Imperial Valley press., 1914-03-04
End of First Year
Of Administration
(By Burton X. Standish.)
Omitted Press Day Service)

Washington, March 4.-The Demo-
cratic administration of Woodrow Will
son was one year old today. For
absolute defiance of ancient institu
tions and precedents it has eclipsed
that of any other chief executive since
the early days of the Republic. The
two big things in legislative achieve
ment were the tariff and currency
bills. Both are still under fire and
their success cannot positively be de-
termined within another year. Demo
Gratis say they are bringing about a
condition of prosperity in this coun-
try which directly benefits the wage
Garner and small business man rather
than the stockholders in the big cor
porations Republicans dispute this
and say that the day of the soup house
is at hand.
But these are matters of history. 1t
has been rather in the lighter way that
President Wilson has attracted at
tention. The first thing he did after
subscribing to the oath of office was
to hand a real wallop to society" as
it is represented in Washington. An
nouncement was made that the Demo-
cratic simplicity was to be the rule.
Instead of gold laced military aides
to trail his every step and interpose
their bulk between the president and
the common people civilian garbed
physician and a husky. blonde, we'll
dressed secret service man lolled about
and the president saw whomever his
fancv dictated, untrammeled by rigid
rules and red tape. The office of his
secretary was thrown open to the pub
lie generally and the president would
emerge from his private office fire.
quently to mingle with the populace
and transact business on the jump.
When congress assembled it got
real jolt. Instead of receiving a pom
derous document from the hands of
clerk which would be read in a sing
song tone that meant nothing, the
president delivered his first, and all
subsequent messages in person. max
ing his telling points with all the en-
phasis of the trained platform orator
with the result that, while the first
message was listened to in silence, his
last, the trust document, was punctu-
ated by real applause from friends
and foes. And the presidents room
in the capitol building-an ornate
chamber reserved in the past for oc-
cupancy on one day session only
has been frequently used. Instead
of sending for the members the pres
ident went to them with the result
that patronage muddles have been
cleared up with unheard of expedition.
Instead of secluding himself from
the newspaper correspondents grant
ing audiences only to the "cuckoo"
representatives who reflected admins
tration views the president has grant
ed open audiences to all properly ac-
credited newspaper correspondents
twice weekly. He has withstood fire
of questions, often hostile, regarding
politics, and has answered even more
frankly than might have been ex-
pected, the only limitation being the
ancient prohibition that the president
must never be quoted directly.
That time honored institution, the
new years reception, where Mike, Tom
and Jerry, their wives and their
friends, flock to the White House and
squeeze the presidents hand while he
stands ike mannikin in a death
dealing draught and tries to look as
though he enioyed it all also went by
the boards. And Dame Rumor whispers
that certain of the other fixed recep-
tions along similar lines are perilously
near the discard.
The first Democratic president since
Cleveland had the Mexican situation