The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-04

he ''did not propose to have the United States caught with one hand tied be- hind it's back" He did not propose to be engaged in a war with Mexico at such time. At all events, the World war broke the same year. Woodrow Wilson added his appeals to the futile effort to stay it. sitting by the bedside of his dying wife on a memorable August 6, 1914. Mrs. Wilson passed away that day, and with world takin; fire about him, he took her body to her girlhood home in Rome, Ga, for burial. The President was almost pros- trated with his grief, and returned alone to the White House to face his burden. Wilson's friends always said that from the first Wilson saw it would be a world war and that the United States eventually would be drawn in. But he realized that the country draw ing its population from the states of Europe which were going to war would face a much divided sentiment and a very different situation. His first words to his countrymen were eau tion to strict neutrality.
 Wilson's efforts were devoted to keeping hic country neutral until the submarine loutrages began. He was at first unable to believe that the atroci- ties had the sanction of the German government, but was convinced when they sunk the Lusitania. That incident brought the first rift in his official family. William Jennings Bryan, sec retary of state, an avowed pacifist, op- posed Wilson's course and left the cab inet. Wilson nevertheless went ahead and warned the German government against sacrificing the lives of Ameri- can citizens. Through a diplomatic correspondence which continued for two years, the President built up a record which reached it's climax when he handed passports to Count Johann von Bernstorff, the German ambassador and asked Congress to declare war which it did. With that the President led the nation into the tremendous ef- fort before it.
 Hughes Losing Candidate
 Meanwhile. with a World war all about him, Wilson had found time for an affair of the heart. He had met Mrs. Edith Boiling Galt, the widow of a Washington merchant Their court ship was swift and they were married December IS, 1915. There were no children of this second marriage.
 A presidential election had inter- vened before the country went into the war, and this time Wilson's repub- lican opponent was Charles Evans Hughes, who left the supreme court bench to become q candidate. The is- sues of that campaign were very much muddled. The democratic slogan was He kept us out of war;" Mir. Will sons election, however, was by a very narrow margin. The result trembled in the balance three days and finally turned in his favor when California flopped to the democratic column by a few votes. Wilson got PIT votes in the electorial college and Hughes got 254.
 Wilson actually assumed his place as commander-in-chi of the army and navy. He took the leadin. part in planning Americas partici pation in the war. He insisted from the first for a unified command on the western front; for vigorous measures to curb the sub marine menace. He personally initiated much of the war legislation such as the, passage of the selective service law, the creation of the shipping board, the war industries board, the war labor board and multitude of other arms of the government for carrying on the strug-