Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-08

n m r. WILSON'S conception OF
WI party leadership and party
discipline was novel indeed
His favorite textbook in the college
lecture room was Bagheot's English
Constitution" remarkable treatise
on the British parliamentary theory
as contrasted with our own. OFTEN
in the subsequent years of his po'
litical career, Woodrow Wilson re-
, vealed the Unconscious influence OF
these studies of parliamentary gov
eminent. From the days when the
Underwood Simmons tariff law and
the Federal Reserve act were under
consideration he was ready to read
out Of the party" those who dis.
agreed with his leadership, 1t per-
sisted to the very end. To him it
was an essential OF party discipline.
He maintained this notion even
through the days of his illness eX-
pressing his views in a series of let
ters relating to the candidacy for
denomination of certain United
States senators who had strayed
from his leadership and occasionally
Improving others who had remained
faithful.
Mr.. Wilson admired CERTAIN fea-
lures of the English governmental
system. He liked the idea of re-
lsponsibility to the people of a cabinet
formed by the party successful in an
election. He was impressed by the
opportunity of a prime minister and
his cabinet when opposed by the
legislature either to resign and per-
NIT another ministry to be formed
| by the same party or to carry the
| disagreement at once to the country
so that the voters might decide it
in a general election.
Only the few who knew of the
! deep impression which the parlia-
mentary form OF government had
made on Woodrow Wilson's mind in
his college years realized what he
meant when on two occasions he
spoke to his intimates about resign
/ ing the presidency of the United
states. The general public never
has known that Woodrow Wilson
harbored such thoughts while he
WAS in the White House.
Thought of Resigning
The first instance occurred but a
few weeks after Mr.. Wilson was in
augurated. He had delivered an adj
dress to congress in person asking
for the repeal of the legislation which
had exempted American vessels from
the payment of tolls in passing
through the Panama Canal.
| The exemption, he claimed, had
/ disseminated against the vessels. o.
Great Britain which under the Hay.
! Pauncefote treaty had been guaran-
teed equal rights with the ships of
| the United States. This was MIR.
| Wilson's first test of strength with
! his own party. 1t looked for a few
days as if he would be defeated
Il would rather resign" he said
one day, than remain president of
country which repudiated its
treaty obligations.
| On another occasion Just before
the United States entered the Eu-
ropean war, when congress was
considering the McLemore resolution
| providing that American citizens be
war..ed to keep off the high seas so
as TO avoid complications with Ger
many's campaign of submarine war
fare. Mr.. Wilson was told that such
a resolution might pass in direct
| opposition to his wishes. He talked
again OF resigning Woodrow Will
/ son won both fights however Wheth-
er If he had lost either one he would
have carried into effect the threat
OF resignation nobody knows. Sub
sequent events would seem TO prove,
| however, he came a. last to realize
that. unless the members of con-
Sress resigned also and the country
had an opportunity 20 pass judg-
ment simultaneously on those who
had disagreed with the executive.
the move would be futile.
Within his. own party, on the
other hand. Woodrow Wilson did
consider it his duty to appeal to
the people to decide for or against
his leadership. He wrote letters
which were made public and used
against the candidacy for example
Of Senator Nardaman OF Mississippi
in the party primary campaign. He