The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-03-08

WOODROW wilson To-Day completes
his first term as president of the I'm
tied States, says the World of Sunday,
March 4.
No other four years except those Of
Lincoln have been so eventful, and
no other four years except those of
Lincoln have made so much history of
ii - Importance.
One may like Mr.. Wilson or dislike
him. approve his policies or detest
them, but nobody can deny him place
among the masterful presidents who
have stamped their genius for all
time upon the government of the I'm
tied States. The courses of American
history have been changed nightly
by the fact that Woodrow Wilson was
president and because he has been
president the processes of American
government will never be quite what
they were in the past:
Whatever the verdict of history may
be upon the various policies of the
Wilson administration, no difficulty
will be experienced in fixing the re-
sponsibility. Since March a, 1918, Mr..
Wilson has been the government of
the United States in as great a degree
as jefferson or Jackson and in even
a greater degree than Washington or
Lincoln.
Mr.. Taft was never president during
lis four years in the White House;
the republican party was president.
Mr. Roosevelt was president part of
the time during his two terms; the
republican old guard was president
part of the time, and there were glo-
rious intervals in which Wall street
reigned supreme, after the manner of
Frederick the Great, who did what he
pleased and allowed his subjects to say
what they pleased-Mr. Roosevelt
playing the role of the garrulous but
obedient populace.
The president of the United States
during the last four years has been
Woodrow Wilson, and no other-not
the democratic party, not Wall street,
not the cabinet, not congress, but
Woodrow Wilson and he alone. What
is good is his, and what is bad is his.
Never for moment has he relaxed
his grip upon the government. Never
for a moment has any other mind and
purpose than his controlled the poll
cies of his administration. He has
yielded to nobody. He has compromis-
ed with nobody except the American
people. Abused and villified as few
presidents have ever been, denounced
by his enemies alternately as weak
ling and a despot, coward and die
tator, he has gone his way if not Sc
rerely at least with sure and certain
step.
His critics are fond of pretending
that they cannot understand what he
is trying to do, but no doubt assalls
him. He knows what he wants to do
and how he wants to do it. When he
cannot reach his goal by one path he
abruptly changes his course and fol-
lows another path, but always with an
eye single to the goal itself.
No other president has so complete
ly controlled congress He has shaped
legislation by none of the old and fam
iliar devices. Nobody has been bribed
by patronage to support his policies
and measures, nor has anybody been
punished by the Withholding of patron
age for opposing the administration,
There has been no denunciation OF
congress or of individual members OF
congress. Yet on every important is
sue, no matter how violent the oppo-
sition, the president has managed to
have his way. He has ruled by sheer
force of ability-because his is the
biggest brain and the broadest vision
in Washington. His victories over
sullen and reluctant congress have
been veritable triumphs of mind over
matter.
Even his bitterest enemies are COM
PEELED to acknowledge this extraordl-
nary intellectual power. When Mr..
Roosevelt INDUCED in his outbursts of
foam and fury at the general reluc-
lance of the American people to
plunge blindly into the war he could
give no reason for this state of pub
lie opinion except that President Will
son had "chloroformed the conscience
of the country" In other words, 1OO,-
100000 people had been so hypnotized
by the president that they thought on
w what he wanted them to think, be-
lieved only what he wanted them to
believe and did only what he wanted
them to do. A superman, indeed, If
this be true-a superman above all
other supermen in history; yet it is
not true. Mr.. Wilson's influence over
public opinion lies in the ability to I'M
derstand it, and give it adequate ex-