The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-04
President Wilson'S First Ysar-At-
tempt At an Impartial Estimate.

President Wilson's First Hsar-At.
tempt At an Impartial Estimate.
Within the brief twelvemonth be.
tween the Ram and the Fishes q new
President Of the United States bring.
ing to his ONCE very little previous 20.
litical experience and no personal fol.
lowing to speak Of. has by his own
force Of character wrought an immense
change In the course Of public events
He has held an unwieldy Congress to
reasonably harmonious activity during
q year Of continuous hard work. lie
has made himself the master Of his
party in n degree perhaps never before
witnessed In Washington. lie has
fairly and honorab&y won an almost
unexampled position at the very fore
front Of national affairs
These twelve months Of WOODROW
WILSON In the White House have been
enough to insure his plnce In history
with the great and forceful Presidents
rather than with the minor statesmen
The classification Is obvious nike to
citizens who look TO him for leadership
and to those who deplore and oppose
his Ideas Of policy. Not one Of his
predecessors hns so swiftly defined
himself In relation to public affairs
Nobody, from WASHINGTON to Roosr.
WILT and TAFT. has In the first gear Of
his term So sharply projected upon the
public understanding the outlines Of his
personality. The comparison with Colo
mel RoosFyELrs first year Is inevi-
table. Both men are consummate poli.
ticlans and were well aware Of their
strength In that respect at a stage Of
their respective careers when the fact
was not generally recognized. Both
ROOSEVELT aud WILSON are opportun.
lists. skilful adapters Of abstract con.
vfctions to the specific practical neces
stiles Of the present: with this differ
ence, perhaps. that Colonel ROOSEVELT
In many ways one OF the bravest OF
mankind. has not often dared TO ad
NIT Inconsistency on his own part or
to say. II was previously wrong: I
have changed my opinion" while Pres.
ident WILSON unquestionnbly Possesses
that high form OF courage. and. we are
bound to say. has been obliged to exer.
else It frequently and fully. Both Of
the great radical leaders are CYCLISTS In
the political sense; both have sha ned
their course according to their percep
ton OF prevalent sentiment In the coun-
try, while seeming to themselves to
master and direct It.
Yet with all the compelling qualities
Of Colonel RoosEvELTs genius. II tO.,k
him at least three years to do for him.
self that which the political novice
from the academic groves has done be-
tween March and March.
There Is no disrespect in pointing
out that this remarkably speedy dem.
onxtration Of personal adequacy Is the
one achievement Of the larger sort that
can properly be credited to President
WILSON at the end of his first yenr In
Office. The specific performances that
would figure in n proud catalogue of
facts accomplished In any Democra tic
campaign document issued at this time
are really achievements only In the
technical sense OF successful party
leadership; for they are still matters
in suspense and In embryo: legislate,i
policies of nascertained value to the
country. The revision OF the tariff was
a mighty feat, but the high cost OF liv.
ing remains the same. and the effect of
the new schedules upon our Industrial
prosperity cannot yet he either affirmed
positively as lenehc!al or denounced
positively as destructive. The In,posi
tiOn of the Federal Income tax upon n
selected lot of citizens forming about
One,two hundredth OF The entire popri.
l9ti"n Is another a!ochal performance
ef masterful leadership. The taxpay,
ers affected have Loyalty accepted the
discrimination, but II IL far from clea
where or how their sacrifice Ii going
to result in compensating advantag &c
TO other citizens. The wisdom, the san,
ity even. Of the tax legislation is ia
10 determined by results not yet ap
T.