Las Vegas optic. (East Las Vegas, N.M.) 1908-1921, 1913-04-08
He LIKES HUMAN CONTACT
DECLARES 1T is MUCH BETTER
THAN CONVEYING IDEAS BY
MEANS OF WRITING
THE ADDRESS is SHORT
1T DEALS IN GENERALITlEs AND
DOES NOT GO INTO THE
SLIGHTEST DETAIL

Washington, April S.-President
Wilson stood on the speakers rostrum
in the hall of the house today and
personally read his first message to
congress, the first president since
John Adams to exercise that privilege.
The renewal OF a custom of cen
tury, abandoned and now surrounded
by such wide difference of opinion
among members OF congress itself, at
tracted to the capitol an assemblage
necessarily less in numbers, but GER
tainly no less distinguished than the
company which attended the presi-
dents Inauguration.
moving picture machine was in
stalled to preserve a record Of the
historic event for the governments
archives.
President Wilson slipped away from
the White House quietly after the
cabinet meeting, accompanied only by
his secretary and one secret service
man, and, upon arriving at the capitol,
was escorted to the rostrum in the
house, where Speaker Clark sat on
one side and Vice President Marshall
at the other.
The president, speaking with his
usual cleaness of tone and notable
diction, read his message, while the
company. actually packed into the
chamber, gave the closest attention.
President Wilson began his mes
sage as follows:
Il am very glad indeed to have this
opportunity to address the two houses
directly and to verify for myself the
impression that the president of the
United States is a person, not mere
department Of the government, hail
ing congress from some isolated is
land of jealous power, sending mess
ages, not speaking naturally and with
his own voice; that he is a human
being trying to cooperate with other
human beings in common service.
After this pleasant experience / shall
feel quite normal in all our dealings
with one another"
The president was cheered as he
mounted the rostrum in the house
chamber and shook hands with Speak
er Clark. AS he began to speak in
tense silence settled in the great room
and he used only an ordinary tone as
he explained his coming in person to
deliver his message.
As the president read on, every eye
was riveted toward the speakers
stand with its new occupant Never
in the life Of any man present had
q president occupied that historic
place in such a capacity
Here was the mead of the nation
come TO assert that he was a person,
"a human being come to deal with
his fellow men in control of the ma
tion's destiny as a man Of force, not
a mere department Of the govern
ment. It was all so unusual that TO
many it seemed almost unreal, but
the president, smiling as he spoke
and talking to the. great assemblage
as man to man. soon developed in the
gathering a fellow feeling
The president read in a clear voice
which carried his words TO every cor
ner Of the ball Members Of the
house and senate sat throughout in
raDt attention, following every word
closely A murmur of conversation
ibaf swept tle galleries when the
president began, wss soon h0ebed aa
fle ioiposing figure et the clerks |
deas feae ~ d hia commanding bgt
conversational style As be- eleseq
hif laNqepelNy remafss eepleialae
hil Nfsenes before fbem, aepfielf