Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1935-08-01

XIII OH rum0r. InaC
Is one Of the reasons why the Presi-
dent Is planning If and when congress
adJourns to make an extended tour of
this country. 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 American
people by action rather than word the
answer that he is physically fit.
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 related in times past to personal
fortunes and financial dealings Of the
man in the White House. Usually these
whispering campaigns" are Of de-
rogatory 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 rumor mongers can operate
because people are always interested
in what a President Of the United
States is doing.
In the current instance the "whis-
pering campaign" was largely unknown
to Washington until summer resort
residents began returning to the city.
They brought back all sorts of stories
that were being circulated in distant
places concerning Mr.. RooseVelt's
health. The gossip, for that is what
it appears to be, spread like wild-fire
In Washington and became of so much
concern that it crept into one of the
White House press conferences.
"Mr. President" one of the 200 corre-
spondents 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 a yacht In Chesapeake
bay. His face was sun-tanned. He
leaned back in his chair and demanded
to know what the correspondents
thought about 1t. I think that the
news dispatches from Washington that
night indicated rather clearly what the
correspondents thought about the state
Of the Presidents health, for surely
none of these dispatches indicated any
particular alarm.
Nevertheless, the rumors continued
to go and a good many thousand peo-
pie apparently be-
Let People See lieved that Mr..
for Themselves Roosevelt had bro
ken under the strain
of his New Deal presidency. So, be-
fore the summer is over millions Of
Americans probably will have an op-
portunity to see for themselves just as
the correspondents saw at the press
conference that the President still has
his smile; that his hair is no more
gray than when he took Office in 1888,
and that his countenance shows no ear
marks of the strain which every Presl-
dent of the United States finds an In
herent part of that job.
One trip upon which, Mr.. Roosevelt
has set his heart is a tour to the Pa
cific coast and return. It will provide
an opportunity for several millions Of
Americans to see him and q lesser
number to hear him speak. It will
carry him through territory which con-
tains probably about half Of the ma
TONS population.
It is well recognized in Washington
that no amount Of denials by informed
persons or any amount Of secondhand
testimony Is sufficient to squelch ma
licious stories Of the kind that have
been circulated about the President.
The eye witness is the only one who
is prepared to discredit such stories
and, unless present plans are revised,
the eve witnesses will be many this
summer. The President probably will
make other trips during the late fall
and early winter as well. Plans for
these are still in the making and their
length and number depends somewhat
upon the date of congressional adjourn
ment.
The program fits well into the Roose-
Welt methods. In the % months Of his
tenure the President has done con-
siderable amount Of travel He has
made three cruises on the yacht owned
by Vincent Astor, two Of which lasted
more than two weeks each. He trav-
eled to the east coast Of Canada In
June, 1893, aboard the craft, Amber
lack, and returned two weeks later
aboard a navy ship. Last year, it will
be remembered, he visited Haiti, Puer-
TO Rico, the Virgin islands, Colombia,
the Panama canal, Clipperton island,
and Hawaii. On his return from that
cruise he crossed the Northwest, MAX
ing several speeches before reaching
Washington.
In 1888 and in 1884 he visited Warm
Springs, Georgia, the colony where
victims of infantile paralysis are
nursed back to health and with which