The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-10
Disabled President Unable.
to Shake Hands With
Congressmen
USES RIGHT HAND
TO sUPPORT HIMSELF
Left Had Still Useless-Spirft of wiz
son UndamtPa Although Body Is
Decentralization His Cause VIII Be
Vindieated
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1920.

Copyright 1920. III
WASHINGTON. Dec. l0-Although
this has been an %eventful week in the nall
tional capital with congress onening andl
President-elect Harding delivering a fare3
well address to ibis colleagues, in the senl.
ate, the most striking incident was the
pathetic meeting at the White House bel
tween President Wilson and his POLITICAL
foe, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. of Mas-l
sachusetts, the leader of the Republican,
organization.
From those who stood in the Bluel'
room and saw framed in the doorway the
enfeebled figure of the man who oncel
not but melt the bitterness of partisan-
thrilled the world with his words. comes
a picture told TO the writer that could.
ship and substitute a consoling symDa1
thy IN these last days OF the Wilson ada
ministration.
1t is customary for congress on the day1
OF ITS opening to send a committee off
the two houses. to notify the President
that all is in readiness to receive anvil
communication he may have. Senator's
Lodge and Underwood, and Representa-
yves MondeH, tordney and Champ Clark
were appointed to go to the White
Mouse Tor that purpose. They were rel
celNed IN the Blue room and stood in the
center OF the room, waiting for the doorI
OF the Red room to be opened. An att
tendant stood beside the President, asl
the door swung open, having helped HIM
IN the walk 70 the door, but as the Pres
ldent entered the Blue room leaning on
hls cane, the attendant stood aside.
1here has been, a misunderstanding of
the first words which the PRESIDENT
spoke. You see, gentlemen, / cannot!
yet dispense with my third leg" The
trst newspaper accounts referred TO the
fact that Mr.. Wilson did not shake hands
with ms callers, but failed to give the
reason Tor this unusual attitude. The
truth is, that Dir. Wilson wished his cali
ers to understand that he couldn't shake
hands with them as he needed his right
hand to support himself on his cane.
while his left hand has not recovered its
full vlgor. That was the purpose of his
remark.
AS the President spoke. his head was
! bowed. He did not stand with the same
lereetness. which has so often character
Ized his meetings with people in the
White House. His. ewes were turmoil
downward. His Voice was not strong butt
it was clear His callers heard and un-I
! d]erstood every word spoken The ocea-I
SION called for formality and Mr.. Wilson
spoke inca dulet tone saying he would
~eommgaleateA message ito congress the
He desa the wofaeb cofAimrnieate and
did not say whether he Would send hisl
ENf@NEC-NI hRHNN0AHAS "a NAA vi HOhANA
read it himself, All day Monday, the.
President felt disposed to go to congress-
IN person. His physician and advisers
were against il. The truth is that not
gress met on Tuesday did the President
yield. He hoped to the last to gather
enough strength to speak his farewell to
congress.
Why was the President so eager to
read his message? 1t was simply to give
l 1afNararan % aAraaAhTa- +ha4 1-a.y- 1870,
ing for eXpression-the faith he has in
the rightness of an ultimate partnership
with other nations for the preservation
of the world peace. 1t was because he
wanted to express face to face with his
opponents this personal paragraph as the
conclusion of his message: 4 have not
so much laid before YOU a series of rec.
concentrations gentlemen. as sought tol
utter a confession of faith, of the faith
in which | was bred, and which it is my
solemn purpose to stand by until my last
fighting day. / believe this to be the
faith Of America, the faith of the future,
and of all the victories which await MAJ
tional action in the days to come,
whether in America or elsewhere. The
foregoing is Woodrow Wilson's valedictory
to congress. He may send other messages.
he may Issue other statements, but it,
was meant to be his answer to the elee-l
ton returns of last November. He clings
still, to the conviction that his cause viii
be vindicated. He repeats again apd
again to his friends an epigram which he
first used eight years ago in the political
campaign: II would rather fail in al
/ cause that | know some day will triumph,
than to triumph in, a cause that / know
some day will fail
Amid all the excitement OF the week,
the ioy of theA Republicans and the ear
NEST hopefulness which WarreQ Harding.
displayed in his parting speech to the.
senators, there was a shadow of tragedy
even at the capitol where foe and friends
alike realized that the shirt of Woodrow
Wilson had not. surrendered even though
+ba raunt 6rl1re in the doorway gaZed