The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1916-02-23
HAS HARD TIME
LEARNING TRUTH
President Occupies Very
Trying Position.
MUST DISCOUNT LIARS TALK
And Depend On General lnfor'
nation For Facts To Guide
Actions.
ALWAYS SOME TROUBLE Is ON
(By Sidney Espey.)


Wilson asserted in New York that
it was by culling the statements of
liars he found out the truth about
Mexico
When President Wilson made this
assertion he enunciated a general
condition which exists at the White
House and which has surrounded ev-
cry President more or less since
the beginning of the republic.
A President rarely is able to learn
the full truth about conditions at
This is true regarding all public
matters which do not originate in
the White House.
The reason for this condition is,
that as soon as man enters the
White House as the chief executive
he Immediately loses that close con-
tact with his fellowmen which he
was bound to have in more or less
degree prior TO his election.
The instant he assumes his duties
he becomes the center of a little
world Of his own. He has so much
to do, so many people to see that he
has little or no time to read the daily
newspapers, and, if he finds time to
read a little, his reading is selected
and the consequences are that he
sees only that which is best for him
to see from the standpoint of his well |
wishers. He rarely ever sees that
which is to his political or personal
detriment. In other words, he only |
sees the good things said about him
and little of the unfriendly criticism.
What is true of the newspapers is
true to a greater degree of his per-
sonal interviews with his friends.
No friend of the President will tell
him the exact truth regarding any
situation unless it is favorable to the
Presidents known viewpoint.
From the day that Mr.. Wilson en-
tered the White House he has had |
fight of some kind on his hands al |
most constantly This includes his |
work with Congress, his party's af-
fairs, the international troubles, in
Guiding Mexico. There have been |
few days since March A, 1913, that |
Mr.. Wilson has been idle.
Five big daily newspapers are de-
livered every day at the White
House. Twice that number are re-
ceived each day at the executive Of
fees. 1t is safe to assert that in the
three years Mr.. Wilson has been
President he has not read on any one
day two of these five papers, and |
been able to read any newspaper.
When he read them he did not do so
as he was accustomed to doing prior
to entering the white House. Then
he read them through; since then he
was able to scan them only.
For long time, until quite recent
ly, articles and editorials friendly to
some project, legislative scheme or
government theory, or the conditions
of business, were clipped and sent to
his desk. Sometimes he found time
to read these and sometimes he did
not.
1t can be seen that little or no en-
lightenment, such as the average
reader of a paper gets, was obtained
by the President
The President never has been able
to know tie status of legislative
members by reading the newspapers
or the congressional record. He has
had to depend for information con-
corning this, as he has on nearly all
matters concerning his administra-
ton, on verbal interviews with party
leaders and workers.
Every bit of news and informa-
tion the President gets is more or
less to fit his viewpoint. In other
words. conditions in Mexico. with
few exceptions. were described so as
to fit the views of the President and
to square with his ideals or what
he thought they ought to be. The
same was true with the fights in
Congress fer the many parts of his
several programs.
A Senator or member of the
House calls on the President. He is
asked. for instance. what is the stat
us of the preparedness program. mol
matter who the Senator or Congress-
man is, he will tell the President
that It is all right, that there may
be a fight, but that 1t will go
through. A few weeks and the Pres
ident asks again and he Is surprised
to learn that there is great opposi-
ton to 1t. Even then he is told there