The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1914-03-06
SUCCESSFUL
Has Been First Year Of The
Administration
Of PfGSt., WiISOn.-.ORe Year
In Office

oent wilson today rounded out the
first year of his term of Office as chief
executive of the nation. A glance
backward over the twelve months that
have passed since President Wilson
was inaugurated March 4, 1913, shows
that his administration has been un-
usually eventful and active. Seldom,
except in time of war, has any Presi-
dent ever had so many things going
on at the same time.
The revision of the tariff was the
first notable achievement of the Will
| son administration. Two weeks after
he was inaugurated the President
called an extra session of Congress to
revise the tariff. The session CON
vened on April and the Underwood
Tariff bill with the Income Tax was
| immediately introduced in the House.
J nat body passed the measure on May
and on September 9 it was passed
by the Senate. On the day OF the pas
sage of the bill by the Senate, Presi-
| dent Wilson issued a public statement
which very clearly identified the ad-
ministration with the measure, and
which asserted the success of the
Democratic party in maintaining its
harmony and carrying out its pledges
under the difficult circumstances.
AS soon as the President was as
sured that the last stumbling block
had been removed from the path of
the tariff bill he appeared before Con-
gress and urged upon that body the
necessity for legislation to make the
monetary system of the country more
simple and uniform and more readily
available for the needs of business.
The currency bill, which was intro
and House three days after the Presi-
dent had addressed Congress on the
subject. was essentially an administra-
ton measure, and its enactment into
law was victory for President VIII
SON The provision of the law for a
Federal reserve board and the eStab
lishment of regional banks called for
rather radical changes in the none
tary system of the country.
The majority of the lead
ing banks, though opposed to the cur
rency bill. have manifested a disposi-
ton to give the new system a fair
trial and to aid in the work of start
ing it off smoothly.
The third great question of public
policy to be taken up by President
Wilson during his first year in Office
was the further regulation by the Fed
eral Government of corporations en-
gagged in interstate commerce. In his
previous utterances the President had
made it plain that busting" and bait
ing the trusts was not to be the sport
of his administration. At the same
time he let it be known that he be
! lieved the Sherman antitrust law
needed revision to make it more effec-
! tive in dealing with those corporations
whose unlawful acts made them actual
enemies of the public welfare.
| On January 20 the President made
mis- third formal appearance before the
TWO houses of Congress assembled in
joint session and explained his views
on the trust problem. He condemned
interlocking directorates, advocated
the prosecution of individual directors
and officials for the unlawful acts of
their corporations, proposed to confer
upon the Interstate Commerce Com
mission the power to regulate the
| financial operations of transportation
companies, and recommended the Gre
sion. The President assured the busi-
ness world that no frenzied campaign
against the big corporation was con-
| templated but that the efforts of the
administration would be directed to
bringing about easy and simple busi-
J ness readjustments." The favorable
| impression Oh tue tftSiuSht hlSpou6c
has been heightened by the recent at.
titude of the administration in per
mitting number of corporations to
make rearrangements and to avoid
prosecutions.
President Wilson's success in Sc
curing the enactment of the tariff and
currency bills and his legislative policy
in general has been more marked, or
perhaps it would be more correct to
say that it has been more apparent
than his successes in the diplomatic
field. The two great diplomatic prob
lens with which he has had to contend
were the Mexican situation and the
Japanese immigration question, both
of which he inherited from the Taft
administration. Early in August Pres
ident Wilson sent Ex-Governor Lind
Of Minnesota as special envoy to