The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-08-01
A Laugh Not Enough

washington PreSlQe11C fCOOSe-
welt knows and those close to him
realize that something more than
laugh is required to kill off a ru-
NOR. That is one of the reasons
why the President is planning IT
and when congress adjourns to
make an extended tour of this coun-
try. He knows of rumors going
about the land that his health is
not up to par and he is taking this
method of disclosing to the Amer
lean people by action rather than
word the answer that he is phys
ically fit. .-... .zs@ -
Whoever occupies the White
House is continually subjected to
whispered rumors as well as open
assertions of one kind or another.
Some, as in this instance, reflect on
the health of the chief executive.
Others, as happened within the last
quarter of a century, reflected on
the personal habits and practices OF
the President. Still others have re-
lated in times past to personal for
tunes and financial dealings of the
man in the White House. Usually
these whispering campaigns" are
OF a derogatory character. No one
ever knows exactly how they start
nor is it ever possible for observers
to put finger on the rumors as
they float by. 1t is condition that
seems to be bred by prominence of
the individual about whom the ru-
NOR mongers can operate because
people are always interested in what
q President of the United States is
doing.
In the current instance the "whis-
pering campaign" was largely UNI
known to Washington until sum-
mer resort residents began return
ing to the city. They brought back
all sorts of stories that were being
circulated in distant places concern
ing Mr.. Roosevelt's health. The
gossip, for that is what it appears
to be, spread like wild-fire in Wash
ington and became of so much con-
Germ that it crept into one of tho
White House press conferences.
'iMr. President" one of the 200
correspondents present asked, "are
YOU in a little bad health?"
The chief executives answer was
the laugh which has endeared him
to many people. He was just back
from short cruise aboard yacht
In Chesapeake Bay. His face was
sun-tanned. He leaned back in his
chair and demanded to know what
the correspondents thought about
it. I think that the news dispatches
from Washington that night indi-
Gated rather clearly what the cor
respondents thought about the state
of the Presidents health, for sure
ly none of these dispatches indicat-
ed any particular alarm.
Let People See for Themselves
Nevertheless, the rumors contin-
ued to go on, and a good many
thousand people apparently believ.
ed that Mr.. Roosevelt had broker
under the strain of his New Dea
presidency. So, before the summe'
is over millions of Americans prob
ably will have an opportunity to SCI
for themselves just as the CORES
pondents saw at the press confer
ence that the President still ha
his smile; that his hair is no NOR
gray than when he took office il
1888, and that his countenanc
shows no earmarks of the strait
which every president of the Unit
ed States finds an inherent part G
that job.
One trip upon which Mr.. Roose
welt has set his heart is a tour t
the Pacific coast and return.
will provide an opportunity for sew
eral millions of Americans to sc
him and lesser number to hes
him speak. 1t will carry him thr
territory which contains probabl
about half of the nations populs
ton.
1t is well recognized in Washing
ton that no amount of denials by ir
formed persons or any amount
second hand testimony is sufficier
to squelch malicious stories of tn
kind that have been circulate
about the President. The eye wit
ness is the only one who is prepal
ed to diScredit such stories and, ur
less present plans are revised, tt
eye witnesses will be many tn
summer. The President probabl
will probably make other trips dun
ing the late fall and early winter {
well. Plans for these are still ]
the making and their length an
number depends somewhat upc
the date of congressional adjourn
ment.
The program fits well into tt
Roosevelt methods. In the
months of his tenure the Presidel
has done a considerable amount ,