Evening star., 1915-05-23
BY HENRY ROOD.

oT is now permissible to tell for
the first time the story of the
President and the crisis. to pic
q ture Woodrow Wilson during
those seven nights and six days fol
lowing the Lusitana horror when he
shut himself within his private study.
isolating himself from the world and
with grim determination fought
through to finish the course this
nation should pursue in respect to the
imperial government of Germany.
Seven nights and six days they We're
OF strain and anxiety such AS no
President has been called upon to bear
since Abraham Lincoln unfinchinEiy
faced the onrush of civil war. For no
living man could foretell what might
happen should the United States he
forced into hostilities by a mighty en-
gine of military strength. unsurpassed
in relentless power save by that CORE
spending engine which enabled Ma
poleon Bonaparte to sweep the con
tnent of Europe for twenty years he
fore he finally was crushed by the
most overW heiminc coalition of civil
tzed governments recorded in history.
In this present crisis stands u single
figure: upon his judgment. upon his
moral stamina plus his physical cour-
age, balances the destiny of nation
numbering hundred million. What
sort of man is he" What are those
traits of character inbred through gen
erations which are now seen of all the
world" What did he do during those
seven nights and six days" What did
he refrain from doing, How did he
arrive at the momentous decision pro
claimed in that note, pregnant with
possibilities, and signed with the name
Bryan. which he wrote with his own
hand and ordered to be cabled to
Berlin"
These are questions which thought
ful men and women are asking. and
an effort will be made to crafty their
natural and patriotic interest without
overstepping the bounds which sharply
separate the official life of every Presi-
dent from his personal or private life
For upward of a century an unwrlt-
ten law has prevailed regarding the
disclosure of that which is said ana
done in the White House until the
White House itself issues statements
thereof to the public. This law. still
unwritten, yet is riveted with steel.
1t is like unto the laws of the Medes
and the Persians, and is respected OF
all men who have access to the eX-
ecutive offices. In that which follows
there is no violation either of it's spirit
or of it's we'll understood provisions
Twice each week. Tuesdays and FIJI
days, the President meets the Wash
ington correspondents of newspapers
published in all of the great cities At
certain hour he is waiting in his
office, seated before his desk usual
thing. and when they enter they un-
consciously group themselves in semi
circle somewhat removed from his desk
and ask questions. to which he replies
AS rule directly, tersely.
Friday. May I. he met them as usual
and later went about his work as ex-
ecutive of the nation. until suddenly a
portentous message snapped off the
steamer Lusitania had been torpedoed
by German submarine; there had
been terrific explosion on board; the
ship had sunk. probably a thousand
Americans.
Just bare statement, that first mes
sage. practically in the form of bull
letin: but in the flash of single
was comprehended by the President.
Better, far better. than any other he
saw the possibilities therefrom result
ing. He was not stunned, as some un-
papers. but the news of the tragedy
fell upon him with full force.
A short. quick walk in the open air.
then back to the White House. To
his secretary he said he was going to
his private study; that he must not be
disturbed. Then he went up to that
room on the second floor of the White
House, the old cabinet room adjoining
the circular library, to think the situa-
tion out to finish. Friday night and
Saturday passed by, and Saturday night
and Sunday. and Sunday night and
Monday
No document or other papers were
brought to him save those he sent for.
No person saw him without being sum-
moned. save one-Dr. Cary Grayson.
his personal physician. who has in his
keeping the Presidents health and
strength, upon which so much depends.
Within a few hours after news had
arrived of the Lusitania tragedy tele-
grams commenced to pour in from all
over the country. Within a day SO
between 1.500 and 1000 had arrived.
The President read almost all of them,