New-York tribune., 1921-03-05
Wilson's Pathetic Plight
Stirs Throngs to Sympathy

away from the man he was to succeed
in office. After MIR. Harding and the
other members Of the party were
seated, the motion picture meh who
had refrained from taking Pictures
until the President had entered the
automobile, went lover the top" with
their cameras.
every evidence of not knowing what to
do. 1t wanted to cheer Harding and
1t wanted to cheer Wilson, as they
spun along the route, under military
escort. to the Capitol. But the thought
Of the Presidents illness had been
hanging over Washington like cloud
for months. The people of Washing
ton. who made up most of the specta-
tors. were moro familiar with the
grave nature of the case than were
the persons from outside. Cense
Quently there was lack Of enthusiasm
which. when analyzed, proved to be
only the gcntlest kind of forbearance.
When Mr. Wilson had reached the
Presidents room to dispatch the Off
cial business Of his last day in Office
the strain began to tell. There were
bills to be signed and vetoed-a big
stack of them for we'll man, while
they must have loomed mountain high
in the vision Of man gravcly ILL.,.
Something less than three quarters of
an hour was spent in this final work.
the last bill signed being for q me-
mortal at Arlington for the veterans
of the World War. Reading it care
fully and with an evident show Of
emotion, the President put his name
on the document and his last bill had
been signed.
all
ber of the Senate filed through the room
and shook Mr.. Wilson's hand Rcpub-
licans followed and members OF the
House were then admitted to the room,
where members of the Cabinet had
gathered. Mrs. Wilson and Mr.. Har-
ding were close to the President, both
evidently solicitous of his personal
welfare. II Al
No Self-Pity i'll Voice
There was no self-pity in the Presi-
Harding that it would be impossible
for him to go on further with the for
malities of the day. Mr. Harding had
made it plain that if the President felt
his strength failing he was to drop out
at any time and it would be understood
1t was then that the President began
the last test Of his strength-the long
halting walk through the corridors of
the Capitol to the automobile that
awaited to take him to the residence
Senator Penrose's wheeled chair hap
pencd to be near the freight door,
through which the President had made
his way to the Capitol, but the Presi-
dent refused to use it. Senator Pen
tendant who was awaiting with the
chair and had entered the Capitol by
another door. His chair was seized by
mistake by a negro laborer as belong
ing to the President.
AS he walked there was nothing
challenging in his attitude 1t was
simply the bearing Of q mentally strong
man, with burdens of his own, but ask
ing no favors.
When Mr.. Wilson and his party had
disposed themselves in the White House
car the last official trip in one Of those
conveyances was started. Two motor
cycle policemen escorted him and
Secret Service men also were with him,
their last official journey of guardian
ship There were some cheers as the
President sped away, his official term
then reduced to minutes, but the cheer
ing was spasmodic, because the word
had spread that Mr.. Wilson'S strength
had given out and that he would not
be able to go on with the ambitious
program he had mapped out for him
self
When the car and its guards had
vanished the Marine Band struck into
the strains Of "Semiramide' overture,
but there were few who listened, as it
was evident that the mind Of the crowd
was just tnen on the man whose eight
year tenure of the Presidents Office
' was so strangely ended.