The daily sentinel., 1912-08-29
KELLEY SAYS
SEECOLORAOO |
BEFORE ALPS
Rio Grande Attorney Deplores Heavy
Expenditures Of Americans in Old
World When Glories of Home
Are Unknown to Them.

j. w Kelley of Denver, addressing
the Trans-Mississippi Congress, spoke
in part as follows:
The United States government,
through a carefully conducted bu-
reau of statistics, keeps count of all
outgoing and ioncoming passengers
on ocean-bound vessels from the va
rious ports of this country.
by consulting these statistics. we
find that during the year 1911, SOO,-
000 persons sailed from the ports of
these United States to foreign coun-
tries. From a further classification
of these outward-bound passengers,
We learn that half of them, or 400
600, came under the designation of
cabin passengers who travel as tour
lists for the purpose of recreation and
sightseeing.
IF we allow for each of these
100000 foreign-bound tourists an
expenditure OF 81 000-which / am
told is below the average-for their
trip abroad. we shall have. as total
expenditure of American citizens in
foreign lands for the year. the stag
geTing sum of s40,0O0,0OO.
THE vast sum spent last year by
Americans travelling abroad was
nttutu anu Httutu Ut
Business has not been so good in any
quarter that we can afford to bestow
this generous bounty on foreign
lands, however needy they may be.
Railroads need II, and every business
interest suffers because of this econ
omic drain.
And while these conditions OBJ
tain at home-where the revenue de-
rived from travellers fares is needed
for the thousand uses TO which IL is
put to develop this great region which
you delegates represent-there is
flowing out of this country golden
stream that Is increasing in volume
year by year.
The bulk of this vast sum sDent
in foreign travel would be spent in
this Trans 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
region of the Trans 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 reason for such vast
number of our fellow-citizens travel
ing abroad. | think you will agree
with me that 1t is because: first, they
have money in abundance with which
to travel-and, second, they are ear
nestly solicited by foreign tourist
agencies to go.
r'It is exceedingly fashionable. Ev-
cry man who accumulates a sum of
money large enough to resemble a
fortune feels nowadays that he has
not rounded out his career of useful
experience until he has taken a trip
abroad
The young man or woman who is
finishing an education is not consid-
cred properly grounded in the rudi-
ments of knowledge until he or she
has stood in the shadow of the Pyra-
mids of Egypt or walked amid the
crumbling columns and forgotten glo-
ries 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 expert
ence whether the face of the Sphynx,
who with solemn gaze questions the
vague mystery of the Sahara's Desert.
most resembles that of George Wash
ington or Theodore Roosevelt.
81 dislike to interfere, even by
suggestions. with the machinery of
education in this country. but |
would infinitely prefer that the peda-
gogues of both sexes, who are teach
ing the young idea how to shoot. be
able to inform them concerning the
magnificent scenery and places of
glorious historic interest within our
national boundaries before taking up
the matter of sights and scenes of
foreign countries.
Il would suggest as a remedy for
this Wholesale exploitation of our
prosperous fellow citizens by the
tourist agencies, that this convention
recommend that in every state and
city, where tourist steamship tickets
are sold that license fee be re-
quired of the agent in order that the
foreign tourist agency should be
placed upon the same level as any
other commercial undertaking which
desires to take all and return moth
ing, 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 inauEurated
by this congress to turn a portion of
the vast tide of foreign travel to the
attractive scenes beneath the shadow
pf tho Starc and CtriDpg -