Rock Island Argus., 1914-05-20
Roosevelt, Home After a
Perilous Trip, Prepares
to Refute Landor.
SICK MAN FOR 2 WEEKS
Now Feeling Fine Again-Is
Keeping Silent on 1916
Presidential Plans.

| after Roosevelt had returned from
the thick of politics. Roosevelt, it was
| leorned, looks forward to one of the
hardest political campaigns of his ca
reer. Except for the time occupied by
his trip to Spain for the wedding oi
his son Kermit, he expects to devote
to politics most of his time until No
vember. He has in mind one of the
longest campaign trips he ever made,
/ taking him from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, and several shorter trips TO
nearby states. By 9 O'Clock he was
in his library. He paced the floor and
dictated letter-telegrams at top speed
to stenographer. His desk was piled
high with messages from all parts of
the world inquiring as to his health
and informing him of political condi-
tions. His present desire is to get
back in touch as soon as possible with
the affairs of the progressive party in
all parts of the country and help start
the machinery of the coming campaign.
New York, May 20-"I have been
very i'll OF jungle fever" said Colonel
Roosevelt on his arrival yesterday. "I
am all right now and feel fine" From
April 5 to April Is Roosevelt was
gravely i'll. Other members of the par
ty, including Kermit, were i'll in that
time, but the colonel himself was SO
sick and weak there were days when
100 yards of travel marked the ;nsees-
ure OF his endurance. For five days
Roosevelt was delirious with a los
fever. Under it he begged his COM
panions, 1t is stated, to go and leave
him where he lay in the jungle. Actu-
al starvation menaced the party the
last 60 days, that taken up by the
journey down the Duvida.
River Still There, He Says.
When he goes to Washington next
week Roosevelt said he would be ready
to refute the statements of Henry Lam
dor of England, who expressed with
others doubt that he had discovered a
great river in the wilds of South Amer
lea.
'NThe river is still there. Nobody
Is going to roll it up or carry it Off. |
Anybody can go there and see it," the |
colonel said with laugh. Speaking |
Of his trip the colonel said it was pret- |
" hard going for a few weeks. Ra-
ions ran short, and they got down to
eating monkeys. However, he said |
lbout that time he was hardly well
enough to eat anything.
Roosevelt expressed himself as
trongly opposed to repeal the law for
exemption of American ships from
payment of Panama tolls. He
aid he thought it perfectly right to
Irbitrate the question if the rights of
he country to grant exemption were
n question, but he declared to yield
without arbitration,
vas indefensible, as he was convinced
he United States was within its rights
q freeing coastwise ships from pay
lent of tolls. The Wilson administra-
Ions attitude in the controversy with
colombia over the Panama canal was I
riticised by Roosevelt. He objected !
to payment of s25,000,0O0 to s
terming 1t "blackmail."
New York, May 20.-Theodore Roose- ,
cit arrived home yesterday from his
isit of many months in South Amer
a. Accompanied by the two natural
It's of his party. George X. Cherry and
go z. Miller, he arrived from Para
! quarantine shortly before 4 o'clock
4 board the liner Aidan.
With few crisp sentences, punctu-
ed by decisive gestures, he reaffirm-
! the verify of the river of doubt"
Irtly denied having expressed himself
TO presidential probabilities for 1916. L
sclared he would not run for governor
New York. and made a few depre-
tory remarks about his critics.
Then, with harbor craft footing and
igs fiuttering. Colonel Roosevelt was
ken on board the tug w. F. Dalzell. b
hich proceeded to Oyster Bay. Il
Thinner But Still Vigorous.
Friends who had been alarmed at y,
g reports OF Colonel Roosevelt's Sc
re illness were greatly surprised {
ben they saw him. He was notice g
ly thinner. and he used a cane as he ei
ilked about the steamers deck. but b
5 face wore a healthy tan and he had p
parently not lost an ounce of the N
yor and energy which have become g
of him. m
After stopping 10 days in this coun- u
? Mr.. Roosevelt will go TO Spain for n
Q wedding OF his son. Kermit di
AS the tugs which carried several In