Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-28


The United States government,
through a carefully conducted bureau
Of statistics, keeps count of all out
going and incoming passengers on
ocean-bound vessels from the various
ports of this country.
by consulting these statistics, we
find that during the year 1911, 500, 900
persons sailed from the ports of these
United States to foreign countries.
From a further classification of these
outward bound passengers, we learn
that half of them, or 100000. came
under the designation OF cabin pas
sengers who travel as tourists for the
purpose Of recreation and sight-see-
ing.
IF we allow for each of these
400, 900 foreign-bound tourists an ex.
penditure of 1,000-which l am told
is below the average-for their trip
abroad, we shall have, as the total
expenditure of American citizens IN
foreign lands for the year, the stag
gering sum of $10,000,0O0.
The vast sum spent last year by
Americans travelling abroad was need
ed and needed badly at home. Bust
ness has not been so good in any
quarter that we can afford 10 bestow
this generous bounty on foreign lands,
however. needy they may be- Rail-
roads need it and hotels need it, and
every business interest suffers be-
cause of this economic drain.
And while these conditions obtain
at home-where the revenue derived
from travellers fares is needed for the
thousand uses to which it is put to
develop this great region which you
out of this country a golden stream
that is increasing in volume year by
year.
DOLLARS GONE FOREVER.
The bulk of this vast sum spent
/ in foreign travel would be spent in
this Mississippi region, if tour
lists were persuaded that they ought
to see America first before going
abroad. Every dollar spent out of
this country is gone and lost forever
TO the infinite harm of the great re-
gion of the Mississippi.
Here is an economic question TO
which this great congress. assembled
in the name Of commerce, may well
give its attention.
In the first place. let us inquire
what is the season for such a vast
number of our fellow citizens travel
ing abroad | think you will agree
with me that ii is because, first, they
have money in abundance with which
TO travel, and, second, they are earn
estly solicited by foreign tourist
agencies to go.
1T is exceedingly fashionable.
Every man who accumulates a sum of
money large enough TO resemble a for
tune feels nowadays that he has not
rounded out his career OF useful ex-
periences until he has taken trip
abroad.
SEE OUR COUNTRY FIRST
THE young man or woman who is
finishing an education is not consid-
cred properly grounded in the rud-
ments of knowledge until he or she
has stood in the shadow of the Pyr-
amids of Egypt or walked amid the
crumbling columns and forgotten
glorias of ancient cities long since
fallen to ruins.
Teachers in the public schools and
college professors feel that they are
not properly equipped to instruct the
young unless they can tell them first
hand and from personal experience
whether the face of the Sphynx, who
with solemn gaze questions the
vague mystery of the Sahara's des-
sert, most resembles that OF George
Washington or Theodore Roosevelt.
81 dislike to interfere, even by sug-
gestions, with the machinery Of odu.
cation in this country, but ] would
infinitely prefer that the pedagogues
of both sexes, who are teaching the
young idea how TO shoot, be able to
| inform them concerning the magnifi-
cent scenery and places of glorious
| historic interest within our national
| boundaries before taking up the mat.
ter of the sights and scenes of for
| eign countries.
sHot LII DEhAND LII ENSE.
81 would suggest as a remedy for
| this wholesale exploitation of our
| prosperous fellow citizens by the tour.
/ list agencies, that this convention rec.
opmend that in every state and city
where tourist steamship tickets are
sold, that a license fee be required
of the agent in order that the foreign
tourist agency should be placed upon
the same level as any other com.
mercial undertaking which desires to
take all and return nothing, and ]
would suggest that the license fee
be made the basis for a fund to be
devoted TO carrying out such policies
as may be inaugurated by this con,
gress to turn a portion of the best
/ tide OF foreign travel to the attrac
tive scenes beneath the shadow OF
the stars and stripes"