The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-02-28
WILSON ErrORr NnFffCrrvr.

Washington, d. C.-(Special Cor
respondence. D--Newspaper men who
accompanied the President on his
western speechmaking tour report
that he returned TO Washington very
much pleased with the himself; that
he feels himself better acquainted
with the people and that the people
now know him better; and that he
displayed much more human" ele-
ment on the return trip than he did
while going out,
There is nothing unusual about this.
Every spellbinder has experienced t..
There is no intoxication like that
which an applaudlng audience i'm
parts. We all know candidates for
office who have measured their vote,
in advance of election day, by the
cheers which they received while on
the stump. Mr.. Bryan has been de-
scribed as a man who could get more
cheers and fewer votes than any can
dldate who ever went before the peo-
pie This last statement is not quite
true-for Mr.. Bryan has always re-
ceived more votes than Mr.. Wilson
got in 1912.
The success of the Presidents
speeches is not TO be measured, how
ever, by their effect on the audiences
who heard them--nor yet by their
effect on the people who will read
them in the book form in which Con-
gress has voted to put them out. The
trip was made with one purpose
chiefly in mind--to create a situation
in the public mind which would react
upon the rebellious Democrats in
Congress who are refusing to follow
the President in his program for pre-
paredness. While it is, to be sure, a
little early to determine just what the
force of such a reaction is, II yet re-
mains there are no signs at all of a
weakening on the part of the recalcit-
rant Democrats who still believe that
the Wilson of a year ago is the real
Wilson, and who still hold to the the
DRY that our military policy should not
be changed because a few people are
nervous and excited--these being the
words which Mr.. Wilson addressed to
Congress in December. 1914.
These Democrats were prompt in re-
plying, with a speech in Washington,
to every speech that the President
made while on his western tour. These
men still declare that the folks back
home" are standing with them and not
with the President, these men are still
maintaining a position which will
make it impossible for the Presidents
program TO be passed on by Demo-
cratic votes and which will result in
throwing the responsibility and credit
for whatever preparedness legislation
ia passed upon the Republicans.
Unless these men can be shifted
from their present attitude, Mr.. Will
sons tour will prove a failure, re-
gardless of the personal pleasure
which he derived from it, More than
that, it will initiate fatally against
the Presidents campaign for re-elec-
ton. Mr.. Wilson has elected to push
the question of national defense to the
front ana TO stake his reputation as a
party leader upon it. He has COM
pletely reversed himself within a few
months, and the question which he
dismissed with a sneer only a short
time ago he now embraces with all
the enthusiasm of new convert. His
language grew steadily stronger as
his speech-making progressed. and he
now stands, i'm words, at least, on
ground as advanced as that of the
most pronounced militarist in the
country.
But his party has not moved for
ward with him--and the question now
is whether he can move his fellow
Democrats. 1t is regarded here as a
certainty that mere speeches made at
a distance from Washington will not
avail for the purpose 1t is problem
atical whether Mr.. Wilson can ac-
complish his purpose by any other
means.