Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-02
HOW WILSON DOES 1T.
Ills Method of Dealing with Congress
In Contrast with RooscveIt's Way.

more than another it Is to answer the
question: How has President Wilson
managed Congress so easily as he has up
to the present."
They are at last beginning to realize
that they have been managed not to say
dominated by the President with an case
that is little short of miraculous and
are themselves wondering Just how 1t
has been done. The same wonder has been
aroused by political observers outside of
Congress also. A keen critic of political
affairs. who recently returned home after
an absence of several months abroad,
summed the situation up In this state
ment:-
81 left shortly after Mr.. Wilson'S in
auguration, when IT appeared that he had
many obstacles before him. | returned TO
find the tariff bill about to be passed,
the currency bill well on it's way through
the House, the Democratic party in APP
parent harmony generally, and the Mex
lean situation not so bad ms ] had
thought see that Mr. Wilson has ac-
complished these things, but am at a loss
to understand how"
The keynote of the whole situation is
President Wilson's unlimited capacity.
having once done his part. to let the other
fellow worry over how the rest Of II is
to he accomplished Congress is the
other fellow"
Congress has done some worrying, but.
finding that its howlings of calamity to
come left Mr.. Wilson lmperturable has
gone grumbling about its way and done
what was expected of it; somewhat re-
luctantly. it is true. but effectively, as
Mr.. Wilson wants things done.
Certain democrats in the Senate declar-
ed they never would stand for certain
provisions of the House tariff bill The
bill was the result of hard labor on the
part of the ways and means committee
and absolute travail on the part of the
Senate committee on finance.
In giving it being the House committee
knew the pain Of hard, rigid, grinding la
Dor In rearing it to the point where 1t
could be presented to the Senate. the
committee on finance sweatcd blood. And
now the differences between the House
and Senate bills are so slight they will
he "a silly settled in conference
The currency bill was even harder
proposition. The glass bill fingered for
committee and then other weeks in the
democratic caucus of the House. II met
there stubborn resistance by a coterie of
democrats who, headed by Chairman
Henry of the rules COMMITTEES, attempted
to amend it,
on paper the Henry faction doomed
strong and threatened trouble. 1t was felt
that William Jennings Bryan stood be-
hind Mr.. Henry In his opposition to GER
tain phases of the glass bill, nor did the
Henry people do anything to discourage
this belief They did not say that Mr..
Bryan was with them, but they never
denied report that he was.
When the caucus met Chairman Glass
opened the proceedings with what turned
out to be one of the greatest speeches de-
livered in Congress In recent years OF
course the caucus proceedings are behind
closed doors, but half an hour after the
Glass speech was delivered every men,
her of the caucus was talking about it.
After explaining the bill Glass turned
on Ilenryand his supporters and tore them
limb from limb, winding up his speech by
which Mr.. Bryan told Mr. Glass in the
most emphatic terms that he was thor
The Henry opposition melted away.
But before this there had been !nnum-
cradle snarls from which the President
Chairman Glass and the other members
of the committee had to eXtricate them
selves Senator owen OF Oklahoma. chair
man OF the Senate committee on banking
and currency. kicked over the traces,
That Is, he gave out a statement saying
he could never agree with certain provi-
sions of the Glass bill.
The day following the publication of this
statement Mr. owen was invited to call
on the President. Mr.. owen called. Two
days later he agreed with the Glass ball
absolutely.
TWO days after Mr.. owens visit to the
President the newspaper correspondents
asekd Mr. Wilson how he had smoothed
over Mr. owens opposition to the admin
istration currency bill, The President
smiled and replied. with the best Of good
humor that really there had never been
any great differences and that they had
been settled in the most amicable man
ner
As matter of fact. the President hint
ed to Mr.. owen in that delicately sug-
gestive language of which he Is past
master. that it would be we'll for Mr..
owen to he good and get into line. The
keen witted owen caught the implied
threat and ran to cover
And herein lies another Wilsonian quail
ty that helps him in managing Congress.
When he gains a victory over Congress
he does not rub It in In this he differs
from Roosevelt,
When Roosevelt hammered Congress in
to submission. which he did quite fire.
quently, ne generally let II be well un-
derstood that II was Roosevelt who turn
ed the trick, Not so Wilson. With him
II is case of I'VE did It" and not II
did It," In this manner he let's the van
pushed down easy instead of Showing
them up!'
The case OF Secretary Bryan furnishes
anoth her illustration and perhaps the most
strikinR one OF the Wilsonian method.
When Mr. Bryan began to be severely
criticised for leaving his work at the
State depart ment to go on the lecture
nlatform the first onDortunitV was taken