Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-11
WILSON WANTED NOMINATION
FOR THIRD TERM TO CARRY
TREATY FIGHT TO PEOPLE

1
civil office under the authority Of
the United States, which shall have
| been created, or the emcluments
whereof shall have been increased
during such time; and no person
| holding any office under the United
States, shall be a member of either
house during his continuance. in
office"
Why He Ignored Senate
Woodrow Wilson was keen
student Of the constitution. That
memorable document placed the
negotiation of treaties entirely in the
domain Of the executive. Mr.. Will
son felt that not his secretary of
state or any special commissioner he
| might appoint but he himself, the
chief executive, would be held re.
sponsible for the negotiation of a
treaty, especially one Of such vast
| Importance as that ending the
greatest war in history.
So he took no members of the
senate with him believing that any
one who took part in the negotia.
ton Of the treaty would be in a
sense disqualified from voting in an
unprecedented way on it as a mem.
Der of the senate and that the
trainers of the constitution were
wise in insisting that members oe
congress should not hold office I'M
der the authority Of the executive
branch Of the government as would
have been the case if Senators be-
came a part of the peace delegation
subject to the instructions of the
president and secretary of state
When President Harding appoint
ed Senators Lodge and Underwood
special commissioners to act with
the secretary of state in negotiating
the four-power treaty with Great
Britain France and Japan, Mr.. Will
son felt that the constitution had
been disregarded again as in the
Mckinley case. The answer made
by the other side was that since the
senators received no compensation
they were eligible, but Mr.. Wilson's
objection was that they could not
remain senators and act under the
authority or orders of the executive
branch Of the government at the
same time.
The Inflated appeal of October
1918 when President Wilson asked
the American people to elect a Dem
ocratic congress was really
natural development of his theory of
party responsibility. He asked for
a Democratic congress because Re-
publican leaders had expressed op-
position to his declaration Of peace
aims. He feared embarrassment by
his opponents in the making of
peace. His fears were confirmed.
Even before the executive could
complete his negotiations with other
governments, the senate by informal
round-robin expressed dissent. In
January 1920 after the weary dead
lock in the United States ,enate
over the ratification of the Versailles
treaty in which was incorporated
the constitution of the League Of
Nations, President Wilson again
conscious of party responsibility APP
pealed for a national referendum"
to decide whether the United States
should accept the treaty and enter
the League of Nations. He de
the suggestion for a referendum"
in a letter to a national gathering
OF Democrats at Jackson day ban
quet--an occasion for party counsel.
Wanted Third Nomination
Six months late, when the De 40
cratic national convention was in
session in San Francisco, Woodrow
Wilson felt that he should be nomi-
mated again for the presidency so
that he might make the fight for
the league. He held that his lead
ership was on trial and that since
he had made the record he should
enter the lists as it's defender.
These were the days when Wood
row Wilson had suffered a physical
breakdown. He had no serious
thought, of course, of retaining the
presidency for a third term if elect
ed. But he hoped his health would
return so that he might seek vindi-
cation. by a personal appeal to the
voters. His party associates at San
Francisco including cambridge
Colby, secretary of State, who was
to have made the motion to suspend
the rules and nominate Woodrow
Wilson for the presidency, joined in
a telegram to the White House adj
vising their chieftain that circum-
stances would prevent the passage
or such a motion and that the plan
had better be abandoned. The
telegram was never published and
Mr.. Wilson never replied.
Was the election OF 1920 the refer
endum Mr.. Wilson sought? He
never thought so. Thirty-one Re-
publicans including such eminent
statesmen as Elihu Root, Charles
Evans Hughes and Herbert Hoover
signed a statement issued to the
Republican voters of the country de-
claring that vote for the Repub-
lican presidential candidate was
vote in favor Of the League of Ma.
lions with suitable reservations.
When the Republican nominee took
office he announced in his inaugural
address that he would not favor en-
tering the League with or without
reservations. The Interpretation of
Republican policy on which presum-
ably millions OF voters had cast their
ballots was declared to have been
erroneous. For that reason Wood.
row Wilson hoped for a clear-cut is
sue in the platform of the presi-
dental contest but he died before
the lines of battle for 1924 could be
drawn.
So to the end Woodrow Wilson
carried his theory of personal re-
sponsibility to the party that had
honored him with its leadership for
eight years.
CTomorrow's chapter will deal with
the intimate side of Woodrow viii.
sons life)
Child Victim of Gun