The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-05-06

cated-CON and Bryan, Also Seek Party
Leadership--WilsOn Sees No Loss In
His Political Influence. 90 .,.s j.
\ BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch. to The Reformer.)
~ Copyright 1922. p
WASHINGTON. May 6-Woodrow
Wilson, considers himself the header of
the Democratic party, other aspirants
for that position to the contrary not
Withstanding.
This impression had been gradually
gaining ground recently with the grow
ing improvement in Mr.. Wilson'S health
but the letter written to John C. Hig-
don, who asked the former presidents
advice about entering the Democratic.
senatorial primaries in Missouri. now
has been accepted here as removing all
doubts on the question
In that letter to Mr.. Higdon, the for
mer president suggested that if the for
her believed in my political leadership
he would not complicate the contest by
making it a .r-iree-cornered fight as
Breckenridge Long, a close friend of Mr.
Wilson's, has already begun his cam
ator James \. Reed; arch-political foe
of Mr.. Wilson.
Democrats hereabouts who profess TO
know all about Mr.. Wilson'S political
thoughts, look upon the letter to Mr..
Iiigdon with deep satisfaction for they
say it IS full of meaning for those who
have essayed to place James NJ Cox at
the head of the Democratic party be-
cause he was the nominee at the last
convention. The question really asked
by the NNilsonites-an answered posi-
lively by them-is whether a man who
was twice elected to the presidency on
the Democratic ticket. indeed, the first
Democrat in n generation, isn't entitled
to consider himself. leader of the party
as against another Democrat who simply
ran for the presidency and was defeated.
For that matter William Jennings
Bryan ran thrice for the presidency and
doesn't believe in taking a back seat for
anybody but it is fact that Mr.. vii
son has on more than one occasion made
it clear that he is the leader of the party
and not Mr.. Bryan.
Bryan and OoX Ambitious.
This attitude on the part of Mr. VIII
son, however, hasn't prevented either
Mr. Bryan or Mr.. Cox from regarding
themselves as leaders of the party. But
the truth of the matter is that neither
one stands well in the graces of Mr.,
! Wilson when leadership is Eirvolved.
| There is every reason to believe Mr.. Cox
and Mr.. Wilson, for instance, are on
good terms. The speeches of Mr.. Cox
/ recently have been right along the same
! lines as Mr.. Wilson has eXpounded, par
| tucularly with reference to the league OF
| nations, but it is an open secret that
! Mr.. Wilson has looked aSkance at what
he has construed to be an attempt Il
grab the leadership of the Democratic
party on the part of Mr.. Cox. At the
same time another story with circum
stantia1 background is current to tho
effect that Mr.. Wilson's present ideas OF
his leadership Of the party have re
latiOn to what occurred in the mystify
| ing days of the last Democratic nationa
convention at San Francisco when Mr.
| Wilson was in Washington and declined
to permit his influence to be used in be
half of any candidates. The story il
that Mr.. Wilson wanted the nomination
for a third term as a compliment, tha
he realized he was physically too veal
to continue the arduous tasks of tn,
presidency in a third term, but that Ia
felt he ought to have been nominated
1 and thus be given an opportunity L
decline the honor. Mr.. Wilson j is rep
resented by his friends as having fell
that he had earned the compliment thai
This party should have recognized it
Postmaster General BurleSOn who wen
to San Francisco il credited with G
knowledge of Mr.. Wilson's wishes bu
was unable to influence the party lead
= ers TO pay their compliment.
Wilson Feels Same as of Old
Now that Mr. Wilson is out of ofic
he feels the same, namely, that he die
enough for the Democratic party to en-
Il title him to lead He wants to feel tha
he is at any rate leader emeritus an,
that the others in the party should fol
low him. No one believes Mr.. Wilson
wants to run again, though it would no
be surprising if his return to polite
should stimulate him in thinking b.
could make the race. For many months
incidentally, the wave of sentiment il
the direction of wisconsin on the par
of Democrats who left the fold in 1872
\ has been so encouraging to Mr.. Wilson
that his friends say he believes sine
that the tide has turned again and tina
he is being vindicated. The tone of hi
recent letters on political subjects ha
been pointed to as an evidence of Nh
Wilson's unbounded enthusiasm to par
ticipate in some way in the next politi
cal fray and that he viii take couspiC
uous part in the congressional campaig
before many weeks have passed. What
ever anyone else may think of Mr.. Wi
sons political influence with the cour
try the former president himself think
it is undiminished.