Albuquerque morning journal., 1922-10-25
LANE 8 LETTERS
TELL Of WILSON
AS HE APPEARED
DURING THE WAR
Give an Intimate Picture Of
the Then President While
Presiding at Meetings of
His Cabinet,
DID NOT BELIEVE IN
GREAT PREPAREDNESS
He ENCOURAGED His Official
Family to Talk of Trivial
ties While He Tried 10
Solve Problems,


Solve Problems,
Boston, Oct. PA series Of his
tory-making letters. describing in
detail the American War cabinet
and giving an intimate picture OF
Woodrow Wilson as he appeared
while presiding over the secret
meetings of his official family, is
made public for the first time to-
day.
The letters, written by the late
Franklin X. Lane. secretary Of The
interior in the cabinet of President
Wilson from 1913 to 1920, have
bee NEGLECTED and edited by his
widow, Anne Wintermute Lane,
and have been published by
Houghton, Mifflin company. The
volume Is just off the press.
The correspondence reveals,
among okher things, how the pres-
ident frequently lost patience with
the tremendous problems confront
ing him and how at times discotfr-
a"ement crowded him to such a.
degree that he was prompted TO
turn bitterly upon his advisers
when they failed to agree with
him.
Attitude on Preparedness.
The letters gave a description OF
Mr.. Wilson's attitude on perpared-
ness before America entered the
war; tell how he regarded the pro-
posal to arm merchant ships, de-
scribe his opposition to anything
approaching the code duello'
spirit at a time when the United
States was neutral, and then when
great questions were pressing for
decision, tell how he encouraged
his cabinet to talk OF trivialities
while he went along on his own
counsel to solve the huge problems
facing his administration.
"The president said he didn't
wish to see either side win-for
both had been equally indifferent
to the rights of the neutrals," Mr..
Lane wrote to his brother on Feb
ruary II, 1917, commenting ON
particularly animated cabinet dis
eussion.
on the subject of preparedness,
even few months before the
United States entered the war, Mr..
Lane quoted President Wilson as
being mot in sympathy"
Writing to his brother, Febru-
dry 10, 1917, Mr.. Lane said: "At
our dinner TO the president last
night he said he was not in SYM
pathy with any great preparedness
that Europe would be mad and
money-poor by the end OF the
war"
Lanes Observations.
Continuing, Mr.. Lane added a
few observations of his own THE
army and the navy are so set and
stereotyped and stand-pat that
am almost hopeless as to moving
them to the wise, large and whole
some job" he wrote. They are
governed by red tape worse than
anv union. The chief OF staff fell
asleep at our meeting today. Mars
and Morpheus in one"
Again to his brother, February
25, Secretary Lane wrote: "On
Friday, we had one of the most
animated sessions of the cabinet
that l. suppose has ever been held
under this or any other president.
II all arose out of very innocent
question of mine as to whether 1t
was true that the wives Of Amer
lean consuls on leaving Germany
had been stripped naked, given an
acid bath TO detect writing on their
flesh and subjected to other in
dignities.
Bread Riots i'm New York.
"Iansing answered that it was
true. Then | asked Houston about
the bread riots in New York. This
led to a discussion of the great
problem which we had all been
afraid TO raise-why shouldn't we
send our ships out with guns and
Daniels said we must
not convoy--that would be danger
Gus. (Think of q secretary of the
navy telling of dangerD The pres
ident said the country was not
willing that we should take any
risks of war. / said that ! got
no such sentiment out of the coun-
try. This the president took as
suggestion that we should work up
o propa- anda OF hatred against
Germany, or course, | said l had
no such idea, but / felt that in u
democracy the people were entitled
to know the facts. McAdoo, Hou-
ston and Redfield Joined me. The
president turned to them bitterly
especially on McAdoo, and re-
all OF us with appealing
To the spirit Of the code duello.
We couldn't get the idea out of his
head that we were bent on push
ing the country into war. Houston
talked of resignlng after the meet
ing, McAdoo will-within year,
believe. l tried to smooth them
lown by recalling our past expert
ences with the president. We have
had to push and push to get MN
to take any forward step. lie
comes out right but he is slower
han q glacler-and things arc
mighty disagreeable whenever any
thing has TO be done
In addition to his voluminons
orrespondence, which included
letters to virtually every person
Of importance in the United
states, Mr.. Lane made many notes
on incidents occurring In his dany
life. Among these were copious
comments on the cabinet meetings.
IN one of these notes, dated
March /, 1918, he said.
First Real Talk OF War.
yesterday at cabinet meeting.
we had the first real talk OF war
in weeks. yes. in months. Burie-
son brought up the matter OF Rus
sia-would we support Japan In
taking Siberia. or even Vladivos-
tok? Should we join Japan ac-
.ively--in force?
"The president said mo- for the
very practical reason that we had