The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-10-20
WILSON DOES AWAY
WITH GOLD BRA|D'
Semi-EurOpean Court Loses
Sway at the White
House.
ATTACHES CENSURED
Simplicity Supplants Pomp
That Formerly Marked
Big Functions.
ATTACHES CENSURED

what it had eight months ago. From
Taft to Wilson is a far cry and re-
versal of normal evolution in the life
of the nations capital To many it
has seemed that the work of years In
building of court" or semi-European
point Of view of view at the big man
sion on Pennsylvania avenue has been
undone. And they have not beer far
wrong.
Gold braid has been thrown out the
window and faint Of Journalism has
been wiped out in the austere deter
minatior of President Wilson to re-
store Democracy in fact, as well as in
name to the white house. There has
been no loss Of dignity, but renais-
sance of simplicity. The president
sees no reason why he should surround
and hedge himself with the pomp that
doth befit a king"
He does not see why he should be
encountered even with the labyrinth
of secretaries and lackeys that is char
acteristic of the Wall street bank
president. There is no reason, in his
eye, why he should be inaccessible or
why the casual visitor at his door
should have the icy glare of multi
tude Of self-important secretaries TO-
cused upon him. There is a very
genuine type of Democracy in vogue
at the white house now.
Copies Europe.
In the past decade the white house
had been steadily copying the court
practices of Europe. Subtly, quietly,
and yet none the less effectively, the
man absorbed decidedly aristocratic
system. 1t became social throne and
an arbiter of social fortunes. 1t at
tached itself to the social vortex of
Washington. 1t acquired number of
ilitary and naval attaches to give it
glamour and glitter at the great mid
winter receptions, which would have
caused the shades of Thomas Jeffer-
son and Abraham Lincoln to writhe in
their graves.
Under President Taft the aristo-
cratic leanings of the white house
We're given further stimulus. He
loved the residential life of Washing
ton, was intimate with many of the
richest and most influential people in
it, and he consistently catered to their
interests 1t is a tradition in the CAPT
tai that the white house became more
of social battle-ground in the Taft adj
ministration than it ever had been be-
fore. The dominant note in the white
house life under Taft was given to it
by a handful of Washingtonians who
were as far removed from normal
American life and normal American
ideals as any mandarin of China.
Maintains Gold.
In a word, President Taft maintain
ed the gold braid" tradition at the
white house and went several inches
further than his predecessor had.
"Pipe lines" too numerous to mention
were established between the white
house and various mansions in Wash
ington's zone of fashion. The execu-
tive office, under Carpenter, Norton,
and Hilles, was clearly dominated by
the same spirit. The men with the
right pass word" never experienced
trouble in seeing President Taft;
those who did not no matter how i'm
portant their business, might wait for
hours.
Washington was caught unawares
by the upheaval at the white house
which came March 4. Knowing that
President Wilson was a genuine Demo
crat, it figured that he would promptly
surrender to the system as soon as
he saw how firmly 1t was intrenched
at the mansion. Instead of that, the
new president calmly studied the
white house way of doing things as a
surgeon does when he is contemplate
ing maior operation. Then, with out
the f1utter OF an eyeld, he set to work
to perform the operation. He made
it as painless as possible.
'E Upraids Aids.
The military and naval aides were
eliminated: the financial and fashion
al interests of Washington found that
all the pipe lines We're clogged up.
The various attaches of the white
house who for years had been trained
to expect certain perquisites and to
treat the plain person who appears
at the white house threshold in a non
chalant way, to say the least, were
sharply reminded they were there to
do their work in the way that Presi
dent Wilson wanted it done. The
scores OF fussy, snobbish shocked out
of their complacency; and their first
vague fears that they had lost their
pull" gave way to sharp terror that
they were in danger of losing their
jobs.
In many cases this terror has been
based on ample foundation. and vari-
Gus bureau shakeups have caused
more malcontents to be found around
Washington than in any similar ten
miles square anywhere else on the
ninistration" has become one of Wash
ington's favoritt sports, or favorite
vices, whichever way you like it best.
Advocates Simplicity.
Yes, the new regime is in Washing
ton beyond question President Viii
son is disciple OF simplicity, and is
leading the simple life. He treats all
WITH uniform courtesy and fairness. He
has cut yards and yards OF red tape.
believing that they way to transact
business is to transact ii in the sim
plest and most direct manner posi-
BILE. Any man can gain his ear, but
that man must have good and just
cause to influence him in the slightest
degree.
The influence OF wealth and fashion
with him is large and eloquent zero.
To many he seems lacking in a capac-
ity for good fellowship because no
mans expansive smile, no mans in
gratiaIing personality, can move him
from his determination to be just and
fair in all cases.
The Wilson administration, carrying
Democracy into the white house, has
made many powerful enemies. Wash
ington is still fighting hard against the
new point of view. which is distinctly
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