Source: Judge, February
27, 1909 |
Roosevelt left for East Africa as
soon as William Howard Taft was inaugurated. Roosevelt had used his power to secure
his friend's nomination for President, and now, after Taft's election, Roosevelt's
departure allowed the new President to work without interference from his predecessor.
TR's safari was part adventure, part scientific expedition, and partly for hunting
big game. He arrived in Africa in March, 1909, and stayed about a year.
The trip
was expensive. Roosevelt's party had about 200 men. An American gentleman
traveled in East Africa during this period with a large entourage of helpers to carry
baggage, set up camp, and do all of the rest of the hard labor that a journey to the
interior entailed. Andrew Carnegie was the principal underwriter. Roosevelt also
earned money while in Africa to help cover his expenses. Before leaving, he signed a
contract with Scribner's for a series of magazine articles, which were to be collected
into a book.
Ever the publicity seeker, this writing kept Roosevelt in the public's attention.
Cartoonists helped in this regard, sometimes poking fun at the ex-President.
Nor were the jokes confined to cartoons. J.P. Morgan, the most powerful
investment banker on Wall Street, was reputed to have raised a glass of liquor and offered
the toast, "America expects that every lion will do its duty." Roosevelt
apparently enjoyed the humor, once suggesting to a friendly supporter that he wished he
had lions to set loose on his congressional opponents.
Source: McCutcheon, Chicago
Tribune
|
| When Roosevelt left Africa in 1910, he did not
return immediately to the United States. Instead, for six weeks, he and his wife
toured Europe, obtaining grand receptions in capital cities and consorting with the
continent's powerful figures. When King Edward VII of England died unexpectedly,
Roosevelt attended the funeral as Taft's emissary.
When Roosevelt finally returned to the United States in the summer of 1910, he
received a warm welcome in his home town, New York. |
Source: Homer Davenport, New York
Evening Mail |
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