Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-05

gloom. 1t was reported that Mr..
| Wilson lay unconscious for a week.
! Truth was that he never was I'M
conscious at any time during that
| illness. 1t was reported that he
! had become a maniac. Truth was
that his mind always was active
and he constantly gave directions
| to those about him.
Responds to Treatment
| In a few days there was some
response to treatment. Mr.. Wilson's
| spirits rose. Always lover of
music he wanted some. DR.. Gray
son ordered in a talking machine
which was supplied with the latest
records of lively tunes. Mr.. Wilson
wanted to read and could not do it
in bed with nose glasses so his
oculist was ordered down from
Philadelphia and fitted him with
spectacles.
Mr.. Wilson had suffered the reti-
nal hemorrhage in his right eye
years ago and DR.. Grayson wanted
the oculist, DR.. George De
Schweinits, to examine it.
II want to look at your pupils"
said the oculist.
You'll have a long job" shot
back the sick president.
I've had many thousands of
them"
He was thinking of college
days, but the remark was an eX-
ample of how he always joked his
doctors even when he was DESPERATE
! ly ill. But sick as he was, he
chafed at confinement. and wanted
| to get up.
Your temperature is exactly nor
NAL this morning" said DR.. Grayson
on one occasion, soon thereafter.
my temper won't be normal If
you keep me in this bed much
longer" returned Mr.. Wilson.
But anxious as he was to try
his legs" his physician knowing the
true condition dissuaded him from
risking it.
Up to this time Mr.. Wilson, in
sisting that his condition be kept
secret, had excluded from his room
all but members of the family the
doctors and two trusted nurses
from the naval dispensary The
valet who shaved him was barred
and Woodrow Wilson grew a beard
and moustache. He hadn't worn
whiskers for 80 years. not since he
was a student at Johns Hopkins,
when he wore Furnishes" He sac-
counted it a rather good joke and
used to carefully brush the adorn-
ment every day.
Meanwhile the secrecy which sur
rounded the details Of the presi-
dents illness gave rise to some COM
ino 70
whether he had suffered a consti-
tutional disability to perform the
functions of his office. Mr.. Wilson
and his wife were determined that
congress should not find out.
Officials Inquisitive
Members Of the cabinet found It
fruitless to 0sk for an audience in
the sick room. They sent inquiries
in writing and documents for sig
nature and Mrs. Wilson made the
decisions as to whether the presi-
dent could see them. Some members
of the Wilson family suspected that
some of the inquiries transmitted
were designed to test whether the
presidents mind was working on
public affairs end sometimes these
were gone over in family council !
with the object of defeating such a
purrose-if purpose it were-.ln
returning the answers.
There were long days when even
Joseph P. Tumulty, the presidents
secretary, was excluded from the
sick room, so close was the veil
drawn, to conceal his rea Icondition.
Political opponents in congress who
wanted to develop whether the pres.
y6roC
consider a state document arranged
to have sent up to the White House
some resolutio Is which actually re.
quired signature. Mr.. Wilson
signed them, with great effort. but
the pen strokes were the waVerins,
wandering lines Of a palsied hand.
quite unlike the positive bold strokes
with which he usually wrote wood.
row Wilson" 1t was reported on
seemingly good authority that some
of these opponents examined these
signatures with the aid of a micro.
scope, compared them with sigma.
lures on other papers signed in Mr..
wilson's health and were undecided
whether they had been signed bv
Mr.. Wilson or Mr.. Tumulty.
There had been no meetings of
the CABINET during this period. Some
OF the members who were not in ac
cora with the policy of secrecy de.
termlned to force things a little.
secretary Lansing, then at the head
OIL the state department, called A
meeting or the cabinet and quizzed
ICr. Grayson and Secretary Tumu1tv
doout the presidents condition,
Lansing Dismissed
NJ
supported by some other cabinet
members as he probably had reason
20 expect ne would be, and the at
OeHlpL 20 get some information fail.
ed This incident undoubtedly was
the principal factor in Mr.. Wi1son,s
abrupt dismissal Of Mr.. LANSING
later when he learned of ii. although
IL was not acknowledged in any Of
the published correspondence as con.
tributing to the event.
Vice President MarshalPs attitude
through all that trying time was
commented upon as being conspic.
dously correct. He held himself
apart from it all as Vice President
Arthur did during the prolonged i'll
ness Of Garfield.
But the agitation In congress fl
naily came to a head and it was
determined to find out whether we
have a President of not" as one po-
Ntical leader expressed it. The Mex.
lean situation furnished the occa-
sion for passing a resolution which
the senate decided warranted a con-
ference Of the foreign relations com.
mittee with the president. Senator
Fall. of New. Mexico, a Republican
and administration policy opponent,
who became secretary of the interior
under President Harding was named