Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-26
FOR SPECIAL TRIPS
Ex-President Roosevelt Said
to Owe Over 100000.
HIS TRAVELLING EXPENSES
Trains Alleged to Have Been Sup
piled on His Order.
STOCKH0LDER ASKS QUESTIONS
Pennsylvania Railroad Declared to
Have Borne Burden of
Junketing Tours.
STOCKHOLDER ASKS QUESTIONS

mercial printing house in this city. has
sent the following letter to the President
Of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
philadelphia. September % 1910.
Mr.. James McCrea. president Pennsyl-
vania railroad, Philadelphia:
Dear Sit-As stockholder Of the
Pennsylvania railroad. have been greatly
surprised to learn there is an account
long overdue for transportation furnished
by it to Theodore Roosevelt. 1t is mat
ter of quite general knowledge, SO
learn, that this account amounts to more
than 100000.
Whether the person owing such ac-
count be a President or a former Presi-
dent. or whoever he may be, the interests
of the Pennsylvania railroad. 1t seems to
me, demand that there be q settlement.
Will you advise me If 1 am correctly in
formed and, il SO. is there any reason
why this debt should not be paid? VIII
you also kindly inform me what steps
have been taken, II any, in behalf of the
company to collect the amount due, and
what prospect there is, If any, of it's set
tlement?
Very truly yours,
JOHN H. DEVINE."
Theodore Roosevelt's extraordinary trav-
cling at the expense of the stockholders
of the railroads during the first four years
of his presidency resulted in Congress ap-
propriating $4,000 year to meet the cost
of necessary presidential travel in the fu-
ture. No provision was made, however,
to reimburse the railroads for Mr.. Roose-
velts extravagant use of special trains,
which were furnished for his bear hunts,
his turkey hunts, his eat-'em-alive lion
killing expeditions. for his social engage
ments his home goingS and comings, and
for the transportation Of his friends, his
servants his horses and goods.
Burden on Pennsylvania.
On the stockholders of the Pennsylva-
since nearly all Of tho presidential jun
kets started out from Washington over
that ccmpany's lines. To 1t fell also the
lot Of furnishing all Of the transportation
between the White House and Oyster
Bay. The Pennsylvania furnished Mr..
Roosevelt with over S1OO.OOO in free trans
portation, and in inner railroad circles
it has been common knowledge for sew
eral years that this remains unpaid.
Publicly the Pennsylvania officials will
not admit that Mr.. Roosevelt owes the
corporation anything. They say the trans
portation was furnished without any ex-
pectatiOn of payment; that there Is no
account against Mr.. Roosevelt. and
that the items were charged up to
"advertising.'
Among themselves high officials of the
Pennsylvania have discussed the Roose-
welt account when there have been full
limitations about ''cfnching the corpora
tions'' and bringing them to time
1t was the custom to carry the Presi-
dent of the United States as a free and
honored guest. The railroad could not
very well discriminate between a bear
hunt and trip Of the President to dedi-
cate a monument, so no request for trans
portation was refused. Mr. Roosevelt
rode up and down the lines at his pleas
ure. There may have. been rNilroad OFF,
Gals who believed that the President.
who was even then gleefully "cinching"
them. would hesitate to, accept as cour-
tesies to the presidential Office the ex-
penses Of his purely personal pleasure
expeditions. Such optimistic ones were
doomed to disappointment. Nevertheless
it is notorious-it has been so for years
that officials of many of the trunk lines
debt. not a courtesy. But could they dun
the President Of the United States? Re-
spect for the presidential of1ce-to say
nothing of the tightnesS or the roughness
Of the always impending Rooseveitian
"cinch'-repressed even breath of q
suggestion that the railroads stockhold-
ers might object to the continuing drain
upon their resources. consequently no
steps were taken even to intimate that
the bills might with propriety be settled
Determined to Investigate.
Mr.. Devine, who is stockholder or
the Pennsylvania railroad. has taken up
the subject with the intention of finding
out exactly what is the status of the
Roosevelt account with his road He de-
sires to know why the stockholders OF
private corporation should have had to
bear the public burden. not only of safe
guarding the life of the President on his
official travels. but Of carrying him free
of charge and supplying him and his
friends with all the comforts of life on
his private and personal pleasure trips.
Mr. Devine is representative Of a large
class of Pennsylvania owners of mod
crate means. The stock Of that road is
very widely held by small investors.
Had the railroad stockholders been
made to stand only the loss from hauling
the President over their own lines there
would have been less complaint. But
there was the expense of hiring Pullman
cars, stocking them with provisions and
wines according to the menu furnished by
Mr. Roosevelt's major domo. and the cost
of attendants. How the cost of transpor-
tation over foreign lines was apportioned
has never beens made public. In railroad
circles it is said that the Southern rail-
WaV. over WHICH ROOScNoll tTdV0lSO
south from Washington on many occa-
sions, has a charge of some $50, 900 The
New York, New Haven and Hartford
and the Northern and Union Pacif1cs also
were generously parronized.
Inquiry Resolution Withheld.
After the celebrated bear hunting trip
congressman considered offer
ing a resolution demanding information
the Presidents practice of
procuring special trains and special cars
without charge for the use in private
travel They were restrained by reasons
which they did not publicly discuss At
the same time railroad oficials were
so bitterly that Congress
voted $4,000 a year for their relief But
before Congress acted Mr.. Roosevelt had
taken at the stockholders expense jun
kets which for train charges alone would
have cost an ordinary citizen the amounts
given in the submitted summary:
Mr.. Roosevelt's craving for special
trains and travel during his term in the |
White House seemed to railroad men to |
be Unsuitable.
'.Mr. Roosevelt" they said. seems to |
consider that special trains and private |
cars are part Of the perquisites of the |
presidency and he orders them whenever
the humor seizes him.
The railroads, in other words, were be- |
CONTINUED on Ninth Paee.l