THE PRESIDENCY: Anabasis

After its great sweep across the plains the Presidential Special reached Cheyenne, Wyo. Five cowgirls rode up and delivered bouquets of wild flowers to Mrs. Harding. The motion picture cameras missed the presentation; so Mrs. Harding had the girls do it over again, and saw that they were well photographed. The President said he was sorry for the passing of the cowboy, but could not bear the passing of the cowgirl.

At Salt Lake City the President played golf with Heber J. Grant, white -bearded head of the Mormon Church, and was reported to have gained popularity with the Mormon farmers thereby. Frank R. Kent, correspondent of The Sun (Baltimore), one of the ablest and certainly the most fearless of the journalists accompanying the Presidential party, recorded, as few other correspondents did, that the President smoked cigarettes while playing, which was regarded as tactless, because the Mormons are strongly opposed to the use of tobacco. The President spoke in the Mormon Tabernacle on taxation.

Next morning the Special arrived at Cedar City and the party took a 130-mile automobile ride through Zion National Park. The roads were bad; the alkali dust and the heat were terrific, and the party on the whole was miserable. The trip was a ” press agent” stunt for the park, engineered by Senator Smoot and the Union Pacific Railroad (according to Mr. Kent). According to Mr. Kent, also, Senator Smoot’s complacent smile “was well calculated to raise the blood pressure.”

Returning through Salt Lake City at night the party went on to Pocatello, Idaho. There the President spoke on the World Court with Senator Borah standing by. Governor Moore introduced the President, and struck twice at the opinions of Senator Borah regardless of the latter’s presence. Mr. Atkins, a blacksmith, presented the President with a horseshoe made from the iron of an old wagon left on the Oregon Trail. The President replied: ” At the end of five minutes the President was still going strong about what wonderful men mechanics, especially blacksmiths are . . . [much cheering] . . . There were a good many people at Pocatello who laughed at Mr. Atkins instead of swelling with him.” (Frank R. Kent.)

At Idaho Falls the President suggested in general a scheme for a consumers’ league to lessen the cost of necessaries by coöperative buying. At Butte, the President had a speech to deliver on revived business prosperity. Unfortunately he was taken to a gathering at a baseball park, where poor acoustics made it impossible to speak. So the speech was just handed to the press. At Helena that evening he spoke on labor conditions, condemning on one hand capitalists for a policy of “breaking down labor,” and on the other hand arousing Samuel Gompers to say that the President’s words were not consonant with his acts.

Then, having well earned a vacation, the party plunged into Yellowstone Park for two days’ rest.