Evening star., 1944-06-25
Capital Sidelights
By VIII P. Kennedy.

Representative Edward G. Rohrbough
of West Virginia, one of the college
presidents in Congress, is very proud Of
the spirit and character of the House
page under his patronage-Dorsey Joe
Bartlett of Clarksburg-who is complet-
ing three years of service to the House,
at the age OF 18, and next Saturday is
reporting for duty in the United States
Marine Corps. Young Bartlett has been
"overseer" of the Republican pages, and
House officials testify that he has exert
ed a good influence in leadership. Rep
resentative Rohrbough has displayed to
his colleagues the valedictory of this
youth going out from the legislative
chamber into the armed forces, as in
dicative of the spirit of the American
boy:
From a Georgia cotton plantation,
from a Midwest oil town, from a West
Virginia mountain home dixie MYSELF
and from the great metropolis, these
page boys come to serve Congress.
Eleven to sixteen year old lads leave the
watchful eyes and loving care Of their
mothers independently to face life and
its problems in this hub Of the world.
Mothers are not here to see that they
arise In time for o'clock classes, or
spend their time and money wisely, or
wash behind their ears, or behave them
selves properly. Yes, they have the
greatest opportunity-bu to failure as
well as to success. Their answer to the
challenge of temptation is best shown
in the records Of past pages Many Sue
cessful businessmen, ministers, members
OF Congress, war heroes, fine loyal
American citizens first faced life when
young lads as congressional pages.
This example is by no means an excep-
ton for the American youth. ANY,
thing adverse is the exception. Too
often judgment of all Is based on one
of those rare exceptions, which usually
can be based on fault other than that
of the boy. Our youth has what it takes.
In my mind there is no doubt as to the
future Of the Nation The citizens Of
tomorrow will carry the torch forward
with the light of free institutions and
traditions shining over peaceful and
prosperous America
For more than a quarter of a century
1t was an unwritten law that the Presi-
dent should not leave American soil
(the bounds of continental United
States) during his term In that office.
though practically all of the Presidents
had been great travellers, especially
John Quincy Adams, who at the age Of
IL had crossed the Atlantic four times,
at IA was secretary of the American
Legation in Russia and at II had tray
eled over most Of the Old World. Our
stay-at-home policy was for safeguard
ing the person of the Presidents and for
sentimental reasons. But during the
past decade Franklin D. Roosevelt has
broken all presidential records for for
elgn travel. Yet he did not establish
the precedent, because Woodrow Wilson
made two trips to Europe in 1918 and
1919 as member and chairman of the
American delegation to the Peace Con-
ference in Paris, where he arrived De-
cember IA, 1918. and March 13, 1919.
Warren G. Harding went out of United
States territory on his trip to Alaska
and had just returned when he died in
San Francisco in 1928 Five years later
Calvin Coolidge attended the Sixth Pam
American Conference in Havana.