The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1914-03-24
WILSON ANALYzES
SELF TO PRESS MEN
President Tells What Office
Means to Him.
SIZE OF TASK TREMENDOUS
Chief Executive Finds Pose of Dignity
irksome and Declares When Term
is Over He VIII Visit WASHINGTON
on Sightseeing Tour.

Washington, March 23.-Woodrow
Wilson unbosomed himself to the
members of the National Press club
OF Washington Friday, telling them
In frank. conversational way how
ne felt as president of the United
States; how difficult it was for him to
Imagine himself as the chief executive
with the formal amenities of the posi-
ton, and how he had struggled to be
as free as the ordinary Individual
without the restraints of his office.
1t was an intimate picture of Wood
row Wilson-the man-drawn by him
self, on the occasion of the house
warming at the Press clubs new
quarters.
The president did not intend to
nave his remarks reported, but later,
at the request of the club, the speech
was made public.
Wilson, as He Sees Himself.
was just thinking of my sense of
CONFUSION of identity sometimes when
l read articles about myself" the
u
an article about myself in which
recognized myself, and have come to
have the impression that l must be
some kind of fraud, because l think
a great many of these articles are
written in absolute good faith
Il tremble to think of the variety
and falseness in the impressions l
make-and it Is being borne in on me
so that it may change my very dispo-
sition-that / am a cold and removed
person who has a thinking machine
Inside which he adjusts to the cir
cumstances-which he does not allow
to be moved by any winds of affec-
ton or emotion of any kind-but turns
like cold searchlight on anything
that is presented to his attention and
makes t work.
Feels Responsibility keenIy.
Il am not aware of having any de-
tachable apparatus inside of me- On
the contrary, if we're to interpret my
self, l would say that my constant
embarrassment is to retain the emo
tons that are inside of me.
You may rot believe it, but some
times feel Ike fire from far from
extinct volcano. and if the lava does
not seem to spill over it is because
you are not high enough to see into
the basin and see the caidron boil. Be-
cause, truly, gentlemen. in the posi-
ton which occupy there is sort of
IL do not know how else to express
1t than to say-passionate sense of
being, connected with my fellow men
in a peculiar relationship of RESPONSE
bility of Office, but God knows there
are enough things in this world that
need to be corrected.
Fear He'll Disappoint People.
Il have mixed first and last with
all sorts and conditions of men-there
are mighty few kinds of men that
have to be described to me, and there
are mighty few kinds of experiences
that have to be described to me-and
when I think of the number of men
who are looking to me as the repre-
sentative of a party, with the hope
for all varieties of salvation from the
things they are struggling in the midst
of, it makes me tremble.
ct makes me tremble not only with
a sense of my own inadequacy and
weakness, but as If I were shaken by
the very things that are shakine
them. and if seem circumspect it is
because I am so diligently trying not
to make any colossal blunders.
eff you just calculated the number
of plumbers a fellow can make in
"a hours If he is not careful and il
he does not listen more than he talks
you would see something of the feel
Ing that l have.
Always Eager to Get Advice.
81 was amused the other day al {
remark that Senator Newlands made
had read him the trust message tina
I was to deliver to congress some tel
days before / delivered it, and I neve
stop 'doctoring things of that kim
until the day nave to deliver them.
When he heard it read to congress
he said: T think it was better thai
1t was when you read it to me- said
Senator, there is one thing which d.
not think you understand. not onl,
use all the brains have, but all cal
borrow, and l have borrowed 10
since read 1t to you first
THAT, dare say, is what gives tn
impression of circumspectness. / an
listening; l am diligently trying to col
lect all the brains that are borrowabl
in order that / may not make NOR
blunders than 1t is inevitable that
man should make who has great lin
ttations of knowledge and capacity
And the emotion of the thing is s
great that suppose / must be som
kind of a mask to conceal it.
Often Feels He's disappearing.
81 really feel sometimes as If wer
masouerading when | catch pictur
of myself in some printed description
in between things that have to d
as q public officer never think of M!
self as the president of the Unite
States. because I never have had an
sense of being identified with ths
<oface.
Il feel like a person appointed &c
a certain length of time to administe
that Office. and / feel just as much GU
side of it at this moment as ! did b
fore was elected to it | feel just a
much outside of it as still feel GU
side of the government of the Unite
States.
mo man could imagine himself tn
government of the United States; bt
he could understand that some pal
of his fellow citizens had told him
20 and ran a certain part OF it the bel
he knew how.
4s,,,, !. s,,1d ,,of make him the go