San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-08
Four Presidents Ride to Capitol
Coolidge, Taft and Wilson Follow Body of Harding

excepting that Of his lifelong friend
Harry Daugherty.
Grayson Rides With Wilson. !.
President Harding knew as many
knew that Mr.. Taft once had had the
choice of the presidency or the chief
justiceship placed before him. His own
inclination was for the bench. The
bench was suited TO his temperament
and-his training. He had never mingled
much in politics.. The many public
offices he had held and in which he
acquitted himself SO well had virtually
all been Of the appointive variety. But
the counsel of Roosevelt and of others
upon whom he leaned prevailed and
Mr.. Taft went in course of time to
the White House. 1t seemed then that
the doors of the Supreme Court had
been closed to him. Warren Harding
opened them. And SO today Mr.. Taft
bowed his head in grateful tribute.
And Woodrow Wilson. He rode
with the wife who has scarcely left his
side in the four long years since he
was stricken-stricken as be fought
TO lead the nation in the way he
thought il should go, as he fought TO
carry out with his own people the
commitment he had made in their
name at the peace councils of the old
world.
With him also was "his friend
Admiral Cary Grayson. 1t is not
often that Woodrow Wilson proclaims
friend. There was vast tribute 10
Grayson when Wilson wrote of him as
my friend" in accepting the invita-
ton of President Coolidge to take his
rightful place in the Harding funeral
cortege. There was no failure of cour
tesy this time TO the former President,
1t was not necessary for him to ask
for place as he was required to do
upon his last public appearance in
Washington at the burial of the I'M
known soldier.
Mr.. Wilson could not TAKE part, in
the services within the Capitol build
ing. Bravely he had accompanied Mr..
Harding TO the Capitol for his inau-
guration, but the effort at walking
was to great. And here again, that
remarkably frank. wonderfully SYM
pathetic letter he wrote to President
Coolidge. Mr.. Wilson took the WORLD
into his confidence.
regret TO say that my lameness
makes it impracticable for me to at
tend the exercises in the Capitol"
This lameness it may now be stated,
is the one thing that rctards the con-
valescence' of Mr.. Wilson.
In the funeral procession, Woodrow
Wilson found both friend and foe.
Warren Harding himself had attacked
wisconsin" had bitterly denounced
the attempt to set up in this country
what he chose to call "a one man gov
crnment." Warren Harding had bit
terly attacked the League of Ma
tions-the child of the brain of Wood
row Wilson. In one Of his last speech
es he had vowed that--fe would never
enter the league "by side door. back
door. or cellar door," But Warren
Harding had fought fairly from be-
ginning to end so that Woodrow Viii
son could truthfully say of him as he
did. that President Harding had "won
the esteem of the whole nation by his
honorable and conscientious conduct
in office"
There were "enemiea" at the obse-
auies of whom Wilson would not say
so much. There were senator's who
had attacked him not only officially.
but who had pried into and spread
stories-unverificd and unwelcome-
of his illness. But Wilson seemed to
be thinking today of none of these.
The light of his faith. the light of his
hope, still burns with bright flame.