Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1920-02-20
WILSON'S DUTIES
ON HIS NERVES,
SAYS LAWRENCE
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

in a tiff over academic matters at
Princeton university the former said
of the latter that he was a man OF
violent prejudices and ungovernable
temper"
Probably in moments of self-an-
alysis Mr.. Wilson has admitted an
inclination to get furiously angry
over things that rubbed him the
wrong way. There have been times,
especially in the days when Europe
was haunting Mr.. Wilson with that
too proud to-fght phrase" when the
president of the United States would
have welcomed the opportunity to
take on scrap with anybody.
The public doesn't know Mr.. Will
son as a man of hot temper. He
has disciplined himself to conceal it
and shrewd men about him have
managed to prevent him from CIV
ing vent to angry passion on public
questions. Left to himself the pres
ident would most surely have eX-
hibited his temper long before the
Lansing episode. That's why l re-
gard it as not an unnatural or alb
normal manifestation of Mr.. Will
sons mind but a perfectly normal
and natural outburSt. He used to
get angry in Paris. On one occa-
sion he came away from meeting
with Prime Minister Lloyd George
Premier Clemenceau and the rest OF
the peace conferees and he never
said a, word for hours afteTward to
anyone in his household He was
mad clean through,
Would Not Tolerate Criticism
In the fourteen years that L have
studied the Wilson personality. first
in his lecture room at Princeton, then
as a correspondent when he was gov
ernor of New Jersey and candidate
for president, and later in writing
about his dofngs at the White House
or his travels across the country, it
has seemed to me that from time to
time Mr.. Wilson introduced a sense
Of humor into his system and check
ed his temper Things that should
have provoked him were brushed
aside, and it was only rarely that ne
seemed to get out of sorts.
But little by little as the cares
and burdens of the White House be-
gan to weigh heavily upon him, Mr..
Wilson allowed his passions to get
the better of him. Frequently he
showed to the correspondents assem-
b1ed before him a certain Impotence
and at times real anger. He didn't
like to be questioned closely or cate
chised about matters that were agi-
tating the country. Particularly did
he seem to allow a fierce CLEAN to
enter his face as anybody suggested
that perhaps there might have been
some inconsistency on the part of
himself or a member of his admin
istration. He would tolerate no crit
icism in the queries of correspond
ents, and his cabinet officers found
the same thing true. They don't
dare to cross him. He didn't like it.
Secretary Garrison tried to do it
and soon found himself out of the
cabinet.
No, Mr.. Wilson's idea of govern
ment by cabinet is that a cabinet
officer is merely general counsel or
adviser, subject to the authority and
instruction of the president, and as
such necessarily subservient to the
presidential command.
Effect OF War on Wilson
When Mr.. Brayn resigned the
president, who had been writing
eign affairs. made no secret of the
fact that he wanted a counsellor
and not a secretary of state and Mr..
Lansing had no doubts about the
position in which he would be placed
by taking the office.
The president has, from time to
time, shown a disposition to regard
cabinet meetings as supertluous
Time and again, however, when
newspapers would print stories say
ing he didn't think cabinet meetings
were necessary, he would issue We
hement denials through adminiStra-
ton officials, but there is no ques-
ton in my mind that Mr.. Wilson's
conception of cabinet government is
decidedly different from that held by
some of his predecessors. He feels
that cabinet officers are advisers and
subordinates who are to give advice
when asked for it and to take orders
and carry them out according to the
wishes of their chief.
The war has unquestionably had a
depressing effect on Mr.. Wilson'S
spirits. Little things provoke him.
For instance on the boat going over
to France, he took considerable of
Tense because the George Washing
ton carried a number of minor Off
Gals of the state department staff.
He held Secretary Lansing respon-
sible for this and fretted the first
two days out at sea and wouldn't re-
ceiVe the secretary of state simply
because his instructions about keep
ing the number on the boat down to
a minimum evidently had not been
carried out.
Fits of Temper