The Washington times., 1918-02-06

of space to tell what President
u Wilson "has taken on himself to
do" and to prove that five years
ago the President would not have approved
of this taking on"
Well, what Of it? The world has under
gone many changes since that Labor Day in
1912 when, according to a newspaper report,
the President declared himself as Demo
crat opposed to concentration Of power.
The Sun even puts the President in class
with Thomas Jefferson, whose output of
political thought during long career was
30 voluminous that it is VIGOROUSLY easy to
quote him in support of almost any side Of
any controverted subject" This places the
President in company not undesirable, and
forms classification that has been made
many times before and is likely to be made
frequently in the future, and not to the dis
, paragez1ent of either.
But wouldn't it be fairer to take the writ
ings of Mr.. Wilson on the subject Of consti-
tutiOnal. government and see what he says
of the duties and powers Of the President.
In these writings we get his views as a
scholar, lawyer and teacher expressed in his
work while he was a private citizen. We
get these views from his own pen instead Of
having to rely on hastily made newspaper
report.
In 1907 Professor Wilson, the lecturer,
said Leadership and control mast be lOdg-
ed seme10kere; the schole art of statesman
ship is The art Of bringing the several parts
of government into effective cooperation for
the accomplishment of particular common
objeets-dnd party objects at that"
Further on in the same lecture, he says:
"The Presidency has been one thing at one
time, another at another, carrying icish the
man s0ho occupied the office and the cir
esrnstanees that surrounded him.
Then he speaks of President Li'eOlts
unique task aud achievement, SUEen the Ere
cutivc seemed for little iCkIe to become
by sheer stress of circumstances the UhoIe
government"
Treating of the development of the duties
and responsibilities of the President, he
said: AS matter of fact the President
has become the leader of his party and the
guide of the nation, IN political purpose, and
therefore i1s legal action" and the lecturer
adds, "The President cannot escape being
the leader of his party except by ipcapacity
and lack of personal force.' And further on
His Is the only national voice IN affairs.
Let hin once IVin the admiration and con-
tidenee of the country and no other single
force can lUithstdRd him, no combination of
forces IViH easily oUerpoSrer him, ." e
When he speaks IN his true character, he
speaks for no special interest. If he rightly
expresses the national thought and boldly
insists upon it,; he IS irresistible; aud the
country reUer feels the Sest of action as
qUheB the President Is of such insight aid
cGljbTS." And the man now President of
the United States concludes tSat lecture
delivered in 1907 by saying: "But noe can
safely predict that as the multitude of the
Presidents duties ipcreGses, as It mast NTH
the grolvth and GridsniRg GctiUities of the
nation itself, the incnmbeAts of the great
office UM more and more come to feel that
they are administering It IN its tr1Eest pur-
pose and nth greatest effect by regarding
themselves as less and less executive Off,
GERS and more and more directors of affairs
and leaders of the nation-iRen of counsel
and of the sort of action that makes for
e44tgisbelalAGht
That was the view of the duties, response
bilities and tendencies of the great office
which he now occupies expressed by Mr..
Wilson as long ago. as 1907. Isn't it fair to
take these expressions as a whole rather
than to consider a newspaper report of an
isolated passage of a Labor Day address
some years later?
And bear in mind. these are contempla-
tons of the Office Of President in time of
peace-under normal conditions. What of
times Of war?
In our first war when our real fight for
liberty began, General Washington was
clothed by Congress with the most ample,
far-reaching and arbitrary powers. He was
directed to win the war and to use such
power in gathering together and maintain
ing the army; in conducting the work Of Sc
curing supplies, in handling traitors and re-
warding loyalty as would enable him most
thoroughly and effectively to accomplish the
task Of winning the war. And when the
time covered by this act Of Congress was
about to expire a renewal Of these broad
powers was voted him to continue till the