The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-02-18
BURDENS OF WAR.
Continued from LIST Page)

SuDScIhitlU 10 the 1TeSlueU-
kial command.
When Mr.. Bryan resigned, the Presi-
dent who had been writing notes to
Germany and handling foreign affairs
made no secret of the fact that he
wanted counsellor and not secre-
tary 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 superfuous. Time and
again, however, when newspapers
would print stories saying he didn It
think cabinet meetings were necessary,
he would issue vehement denials
through administration officials, but
there is no question 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 ad-
visers 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 IS spir-
its. Little things provoke him. For in
stance on the boat going over to
France, he took considerable offense
because the George Washington car
ried number of minor officials of the
state department staff. He held Secre-
tary Lansing responsible for this and
fretted the first two days out at sea
and wouldn t receive the secretary of
state simply because his instructions
about keeping the number on the boat
down to a minimum had not evidently
been carried out. just why Mr.. Will
son wanted the whole boat to himself
people couldn It understand, nor was it
comprehensive why the President al
lowed only handful of people to ac-
company him on the return journey
and left lots of space in the vessel
which it had been thought would be
occupied by returning troops, but the
boat was only half filled when il
started from Brest and the only ex
PLANTATION which anybody could deduct
| from the strange demeanor of the
President was that he wanted to bt
all alone and didn't want to be an
noyed.
Instances, trivial indeed, could be-
cited to show that the President was
weighed down by official burdens to ar
extent that the public has little known
and that gradually he has developed al
irritability which has not been known
| except to the inner circle. Twice OF
the western trip which he took imme
diately after his return from Europe
| the President showed his temper. Ii
st. Louis, just as he was about to be
gin his speech at night, a photographer
took a fiashlight. Now Mr.. Wilson has
had that happen to him many times be
| fore but on this occasion he blurteC
out angrily, owe ought not to ear,
| how we look but how we act,' and the
crowd which had been amused as i
always is by a sudden fiashlight pic
ture. stopped its laughter abruptly ant
wondered. Again at Salt Lake fort
| night later, the President was talking
about article 10 and asked a rhetorical
| questionable kind that the crowd ism =
supposed to answer but Mr.. Wilson I
delivery was so forceful and he haC
been getting such enthusiastic applause
at the end of almost every 8entene,
that somebody applauded in the wrons
| place. | am sure it was unintentional
the President stopped short and issue,
an angry rebuke in the direction from
which the applause came Bette
wait till you hear it all, before you ap
plaud was his reprimand and tn
crowd wondered.
Time was when Mr. Wilson schoole,
himself to repress his temper. Once o
twice when delegations visited him il
the White House he got his dander u
but usually the stenographic record o
what was said never was issued ant
the public was none the wiser. 1t ha
been noticed, however, that in the las
two years, the President has been givel
every now and then to incorporate ex
preston. In a nutshell his duties an,
his burdens got on his nerves. The.
are still on his nerves. Woodrow vii
son three years ago would never hav
done what Woodrow Wilson is doin
today. Cabinet members have led hin
astray and gotten him into worse diff
fculties and uncomfortable moods tha1
did Secretary Lansing's adventure i
protecting the President from advers
criticism when he was unable to dis
charge the duties of his office. TIL
man who has long stood for the il
efficiency of the postoffice department
and the public criticism of Secretar
Baker, Secretary Daniels and others i
the senate and house whom he has bee
accustomed to support without regar
to public opinion is not the same VIII
dismissed Robert Lansing as secretar
of state. He is a man upon whom til
burdens of the war and peace job
have left a residue of nervousness, j
ritability and intolerance that will b
depressed with difficulty as Woodro
Wilson serves the remaining II month
of his term.