The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-04-12
WOODROW WILSON BRIDGES GAP
WHICH HAS SEPARATED
CHIEF EXECUTIVE FORM
LAWMAKERS OF THE
NATION
He Tells Congressman i'm Simple
Words What He Thinks They Should
DO for COuntry--Breaking Of Prcc-
edcnt Of Hundred Years Causes
Stir in Capital City-Large Aud
ience Hears Presidents Address.

over a century has separated the pilots
OF public busneSS-the executive and
legislative branches Of the govern
ment Not as cog in a machine,
not as an impersonal political entity
nor as q mere department of gov
ernment, but as the human president,
he went to congress to speak about
the tariff
Standing before the senate and
house in joint session as no other
president had done for more than 112
years, President Wilson stated sim
ply and tersely what ne thought
should be done for the welfare of the
country and asked his legislative COL
leagues, man to man, to aid in keep
ing the pledges Of their party.
With sweep Of decision that shat
tered precedent, the president brush
ed aside all imaginary boundaries be-
tween congress and the executive Of
flee, and rescued himself, as he ex-
Of jealous authority on which the
presidency had come to be regarded
Congress, somewhat startled the
other day when it heard that the pres
ident had determined to deliver his
message by word OF mouth had pre-
pared for a ceremony Of unusual i'm
portance and such it was; yet when
President Wilson arrived in the midst
through thrOngs of cheering people
of the great assemblage, riding
in the streets, and, later, looking up
into galleries crowded with privileged
ticket holders, he seemed after all
! what ne said he was, human being
trying to cooperate with other human
being in common service"
When the much -hearalded incident
was over congress seemed pleased
and the president was delighted. He
expressed himself to friends as i'm
pressed with the dignity of the occa-
sion, and some Of his confidants later
declared that he left the capitol great
ly relieved to think that, after ALL his
precedent smashing had not been
such cataclysmc thing as some
older heads had predicted
The presidents visit to the capitol
was brief. lasting about quarter of
an hour.
Leaving a cabinet meeting at the
! White House, he started on his mis-
sion at 12.45 o'clock. No one except
q secret service man accompanied
him. He rode in a White House auto
mobile and five minutes later was
driven through the crowd assembled
about the capitol. At 1854 he reach
ed Speaker Clark's room just off the
house chamber, where a Joint COM
mite of senators and representative
welcomed him. They were Senators
Kern, Bacon and Gallinger and Rep
resentatives Underwood, Palmer and
Mann.
The president spoke to each for
moment and was informed that the
senate and house awaited him. He
said he was ready and the committee
started for the door of the house
chamber, the president on Senator
BacOn's right.
AT two minutes before o'clock the
president entered the chamber. Mem
bers of the house and senate rose as
Speaker Clark brought down the CAV
el. From the floor and galleries dis
tnguished guests looked on at the
scene. Ambassadors from many
lands were in the audience, members
Of the cabinet were there and all the
people who possibly could get in were
present to witness the proceeding.
President Wilson. escorted bv Sem
ator Bacon. bowed acknowledgement
to the applause and mounted the
speakers stand To the journal clerks
desk directly in front of the speaker.
with smile. as he began to sneak,
the president told his hearers why
he had come. He said he was glad
to verify for himself the impression
that the president OF the United States
was Il person. He was speaking i'm
an ordinary tone of voice. lust AS
though he were talking to "A senator
in his office. The crowded chamber
was huShcd after the mOmcntary
thrills of conversation at his entrance
had chbed away. Every eye was fixed
upon him AS he spoke and ii was in
Stantly apparent that he had aroused
the kecncst interest. AS the president
proceeded with his preliminary state
mcnt, asserting that he was not a
mere department of government but
human and that he had come To
speak naturally with his fellow men,