The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-03-04
SOME INNER HISTORY
OF HIS POLITICAL LIFE
Thought of Resigning When Health
Gave Out-Then Contemplated
Running for the Presidency III
1920-Much Remains to be Re-
vealed About His Relation to-
Great Leaders of the World.
by Associated Press.)

= Washington. March Woodrow
wilson Jfayes the White House toda
- RESUME the role of private citizeH
and again take up the practice OF law.
d profession in which he has not been
active for forty years, with cambridge
Colby. retiring secretary OF state, with
whom he has formed a partnership
The new firm will maintain offices
here and in New York. Mr.. Wilson
announcement of this yesterday came 1
II a surprise to all Washington.
The second Democratic President
since Andrew Jackson to fill two sue.
cessive terms, Mr.. Wilson's eight
ears in the White House carried him
through the range of human emotions.
He was almost blindly ldolized and
cordially hated. Profound peace, the
most terrible Of wars, death of wife
and helpmate. courtship and marriage,
and finally lingering illness came In
turn to brighten or darken his days q
Eight years of it whitened his hair.
racked his frame and impaired htGI
.IllfFs ieal yigor. but did not. rus IT,
mind.
characterized by his friends as
much a wounded veteran of the world
war as if he had been shot in battle.
he goes back to private life today rel
garded by his nartisans as living
sacrifice to his ideals.
Woodrow Wilson was not we'll
nan when he took up the presid ncy.
'!e was decidedly a sick man. He Y
threatened with Bright's disc
Viii h physicians diagnosed as ha1
sen Brought about by a particiilal
reatment for frequent head colds toH
hich he and the first Mrs. Wilson
ere subject. The wife died Soon af-
err but his case yielded to care.
Suffered for Years ,
Som years before that, Mr.. Nilsson
had suffered thrombosis, in one. of \
his legs. 1t was the lodg ng of a b ood
clot in an artery, but because of its
ocation not serious. 1t was, however.
complaint of the same nature which
caused his breakdown in 1919. when
. ciot formed on the right side of hiA
brain impairing the control OF his
left arm and leg.
Little known, also, Is the fact that
Mr.. wilson, like Mr. Roosevelt, was
practically sightless in one of his
yes. Bursting blood vessels in the
retina practically made 1t useless. al
hough the impairment was in part 4
overcome by the use Of eye glasses.
He suffered also from nervous indi-
ges.ion. With predispositlon to take
cold easily add'd TO this list of trou-
b'es, Woodrow Wilson took up the arr
du9us duties of the presidency with
far less physical equipment than the
PUZZLE generally gave his credit for
Thought OF Retiring
Once. In the midst of his seige OF
pdostration which accompanied the
first stages of his present illness. he
debated with himself whether he
ought not to relinquish his Office and
give way to a successor Later when
health had improved and the Dsmo-
cratic convention at San Franciscb
was balloting night and day to agree
on presidential nominee, Mr. Wil@
son debated with himself whether he
should be a candidate for third term.
II could not be said that either sub
ject reached the stage of being cons
sldered. But 1t Is known that Mr.
Wilson gave the subjects some
thought.
These with many other things form
the highly interesting unwritten chap-N
ters of Woodrow Wilson's life. They
would make volume of far more ep-
crossing reading than anything TINT
ever had been written about him.
Some Unwritten History
Such a volume might include tho
"inside" story of the break with C0ls
onel House. his former confidential
adviser; it might tell how Mr.. Wiiat1
rousing Mr.. Clemenceau. the Frenc1
premier, from bed at 2 O'clock ono
morning. practically charged tbs
French delegates with tampering Wiils
the. records of the peace connsfente
proceedings,
II might tell how Mr.. Wilson made
up his mind to fire" some other UdI
met officers soon after the resi- &nktI&
OF Secretary Lansing but dsgIsi
cause. he said. II would otIf
the popular hnpresal1a A|
couldn't get along with -
IS IT might also t9il k1i
ls'said with A NtSi's