winding silk thread ON
spools.
After he had removed the dust at
ms hotel. he met John Mitchell. former
president of the United Mine Workers
of America He talked over labor con-
ditions with Mitchell