Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-17
I he Difficulty Of Deciding
What to Do Kept Him
wake Nights, HeTeHs
National Press Club.

/ WASHiNGTON, May l6.--President
| Wilson tonight made public the frank
and intimate review Of his three years
I'm the White House. and his impress
! sions of foreign and domestic prob
lens, delivered confdcntially last
I, night to Washington correspondents
gathered a the National Press Club.
He spoke of the difficulties OF he
presidency. and particularly of the
motives which have guided his han
ding of the European situation
| America, the President said, is for
peace because she loves peace and be-
lieves the present war has carried the
| nations engaged so far that they can
not be held 10 ordinary standards Of
responsibility" But. he added. the
| United States has grown 10 he one OF
the great nations o; the world. and
therefore must act more or less from
the point of view OF the res; OF the
! world.
IF l cannot retain my moral in
| fuence over man except by occasion
ally knocking him down." he said. "if
| that Is the only basis on which he Will
! respect me, then for the sake of his
| soul l have got to occasionally knock
, him down"
| The President declared he had been
kept awake nights considering the
! European situation, because there
might come time when the United
! States would have to do what II did
not desire TO do, and "the great burden
on my spirits has been that il has
| been up to me to choose when that
time came" He added that he did not
conceive that he had been elected
| President TO do as he pleased IF
were, it would have been very much
| more interesting" he said
GIVES HIS IMPRESSIONS
OF PUBLIC MEN
| Impressions of public men as n class
were given frankly by the President
with the comment that some grew and
! some swelled. He also discussed the
relations OF the newspapers to the
affairs of the nation, and sounded n
warning that false information about
foreign affairs was more than likely
to lead to trouble. $50
The Presidents remarks AZ original
~ delivered were read by him care
fully before being made public, but
no important portions were eliminated
and the wording was not changed SUBJ
stantially.
| In beginning mis- speech. the Presi-
dent made reference TO his previous
visit 70 the club and 10 his statement
at that time that he felt constantly
a personal detachment from the presi-
dency.
| Il am constantly reminded as I go
about, as ] do sometimes at the week
end" he said in that connection, "of
the personal inconvenience of being
President Of the United States. If 7
want TO know how many people live
In n small town. all have to do is to
go there. and they at once line up TO
! be counted. might, in 2 eensus.takinr
| year. save the census takers n great
| deal OF trouble by asking them ~
| accompany me and count the peop,e
on the Spo'. Sometimes. when ! am
most bese,, seriously think Of rent. :.
/ ing n pair Of whiskers or OF dojnc.
something else that will furnish me
with an adequate disguise because T
am sorry to find that the cut OF nv
tib is unmistakable. and that I must
fly under false colors IL am going To
sail incognito.
| YES. as have matched my cxperi-
ence with my anticipations, + of
course, have been aware that I was
taken oN surprise because Of the promi-
nence OF many things to which had
\ not looked forward"
TURN OF WHEEL OF FORTUNE
! HARD TO FIGURE oU1,
| When dealing with domestic affairs
! he continued, we are dealing win
| things that TO Americans are moro or
less calculable. but when the fortpnes
| OF the country are subject to the ",n
calcuiable winds of passion that arc
blowing through the other parts OF tho
world there is no knowing what turn
or me wheel OF fortune may wrest
control from the guiding hand.
III makes no difference how deon
the passion Of the nation lies" said ,ba
president that passion may be so
oVcrborne by the rush of fortune in
, circumstances like those which now
. eNist That YOU feel the sort of had
almost said resentment that a man
| ieeN when his own affairs are moi
"'t"'h MS own hands. You can
imagine the strain upon the feeling
VI any man who is trying to interpret
'he spiril OF MS country when he feels
tha' that spirit cannot have lis own
way beyond certain point. And one
or the greatest points Of strain unop
10y 'C peI nIlIteu 10 pOint IL
out. was this:
Ihere are two reasons why the
chief wish OF America is for pea,c
one Is that they love peace and have
nothing to do with the present o,ar.
rei' ana the other is that they believe
the present quarrel has carried tb,sa
engaged in II so far that they copno,
be held Ia ordinary standards, OF rc
sponsibility. and that. therefore, as
some men have expressed il To me-
since the rest OF the world is mad.
why should we not simply refuse to
nave anything to do with the rest of
the world in the ordinary channels of
action? Why not let the storm pass
and then. when 1t is all over, have the
reckoningS?
PASSION Of AMERICA
DECIDEDLY FOR PEACE.
Knowing that from hoth these two
points OF view the passion of America