By Jared Olar
Library assistant
Pekin Daily Times owner and publisher F. F. McNaughton used his daily “Editor’s Letter” newspaper column to chronicle the weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., that the Pekin Kiwanis Club and a party of Peoria teachers took in June 1932. The fifth of his daily log entries, a letter written from Washington, D.C., was printed on the front page of the June 17 issue. This log entry follows below:
*****
Washington, D.C.
Wednesday night
Say, we’re so full of interesting scenery we’re dizzy tonight.
In five big busses in a caravan today we’ve been doing the countryside.
Couldn’t get in the house this a. m. – such a crowd of bonus men here.
But we went over to the senate with the bonus army overflow and heard a red hot catch-as-catch can debate between the eloquent young Hoosier, Senator Robinson, and unruffled Senator Reed of Pennsylvania on a veterans’ bill.
One of my boys whispered to ask me if they ever got into a fist fight.
At the museum we saw a locomotive over 10 years old and the very first autos, built 30 years ago; also stage coaches, early rail boats, and the like.
Oh, I must not forget the main thing in the old museum – Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. The boys looked long at that.
Then to the new museum to see Roosevelt’s animals. But we didn’t stay long there, because it does not compare with Field’s museum in Chicago.
This entire afternoon we’ve been traveling. Stopped at General Robert E. Lee’s home; Arlington cemetery; the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; Alexandria, the gorgeous Lincoln Memorial and Mt. Vernon.
I’ve just asked the boys what they enjoyed the most today. Two of them pick Washington’s home. The other picks the debate in the senate.
Tomorrow we’ll climb the Washington monument. That’s where our binocs will come in best.
A busy forenoon tomorrow ends with a visit at the White House.
We know President Hoover is home because his flag was flying when we came by a bit ago.
Speaking of flying flags, we certainly saw them last night. Two hours of them as that flag day parade marched by with floats, Indians, drum corps, cowboys, crack bands, stage coaches, pretty girls as statues, Negro bands that sure made music, and hundreds of bonus marchers.
I wish we had time to run out to the ocean for a swim tomorrow, but I don’t see how we can figure it in.
P.S. – Tell Harry Herbig to save us a good swim in the pool. We’ll need it when we get home. Also tell Ceil if she’s not too busy to drift over to Bloomington to meet us at 5:40 Friday night.
