Show t 1 PRES TEMPER lOST HIM lA LANSING N 51 N G Wilson Has Made l Mistake in Making l Secretary of M. M State Stale Play Goal Goat Roles 3 t N Says J David L La Lawrence Larence rence n t y B By Y David Lawrence Co p C ht It hr bI Salt Lake Washington l Feb cb 16 president H.-president President YIl 1 mistake His Ills d sop eon has hai made mado a arc bewildered Ills opponents P f facts the know mow people Jy ly rejoice I Few cw than two or three Tho Th Tho e not more mora of or the tho eph ode the thread background tho of or the narrative itself discloses the th Inner t side of tho White While House and officialdom of officialdom of- of as it is today the today the President Pres- Pres dent incapacitated irritable over o his hie lon Long confinement mIll mil extremely Jealous of t. his presidential prerogatives ati s. s and officials generally are aro apprehensive Jest et t they too become victims of or presidential presidential wrath P For For if It there thero was usurpation of ot authority au au- by Secretary Lansing there was was pl plenty ty ity of or it by other persons equally as is close to President Wilson It i Is easy casy for people outside a of Washington to make mako an offhand Judgment and antI as assume assume as- as sume that the Presidents President's blunt act is isU ish U no direct consequence of tho taw te tedium lum 01 of his illness sa illness an Impatience and antI petulance petulance lance not nol unknown to persons suffering from rom nervous exhaustion rd nt Acted ct d Naturally But But Instead of oC supposing that the president acted unnaturally ono clos close e ent nt ut hand cannot but fall fail to have havo tho the impression that the President Indeed acted naturally Study of ot tho the Wilson Vilson temperament over a n. period of or years and observation allon of ot what has be boon been n going on in the en- en irons of the White House and Capitol hill since sinco tho the Pr President got grot back from leads more moro easily to tho conclusion con con- luglon that Mr Wilson Neilson Ison gave pavo vent to toan toan an art outburst of temper which has appeared ap ap- appeared tp- tp eared on previous oc occasions but which his hI advisers havo have wisely wisch concealed or ch than to tho the notion that some- some I developed Irascibility brought bro I about tho the curt dismissal of ot the secretary secretary secretary secre secre- tary of QC state To form torm a correct judgment It Is necessary ary to know Just how ho much Press Pres- Pres s Ident Wilson Ilson has been permitted to tot t learn of or events e and affairs going on in the government s and world during his Illness Three people can answer the question Dr Ur Cary Gary T T. Grayson Gray Gray- son aon Bon his physician Mrs Woodrow Wilson Wil- Wil Il- Il son pon and Private Secretary Jo Joseph eph P Tho The lips of tho first individual indi indi- vidual arc are sealed by professional ethics ethics eth oth- t ics s. s the wire wife of the President is not Driven to answering Inquiries from n newspapers and has had no communication communication communication cation with the press since Mr Wilson Vilson became Ill and the private secretary I 1 i I to the President has decided to keep absolutely mum But correspondents who go to to the House every evor day mako make it their business S to keep keel their eyes and ears cars open and to remember from week to week weck and from lom month to month and anyone of or a dozen who watch White 1 House affairs carefully can testify to toi certain happenings happening's which when pieced i together and analyzed in th the v light of ot the the be Wilson mood and temperament t i cannot annot but result in illuminating con con- Others Party to lo Guilt For instance Did Secret Secretary l' l Lansing call the first cabinet meeting meeting- after President Wilson took sick He Lie admits admits admits ad ad- mits ho did but at least one of or the Ule calls for a cabinet meeting I I think it was as the tho first went first went out through t the tee e medium of or the White hilo House offices and officials there could have ha stopp stopped d I j 1 It by notifying the President of or what tidal was happening They Thy did nothing of I the kind What was the atmosphere and ond situatIon situation situation situa situa- tion when the first cabinet meeting was called Congress was restless Political cal enemies of oC tho the President cirI cir- cir I f feu 1 1 1 1 i 1 that 1 were II that r fI eu at n stor VIII es he III gas I I unable to fulfill the duties of oC the presidency presidency pres pres- nc and were talking about constitutional 1 I t tc methods of getting a success success- or eor r. r Newspapers were clamoring to know how th the Government Io was w rune tunc I If at all Members of or the cabinet cabinet cabinet cab cab- inet thought It was up to them to do something to tu quiet public alarm It was th the political and loyal loal side of ot J the he Wilson following trying to meet public criticism In an awkward situation situa- situa ion tion Tho The Presidents President's friends did not know how sick he was They knew I only that ho needed rest and anti freedom from Crom worry If they only the appearance appearance ap- ap learance o of uninterrupted government o they felt thc they would be doing him a service er So the first cabinet meeting was held It Is true Dr Grayson camo camp there as ho tho emissary of tho the President and madet made It t clear that air Mr r. r Wilson Nilson was curious and therefore not altogether pleased with what was happening He Ile wanted It t understood that no action could be legally all taken on a question which the President la is authorized to act upon by byaw law aw unless tho the President himself ap ap- ap- ap proved Tho The cabinet took that as a natural natural nat nat- I ural limitation n upon them and understood understood understood under under- stood perfectly well what they could and could not do It was decided however however how how- ever eer for the sake of or appearances as aswell aswell aswell well as for or tho the good that might come como out of ot Inter departmental conference and consultation to continue the meet meet- ings Several of ot them were White House Elouse officials pointed to them as proof that tho the government g was functioning and that all aJl was well with tho the affairs of or the republic Suddenly O l out of or a clear sky comes a i letter from President Wilson on to Secretary Secretary Secretary Sec Sec- Lansing asking him if iC it was true that cabinet meetings had been held Nobody was more surprised than the secretary of ot state stale He had had differences differences differences dif dif- dif dif- with tho the President and had been intending to resign but he never novel dreamed that tha th- th basis of ot his ment would be the calling callIns- of ot cabinet meetings which had been planned as a service and not a 1 disservice Mr 11 Lansing didn't play the tho part of or ofa ofa ora a little HUla man He took the rebuke politely politely po po- po- po and made mado his exit He could have involved other men non in tho the Wilson atI- atI ad administration ministration who had urged him to keep tho the cabinet meetings going Ho could havo have involved nearly everybody in tho the Presidents President's official family But since he was made the goat he accepted his fate without a whimper ing that the public might Bomea some Bome someday someday day a y understand Did the President really remain un unaware unaware unaware un- un aware until last week weck of the fact that cabinet meetings 8 were being held In Inthe Inthe inthe the executive offices a few yards Surds front his 1118 own ov sick room Circumstantial evidence would seem to point to the absurdity of or such Buch a n conclusion The Thc newspapers printed references to It again and again I remember clearly that thal Attorney General Palmer went to tho tape White House before a certain momentous momentous momentous mo mo- cabinet meeting on oft the coal strike and after a brief discussion n with th the tho President told the correspondents correspond correspond- later that the government was behind him Ulm anI and Mr Wilson lIson approved of f what had been done tIone The corre correspondents Correspondents Corre- Corre recall that Mr Palmer aa aU HJ d something to them of or having informed d tho the President of ot the cabinet situation But ho he may not have gone bone Into detail concerning meetings Tho President ent may have gotten the tho Impression that the attorney general was wan consulting his colleagues in an informal way a It Is Jj within the range of oC possibility that while Mr r Wilson did know about those conferences did clad read about them In the newspapers and did regard them themas as ns Interdepartmental consult consultations he may have hac fallen back on fine Cine distinctions dis In the tho use uso of words and failed to regard retard them as cabinet meetings meet ln ings s Nor or or did did hc he concern himself I about them probably until someone told him the they were not informal to get gether gother functions bu but t formal sessions and that at one of oC these sessions the l question was seriously ral raised etl as to whether or not the cabinet should ask tho the vice president to come and take the place pac of or the president Maybe faybe Mr 11 Wilson didn't learn of ot tho the latter fact till last week Gossip like that doesn't always travel fast flost fasti but when It did reach Mr Ir Wilson he gave vent to a up pent-up dissatisfaction with Mr Ir Lansing's views on the peace treaty trealy and a deep resentment at what he considered considered con con- a desire to depose tho President President dent of the United States Per Personally I prefer the President to bellevo believe that the President was Vas for the most part l kept in Ignorance of oC what I had been going oln on around him and md that those of or his friends who have endeavored to create the impression that he did know what was happening happening- In the outside world said so merely merel as political one ope of those un unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate un- un fortunate phases of political life ute In America which rc regards ards sincerity and frankness as secondary to the Machla- Machla vollian philosophy that In politics politic the theand end and Justifies tho means Every president has an outer armor which protects him from accusations time safeguards hi 1 and at the same against mistakes The Tho trag tragedy dY of t th Pre Presidents President's fit of ot temper is Js that tW h him hm m i na wi time nobody dared dued to say sa say nobody let him In on the tho fact that t tt th h accepting the thO Ci ca camet can country countr had been met Inet meetings as of or his sanction Tomorrows Tomorrow's article will Mal deal with a l I lent an sad God of foe All of the f tor t t o occasion ulon chided t tnt n be he has his upon |