Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 255, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1911 — The SEE AMERICA FIRST CRUSADE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The SEE AMERICA FIRST CRUSADE

■to GREAT national convention JE will be held In the city of Bab tlmore next January with a ,* > % . unique object in view. The of the gathering la to promote the '“See America L First” movement and to deK vise means of arousing sentiI ment on the subject through* ■ out the length and breadth of ■ the United States. President 9 Taft has already expressed his J entire sympathy with the move- * ment and promised to be.pres7 L ' ent and speak at me convention. It is likewise expected that tne governor of every state in the Union will either oe present in person or be officially represented by some spokesman of standing in tne commonwealth from which he balls, in addition to the national and state officials there win oe prominent men and women in ail walks ot uie and many persons who are deeply interested in the project for unselfish reason. The “See America First” crusade has been

gradually taking form and gaining supporters for several years past, but the forthcoming gathering In the Monumental City will be the first effort to supplement sentiment with practical “missionary work** among

the people of the whole country. The character of this crusade is pretty well explained by its title. To put the matter in a nutshell, the object is to induce all Americans to see their own country before crossing the ocean to look at scenery that in no instance surpasses and in few instances equals what we have here at home. The people who are behind the movement want to not only Impress their fellow citizens with the fact that we have the most wonderful scenery in the world here under the Stars and Stripes, but they want to also conduct a “campaign of education” that will inform every tourist and vacationist and pleasure geeker where he may see the particular class of scenery that most appeals to him, To this end it is proposed to hold in connection with the Baltimore convention a pictorial exposition wherein will be shown paintings and photographs, etc., of the most attractive scenery on this continent If a man likes grand and majestic mountain scenery he will be Informed just where be may And this to the best advantage. Or, if on the other hand his preference is for the boiling, tumbling surf of a rocky sea coast he will be given pictorial pointers as to where to seek it In short, the exhibition and convention are designed to do away with all cause for the complaint so often made that we Americans do not Slevote the proper time and effort to seeing the scenic wonders of our country because wd have not been sufficiently Informed as to how much there is worth seeing. ; Patriotic loyalty has Inspired many of the prominent men who are taking up this “See America First” propaganda—a feeling that it is a shame to see Uncle Sam’s citizens wandering off to the uttermost parts of the world to view scenery the equal of which they could find on UHs side of the Atlantic and which they might enjoy with none of the incidental discomforts that come to a stranger in a strange land, struggling with a'language and a money system he does not understand. However, there is a yet more potent or at least more practical reason for the activity in the awakening ot our brainy men to the menace to be found in the yearly drain of American gold into foreign coffers. Each succeeding season sees new and larger steamers added to the trans-Atlantic passenger-carrying fleet and millions upon millions of dollars of American money is taken to Europe by the tourists who rush eastward by the thousand. Were it not for the untold wealth that is thus handed over to European railroads and hotel proprietors, shopkeepers and all the other purveyors to the globe trotters, the balance Of trade would always be heavily in our favor. Great Britain and the various continental countries are comPritad W taJ Xrtlr mr, W W « stuffs and cotton and other commodities, but set down, in consequence on the credit side of our ledger are usually counterbalanced by the total of the money spent abroad by Americana on pleasure bent The public-spirited citizens who have enroiled in the “See America First” crusade hope to influence some people by moral suasion to EXi* xzx xz zxsr realize, however, that for the most part they to ?£e “Zn e arKUment “““ ™ vJY woman w,th money “ ved up for a trip or a vacation is likely to go wherever he or she believes that they can get the most for their money without regard to the nationality of the people who rake in the shekels. To convert such a person tn the “See America First” doctrine It is necessary to prove to him that he can actually receive as much for his money in the way of travel, education, diversion and enjoyment hero ftj the land of the free as he can across the big pond where eo large a portion of the people make their living out of the expenditures or Ameriean tourists. ■

are singing the praises of , the opportunities and the comforts of home. Nor do they lack for inspiration in debate if any person essays to question their claims. If a

skeptic does not admit conversion when they point how superior are Niagara Falla, Yellowstone Park, the Yosemite and the Grand Canyon to any scenic masterpieces throughout the whole length and breadth of Europe, he can be depended upon to have to haul down bis colors when they marshal facta and figures to prove bow much more marvelous are the Rockies than are the famed Alps; how our .beloved Mississippi outshines the sto-

ried Rhine in romance and how the thousandmlle inland water highway of the Great Lakes puts to shame the Mediterranean in the novelty of the experiences afforded the voyager who may, incldently, experience more thrills when passing through the greatest locks in the world at Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., than be could hope for in gazing at the rock at Gibraltar. Many people In the east have gained the erroneous impression that the “See America First” crusade is solely a movement designed to Induce the people of the east to visit the west and particularly the Pacific coast That such an impression has gained credence may be attributed to two circumstances. For one thing many of the most notable scenic wonders of the world are located in western America, sb that naturally there is sound logic in advising people to see them before risking seasickness to view something not half so impressive. Secondly, there is the circumstance that the people east of the Mississippi river

seem to be more prone than are those west of it to rush off to Europe with out having traveled to any extent at home, so that the communities near the Atlantic seaboard are particularly in need of such missionary work. But, for all that, the movement is neither local nor sectional, but is broadly national. To be sure, the champions of America for the Americans, in a scenic sense, do urge people to see the Big Trees oi California before they go to the Black Forest, and to view the Golden Gate be fore they seek the Bay of Naples, bul at the same time

they are urging our fellow citizens who have time to devote to travel to awaken to the mir acles of nature that may be found in every see don. No globe-trotter can find in hie wander Ings anything more wonderful than the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky and the natural bridges of Virginia and Utah. No foreign watering place presents beach spectacles equal to those of Atlantic City and there is no lake district in the world more beautiful than the Adirondacks. For the American with any patriotism in Ms makeup no tour could' be more inspiring than visits to the first landing place of the Pilgrims, Concord' Lexington, Bunker HUI and the other historic meccas of New England, and finally, the tourist should not forget Uncle Sam’s seat of government,—conceded by foreigners to be ♦be most beautiful capital In the world. One thing for Which the "See America First” crusaders are working is to get the idea out of the minds of Americans that all sightseeing must needs be done in the summer vacation season- There are many classes of people,— take, for instance, the farmers, —who find it almost impossible to leave home in midsummer, but who could very readily take a trip in the autumn or winter, Efforts are being made tc point out to these people that there is just at much which can be seen to the best advantage in winter as there is in the category of summer show places, indeed, it Is only at such times, when It Is chilly or snowing In the north and west, that one may enjoy maximum comfort in quaint old New Orleans, In Florida or In southern California, —all of them districts worthy to vie with anything tn southern France and Italy. The broad policy of the "See America First” ■ movement calls upon its devotees to not only induce people to give New World scenery the preference (and Canada to, of course, Included), but also to do everything in their power to make traveling tn America comfortable and to reduce the cost Indeed, the claim that one may travel more cheaply In Europe than in the United States is one of the arguments invariably advanced by people who argue for foreign travel However, the greatest need of American tourist regions is more good hotels. —not necessarily high-priced fashionable hotels, but good. dean, neatly-kept hostelries where the traveler who is not a multimillionaire may obtain wholesome, well-cooked food and a comfortable bed at a price that Is not two or three times what his earnings would be for the day’s labor if ho were back home. There has been great improvement in this direction in late years, but there Is plenty of room for further betterment Another need Is lines of reasonable priced public coaches traversing regions not miversed by the railroads and which in many instances are now a closed book to people who cannot afford the luxury of an automobile. Coaches such as are operated tn Yellowstone Park and on Gettysburg battlefield might well be introduced tn other scenic or historic districts.