Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-12-11
PRESIDENT STILL
VERY SICK MAN
CHILDREN GREATLY INTEREST
ED AND MUCH CONCERN FOR
FUTURE OF COUNTRY

/ out of the cold and I'll tell you a
story" called Uncle Ted to Jack and
Ruth who had been romping around
in the snow all afternoon.
II uncle Ted" said Jack as he came
up the front steps scattering snow
in every direction, II want you to
tell us all about President Wilson
and how the government is being
run while he is sick
well, Jack, there is a lot to tell
on that subject so you and Ruth get
on some dry shoes and stockings
and sit down quietly and I'll tell you
all can before supper"
After much hurrying on the part
of the children Uncle Ted gathered
them about him before the open fire
and began his story.
There has been a lot of talk
about the president since he was
taken ill during his trip through the
country when he spoke for theNworld
club plan Some stories say that
he had a stroke, that is, became par
Il alyzed in one or both legs so that
i he cannot walk; other stories say
| that, he suffered simply a complete
4 nervous breakdown while some have
said that his mind was not clear,
! which makes him unable to think
clearly and deal with the important
i affairs of the government as a pres
/ ident should. No one really seems
/ to know Just what has been the
i matter with him but one thing is
sure, he has been and still is very
sick man and from all reports is I'M
1 able to run the government. Dur
4 ing the first part of his illness his
own personal doctor, Admiral Cary
] T. Grayson, and two other doctors
| called in from Washington signed
statements each day supposed to tell
| how the president was getting
along After. a while Doctor Gray
son signed them alone and now ev-
| cry once in a while a report will
come from the white house that Mr..
Wilson is steadily improving, but ev-
cry action on the part of the presi-
| dents workers and the fact that no
| one can see him makes me believe
that he is not getting better"
who takes care of the presi-
dents business them asked Jack.
That is just the point, Jack" an
| swered his uncle. 1T is certain
that Mr.. Wilson is not able to act
on any matter of Importance but no
attempt has been made to call in
| Vice-President Marshall to act in his
| place. So far as can be seen, JOS
| eph Tumulty, secretary to Mr.. Wilson
| is running the government and in
these dangerous times with the
| grave labor troubles and problems
| OF every kind which must be set
tied, IL means that the United States
of America is practically without
president because the president while
! too sick to act himself is apparently
we'll enough to be stubborn as usual
and won't let anyone else act for
/ him. He has not been allowed to
see or talk in any way with any of
the members of his cabinet and even
| Senator Hitchcock who has been
running the peace treaty and world
club plan for him in the senate was
not allowed to see him the other day
when he called at the white house
But the worst of all, children, is
the fact that on the morning after
the presidents message was read to
4 congress a report was made that
Mr.. Wilson had not been told a
| thing about the Mexican situation,
and that Mr.. Lansing, secretary of
state, has had to act alone in the
natter
''What is the Mexican situation?"
| asked Ruth.
Some day, Ruth, I will tell you
| the whole story about Mexico but at
| present II is enough to know that
because many Americans have been
| murdered down there and because
! William o. Jenkins. consular agent
| of the United States is held in pris-
on by the Mexican government, it
may mean war. And all that has
been done by our government has
been the sending of a lot of notes
down there by Mr.. Lansing without
any action from the president and
| the Mexieans have learned that the
Wilson administration just talks and
| talks. II is a terrible thing to have
our country nearly on the verge of
war with another country while
the president, who according to the
constitution is commander-in-chief
of the army and navy, is too i'll to
even be told of the trouble.
"The whole trouble is, children,
that although the president was not
taken i'll until the first of October,
1919, and therefore made unable to
study the home 'troubles of the
United States as he should, he has
not studied them since October,
1918, when he started sending peace
notes to Germany. From that
time on he gave all his time to the
study of the world problems. the
treaty and his pet hobby, the world
club plan. He sailed to France in
December, 1918, telling congress
that he would keep in close touch
with them and let them know every
thing he did But he didn't, as we
all know too well now
Cant the cabinet take care of
these home troubles without him?"
asked Jack They have congress
to help them"
mo, Jack, the cabinet cannot run
the government. The cabinet is sim
ply a name for the body OF men
which is composed of the heads of
each of the government departments
such as the secretary of the treas
ury and the secretary of war. The
president Is the executive head and
Is responsible alone. For that
reason while our president is unable
to deal with the serious matters
which confront us today II leaves the
/ country in a dangerous condition.
"As to the presidents last mes
sage to congress. it is considered al
most as a joke. Many OF the SEN
ators and representatives don't be-
| lieve he wrote IL. 1t contains moth
| ing new. 1t quotes long para
graphs from his other messages and
does not mention the peace treaty
or the world club plan. II is not
written in the presidents usual
| language and sounds like a mixture