The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-17
LANSING 4 VICTIM OF
PRESIDENTIAL TEMPER
WeKnown Washington Correspondent Comments In
terestingy on Situation Created by Secretarys Res
ignation-Wison's Friends Bewildered by Mistake
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
1920 by The Reformer)

WASHINGTON, Feb. l6-President
Wilson has made mistake His friends |
are bewidered. His opponents naturally
rejoice. Few people know the facts-not
more than two or three. The, background
of the episode, the thread OF the narrative
itself discloses the inner side of the White
House and offieialdom as it is today
the President incapacitated, irritable over
his long confinement and extremely jeal-
Gus of his Presidential prerogatives, and
officials generally are apprehensive lest
they, too, become victims OF Presi-
dental wrath For, if there was 'usurpa-
ton" of authority by Secretary Lansing,
there was plenty of it by other persons
equally as close to President Wilson
1t is easy for people outside of Wash
mgton to make an off hand Judgment and
assume that the Presidents blunt act is
direct consequence of the tedium of his
illness-an impatience and petulance not
unknown to persons suffering from nervous
exhaustion. But, instead of supposing
| that the President acted unnaturally. one
| close at hand cannot but fail to have the
| impression that the President indeed acted
naturally. Study of the Wilson tempera-
L Illell over ii pei lod Vi S0aAo dlAd tbc0ANd
| ton of what has been going on in the en-
virons Of the White House and Capitol
| Hill since the President got back from Eu-
| rope leads more easily to the conclusion
| that Mr.. Wilson gave vent to an outburst
| of temper which has appeared on previous
| occasions but which his advisers have
wisely concealed or checked than to the
notion that some newly developed iras-
L ob1 c,,Y-t col
of the secretary of state
To form correct Judgment, it is nee
essary to know just how much President
Wilson has been permitted to learn OF
events and affairs going on in the govern
ment and outside world during his illness
Three people can answer the question: DR.
Cary T. Grayson, his physician; Mrs
Woodrow Wilson and Private secretary
Joseph P. Tumulty. The lips of the frs
individual are sealed by professional ethics
the wife of the President is not given t,
answering inquiries from newspapers anC
has had no communication with the pres
since Mr.. Wilson became i'll, and the pri
vate secretary to the President has decided
to keep absolutely mum.
But correspondents who go to the Whit
House every day make it their business t.
L
/ member from week to week and month t
h month And anyone of dozen who watc
81 White House affairs carefully can testif
n to certain happenings, which when plece
Q together and analyzed in the light of tn
i | Wilson mood and temperament cannot bh
J, result in Illuminating conclusions.
For instance: Did Secretary Lansing ca
the first cabinet meeting after Preslden
| Wilson took sick? He admits he did, bu
at least one of the calls for cabinet meet
ing-I think it was the hrst-went on
through the medium of the White Hous
| offices. and officials there could hav
: stopped it by notifying the President {
,. what was happening. They did nothing {
e the kind
What was the atmosphere and sltuatio
. when the first cabinet meeting was called
Congress was restless. political enemies {
the President were circulating stories thf
4 he was mentally unable to fnlifill the d
:: ties of the Presidency and were talkn
about constitutional methods OF getting
Il successor. Newspapers were clamorlng
know how the government was functlonin
Iif at all. Members of the cabinet thou
| It was up to them to do something
II quiet public alarm. 1t was the polite
and loyal side Of the Wilson following TT
ing to meet public criticism in an aw
ward situation The Presidents frlen
II lid not know how sick he was. Tn
L