Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-25

terror LII the cabinet of President Will
son from 1913 TO 1920, have been COLI
lected and edited by his widow, Anne
Wlntermute Lane, and have been pub
nshed by Houghton, Mifflin company.
The volume is just off the press.
The correspondence reveals, among
other things, how the president fre-
qhently lost patience with the tre-
mendous problems confronting him and
how at other times discouragement
crowded him to such degree that he
was prompted to turn bitterly upon
ms advisers when they failed to
agree with him. The letters give a
description of Mr.. Wilson's attitude
on preparedness before America en-
tered the war; tell how he regarded
the proposal to arm merchant ships. I
describe his opposition to anything
approaching the code duello" spirit
at time when the United States was
neutral, ard then, when great uues-
tons were pressing for decision, tell
now he encouraged his cabinet to
talk OF trivilities while he went along
On his own counsel to solve the huge
problems facing his administration.
Wilson Was "Neutral'
Tho president said he didn't wish
to see either side win-for both had
been equally Indifferent to the rights
Of neutrals," Mr.. Lane wrote to his
brother on February II, 1917, com
menting on particularly animated
cabinet discussion.
On the subject of preparedness,
even q few months before the United
states entered the war, Mr.. Lane quot
ed President Wilson as being mot in
sympathy" Writing again to his
hr0fhQP Esahyrro-r,
said:
AT our dinner to the president las
night he said he was not in symnafhv
with any great preparedness-that Eu-
rope would be mad and money poor by
the end of the war; Continuing, Mr..
Lane added few observations Of his
own.
Chief of Staff Fell AsIesp
The army and the navy are SO set
and stereotyped and stand-pat that I
am almost hopeless as to moving then,
to the wise. large and wholesome Job
he wrote. ''They are governed by red
tape worse than any union. The chief
ef staff fell asleep at our meeting to-
day. Mars and Morpheus in one"
:. Again to his brother, February %,
Secretary Lane wrote:
On Friday, We had one of the most
animated sessions OF the cabinet thar
| suppose has ever been held under
this OR any other president. 1t all
arose out OF q very innocent question
OF mine as to whether it was true that
the wives of American consules on
leaving Germany had been stripped
naked. given an acid bath to detect
writing on their flesh, and subjected
to other indignities.
Josephus Saw Danger
Lansing answered that it was trua.
Then [ asked Houston about the bread
riots in New York. This led to a dis
cussion of the great problem, which we
had all been afraid to raise-why
shouldn't we send our ships out with
guns and eonvoyss Daniels said We
must not convoy that would be danger
Gus. (Think OF a secretary of the
navy telling of dangerD The prssi-i
dent said the country was not willing
that We should take any risks Of war.
| said that I got no such sentiment
out of the country. This the president
took as a suggestion that we should
work up paganda of hatred against
Germany. or course, / said I had no
such idea, but I felt that in demo-
,racy the people were entitled to know
he facts. McAdoo. Houston and
Redfield Joined me. The president
turned on them bitterly, especially on
and reproached all OF US with
appealing to the spirit of the code
lucille" We couldn't get the idea cut
u his head that we were bent on push
ng the country into war. Houston
,alked of resigning after the meeting.
McAdoo will-wfthin a year, I believe.
tried to smooth them down by recall
ng our past experience with the pres
dent. We had to push and push to-
ret him to take any forward step. He
.omes out right but he is slower than
| glacier-and things are mighty dis
agreeable whenever anything has to
Ia s3anar