The Coolidge examiner., 1934-03-09
o. ELno SCOTT WATSON

ALTHOUGH Amcrica Is n democracy. be
neves that u believes drmly In thai
phrase from the Declaration of In
1w dependence which says -all men are
lE created free and equal" and has
elected more than one Presiden, -.
cause be WAS born In n iog cabin"
og some such humtle dwelling place,
there have been times when Il has
not been ayerse 10 iniima,lons % royalty In az.
fairs Of government II has accepted dictator
shlpx and despotism-sonetines benevolent and
sometimes not Eo-in fact II not IN name. and
In various other WAYS u has departed rather far
from the tradition o: pure democracy.
II would resist 70 the utmost the eonferrinE of
any such title king" or emperor upon its
Chief Executive. but once upon time u cob
ferred the unofficial title OF princess upon the
daughter ~ President and reiolced IN doing so.
And for a time Princess Alice daughter og
President Theodore Roosevelt. a symbol In
the minds of the American people quite rs much
IS the prince % Wales IL a symbol In the minds
Of the EnEilsh The reasons which could be as.
signed 20 that fact various
Perhaps the test one lies In the fact that she
appeared on the scene al the turn of the cen
tnry~ when. az one writer has expressed II.
America Was just beginning 10 feel It's lnterua-
tional oats" the public that idolized her Ia
thsr made Of Princess Alice heroine after the
they feli somehow Justified in conferring royalty
upon the daughter of their President when.
few years later. she went on a grand tour Of
the Orient and everywhere was received like a
crown princess AMI presented with lavish gifts"
Another possible explanation lies In the fact
that; like her father. she was vivid personality
which naturally attracts attention 20 itself but
withai remains unspoed BY much ume-lighiing
and keeps the common touch without eonde-
scendlng So the American public accepts such
a personality as zone of our own kind" and then.
paradoxically exAlts IL 20 pedestal OF borrower
ship or invests II with robes of royalty.
when Alice Roosevelt was n child she could
spend hours Of time pretending | was a nery
horse. preferably cream-colored. Ike Cinderella 5
horses able at bound 20 cover vast regions OF
the earth aud also able M viii 90 turn into some
thing quite different. such as n princess with
very long hair or extremely martial prince"
There's something bit prophetic about that. for
IN her future career she was 10 cover some Of
those regions. 10 become princess" by popn.
lar acclaim. 10 talk with cowboys and kings.
empcrorS and emprcsses and gypsles. TO behold
a multitude OF pageants and all sorts OF people
and things" So It's quite appropriate that she
should choose for the title 81 her "reminiscences
tie two words Crowded Hours and that book.
published recently by Charles Scrbner's Sons.
Is record OF the crowded hours in the life OF
Alice Roosevelt Lougwurth. she who was-and
stlll is to many Americans-~Princess Alice"
To some extent political history OF the Unit.
ed States during the last quarter os n century.
in that she has been a participant In. as well as
an observer Of that history during that length of
time Crowded Hours is even more interesting
ns a lively memoir of the great and great
whom she has encountered In that center OF all
political activity. Washington. n. C. Before her
father had left the White House she had mar
ried a man destined for future political Impor-
tance-Nleholas Longworth. congressman from
Ohio later speaker 81 the house of representa-
lives and a man whose friendships among all po-
ntical factions made him unique So. as his wife.
the reign ~ Princess Alice continued long
after her father had left the White House.
princess Alice" was initiated into politics
when she was only six. Her father appoint
Cd federal civil service commissioner and she
was taken 10 the White House 10 meet the first
President she was to know-''the small. bearded
Harrison: and later I have a memory OF Mrs.
Cleveland there-young lovely and friendly"
some of her characterizatious Of later Presidents
aud their First Ladies are not SO kndly. but
they are the opinions OF strong personality
strong in dislikes as well likes-and interest
ing because OF that as we'll as because they are
based upon frst-hand knowledge.
The first Of the vivid memories OF Princess
Aliee'sr crowded hours are OF the Spansh-Amer-
.can war. which was sort Of gloriaed picnic
70 Alice and the other young Roosevelts visit
70 Camp wyckoT. where her fathers regiment
was stationed, was an exciting experience In
more wavs than one. AT fourteen and half
sIwas I'm love with one Rough Rider. I was in
love with twenty. even though l did have pig
tag and short dresses