The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1920-02-13
TRUE NATURE OF Mr..
WILSON'S ILLNESS
By DAVID LAWRENCE,
Copyright BY The Insslligenesr)

WASHINGTON. Feb. l2.-Something
OF a mystery envelopes the issuance oy
Or. Hugh H. Young. OF Johns Hopkins
University ut = statement DESCRIBING IN
Ceta!l the illness Of President wilson
and revealing particularly what tae
White House has so long declined u
admit namely that the President mas
suffered from an impairment OF MS
left arm and leg.
So far as can be discovered neithGr
President Wilson nor Dr. Cary /.
Grayson. L. 5. ~. his physician. "erS
there Is goUd reason 10 believe that IS
publication was hardly pleasing 70
them. on the other hand. x Is tnousht
inconceivablc that man ot pr. Young
position would SO far violate proteS-
sional ethics as TO authorize news
paper interview revealing the nature or
the Illness Of one OF his patients WITH
out sanction.
The plain inference Is that somebody
In the goverRment who has felt that the
White House policy Of concealing the
facts OF the Presidents Illness is ms,
leading and unfair 10 the pubic. toId
Dr. Young 10 30 ahead. IL Is not I'M
portant to know who. the person was
but IL - a confession that the curiosity
of the public 10 know the truth ABOUT
the Presidents ai1ment mas at last
reach I'd point vucre the wlsheS OF the
residents own household TO keep the
nlSc'et - 80 a.rds in ,he Interest OF
the public.
The whole situation develops out Of
the conflict between the rights .of the
pupilC anu nS i,e"Nn ,hai- nrIysry.
ana ms t9''i,ly Irst whern docs
~ r,ph, - the public end and the right
Of the public official begin: TheTe are
GnSSc nnIicv ~ silence on the ground
thar while the President in the midst OF
me serious stage Of his illness and no.
"a. ,,oT,iJ rnU iust what DEVELOPMENTS
rrigb, hing II Would have been polite
aiiS S,sas tr0us 10 hand over to Mr.. Will
sons's political opponents material with
which 10 delay action on the treaty by
raiSInl, thc question OF the Presidents y
incanacity to discharge his public duties.
Now that the president has passed the
crisis and is on the road to recovery, II
is insisted that n" harm can be done py
revealing IN retrospect the laCtS Oh the
case
On the other hand the distinct loss to
tn. White House in the circumstances
~ th,. in,Y rc>sion that II is given TO so
many persons that informal u'tcrahtS'e,S
on subjects OF Interest 10 the puolicc
may nave 10 be taken Win ssoLn % %
salt There always arises a r.'oti,eus , III
very autn'h,SItrH.C."n -, ~ Ice faith in
Per SVIl eSi ~ .,,,h,i, r,,rn who do not
lhs ssh'eILF " Lnt,,. ,ybs, an cmbar-
reII ti""N,!, -, wris,s CGlciaIs have
"A clean breast or
peeh ~ n,'I pojpf mir the reasons why
$500, 49," 80 pacssSary' This was partic-
,,Ioryy ,rme dur,nr the war and there are
M raSss nf inuortanCe on record where
~ CONFIDENCE VAS yfolated
49,. ,,,,,,- ~ Mr. Wilson's ILL
Du| va ,r-nSnnrd,,n,s - have Generally
h'ss' t,o tras ,rnrn hafween a desire
pSe" ~ - 80 ,.rassiy into the private
~. ~, ~ ~ IresilCnt and a conscious
80 ot ,ba Sa,nc time that the publlv
haS a rioht 10 know whether It's chief
aTscutivT can transact public business.
Inc newspapermcn have consistently &C
Csn,ed statements made to them fron
authuri,ative quarters as being frank
and complete. Dr. Young's revelations
gives the impression that on more thah
V-e occasion the correspondents were
deliberately misled.
This may not be important from the
yiewpoint OF officials for they frequent
ly tmag. ne the public much less inter-
ested in events than are the inQuiring
correspondents. More than one re-
quest for information has been lightly
dismissed as idle" Curiousity. In this
particular instance however. the policy
OF Withholding the truth served only to
intensity the cagcrness Of the public to
know the true state Of Mr. wilson's
health. Demands for Information have
come from newspapers usually very
friendly but these editorials have had
he idea Of issuing an inspired state