The Washington herald., 1918-04-02

Congressional Government" W 4 5
written by Woodrow Wilson in the
years 1883 and 1884. Subsequently.
upon the translation of the volume
into French. in the year 1900. the
Princeton head wrote a preface, this
being attached TO what was known as
the fifteenth edition OF his work.
We will start with this, as 1t con-
tains some interesting statements.
some OF them indicative of the
thoughts that must be Coursing
through the Presidents mind once in
awhile nowadays.
The first impressive paragraph
reads. in Connection with his explana-
ton that the obsoIescence of the
original manuscript might be charged
by its comparison with conditions of
fifteen years agonow is the time for
fifteen years later:
Neither did give sufficient
weight, l now believe, to the powers
of the Secretary of the Treasury
However minutely bound, guided, re-
stricted by statute. his power has
proved at many a critical juncture in
our history-notably in our recent fl
Eancial history-of the utmost conSe-
Guence. Several times since this book
was written. the country has been wit
ness to his decisive influence upon
the money markets, in the use of his
authority with regard to the bond Is-
sues of the government and his rights
to control the disposition of the funds
of theTreasury. In these matters,
however, he has exercised. not poIiti-
cal, but business power. He has help
ed the markets as a banker would
help them. He has altered no politl-
He has merely made arrangements
which would release money for use
and facilitate loan and investment"
This idea OF the Importance of the
office no doubt led President Wilson
, ,, to select his Secretary of the Treas
ury with the utmost care. But differ
ent than conditions were when Mr.
McAdoo was first named are the con-
dttions which greet him now. The
importance Of managing the country's
business is vast one and the Presi-
dent evidently foresaw that man
to meet a crisis must be installed in
office at the outset and must be ready
TO meet whatever burden might be
thrown upon him. The additional du-
ties of railroad director and manager
of great insurance bureau he DEEM
| ed but proper diversions of the finan-
cial responsibility.
Confidence of the country in the
head of the Treasury Department was
| also necessary. Mr.. Wilson suggested
He said at the time that the country
felt much more secure with an expert
enced banker like Mr. Gage in the
office than when an inexperienced
politician Is in charge Of it" Mr.. Will
sons own Treasury Secretary happen
ed to be the chairman of the Demo-
cratic national Committee at the time
he was named to the place. But the
political phase of his nature did not
predominant. He was a financial pro-
moter and organizer of first magni-
tude, man who saw clearly into the
principles of finance and come time
far beyond them into a new and un-
discovered world. He was construct
lively a superbanker. The counting Of
money and its loan and the details
Of banking Mr.. McAdoo left to others
He himself sat in the back room, far
away from the crowd and yet close
ly in touch with its needs, and thought
out new ways in which It might be
aided and at the same time in which
the great institution he was running
might also increase its prestige and
its resources.
If Woodrow Wilson were to write
again on this subject he would re-
wise his remarks, like the Dingley
tariff, mot downward but upward" d"
That Is all the change he would
have to make-and in justice to the
accomplishments of the Secretary in
his own cabinet he would have to
write an encomium even more endur-
ing than he did for the one who held
the position in President McKinley's s
cabinet.
The nonpartisan league is not meet
ing the success 1t planned to in the
West. Reports from that section are
that activities have ceased In some di-
rections. Open meetings are not Of q
comon occurrence, but appear to