Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-10-26
WAR CABINET
DESCRIBED In LETTERS
OF LATE FRANKLIN LANE
TeIsI How President Wilson
Viewed Preparedness Be-
fore Americas Entry Into
World War


the American war cabinet and Civ
ing an intimate picture of Wood
row Wilson as he appeared while
presiding over the secret meetings
of his official family, was made
public for the first time Tuesday
The letters, written by the late
Franklin K. Lane, secretary of the
interior in the cabinet of President
Wilson from 1913 to 1920, have
been collected and edited by his
widow, Anne Wintermute Lane
and have been published by Hough-
ton-Mifflin company. The volume is
just off the press.
The correspondence reveals,
among other things, how the presi-
dent frequently lost patience with
the tremendous problems confront
ing him, and how, at other times.
discourag cement crowded him to
such a degree that he was prompt
ed to turn bitterly on his advisers
when they failed to agree with him.
The letters give q description Of
Mr.. Wilson's attitude on prepared
ness before America entered the
war; tell how he regarded the pro-
posal to arm merchant ships, de-
scribe his opposition to anything
oh IL ~
it at a time when the United States
was neutral, and then, when great
questions were pressing for deci-
sion, tell how he encouraged, his
cabinet TO talk Of trivialities while
he went along on his own course
to solve the huge problems facing
his administration.
1.-THE president said he didn't
wish 10 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, commenting on a particularly
animated cabinet discussion.
On the subject of preparedness.
United States entered the war, Mr..
Lane quoted President Wilson as
being not in sympathy" Writing
again to his brother, February 16,
1917, Mr.. Lane said:
Not in Sympathy
AT our dinner to the president
last night he said he was not in
sympathy with any great prepared
ness-that Europe would be mad
and money-poor by the end of the
war" Continuing, Mr.. Lane added
few observations Of his own.
THE army and navy are so set
and stereotyped and stand-pat that 1
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 any
union. The chief of staff fell asleep
at our meeting today-Mars and
Morpheus in one"
I Again, to. his brother, February
%, SecretarySLane wrote:
"On Friday we had one of the
most animated sessions of the cab
met that l suppose has ever been
held under this or any other presi-
cent question of mine as to whether
it 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 indigni-
ties.
Lansing answered that it was
true. Then I asked Houston about
the bread riots in New York. This
led to a discussion of the great prob
lem which we had all been afraid to
raise-why shouldn't we send our
ships out with guns and conveys?
Daniels said we must not convoy
that would be dangerous. (Think of
a secretary Of the navy telling of
dangerD
1.-The president said the country
was not willing that we should take
any risks of war. 1 said that I got
no such sentiment out of the coun-
try. This the president took as a
suggestion that we should work up
a propaganda of hatred against Ger
many. OF course, I said I had no
such idea, but l felt that in a democ-
racy the people were entitled to
know the facts. McAdoo, Houston
and Redfield joined me. The presi-
dent turned on them bitterly, espe-
ciaIly on McAdoo, and reproached all
of us with appealing to the spirit Of
the code duello.'
Had to Push Him
eve couldn't get the idea out of
his mind that we were bent on push
ing the country into war. Houston
talked of resigning after the meet
believe. I tried to smooth them
riences with the president. We have
had to push and push to get him to
take any forward step. He comes
out right, but he is slower than a
glacier: and things are mighty disa-
greeable whenever anything has to
be done"
In addition to his voluminous cor
respondence, which included letters
to virtually every person of impor
lance in the United States, Mr. Lane
made many notes On incidents &C.
curing in his daily life. Among
these were cOpious comments on the
cabinet meetings. In one of these
notes, dated March /, 1913, he said:
yesterday, at cabinet meeting, we
had the first real talk of war in
weeks, yes, in months. Burleson
brought up the matter of Russia
would we support Japan in taking
Siberia, or even Viadivosto<? Should
we join Japan actively--in force?
1.-THE president said no. for the
very practical reason that we had
no ships. We had difficulty in pro-
viding for our men in France and
for our allies. (The president never
uses this word, saying that we are
not allies)"
In a note dated March u. 1918,
Secretary Lane wrote: