Evening star., 1924-03-01
The True Story of
Woodrow Wilson
yDAVID LAWRENCE.

was elected, be appointed to any civil
office under the authority of the
United States which shall have been
created or the emoluments whereof
shall have been increased during
such time, and no person holding any
office under the United States shall
be member of either house during
his continuance in office"
Keen Student Of Constitution.
dent of the Constitution. That mem-
orable document placed the negotia-
tion of treaties entirely in the do
main of the executive. Mr.. Wilson
felt that not his Secretary Of State
or any special commissioner lie might
appoint, but he himself the Chief Ex-
ecutive, would be held responsible for
the negotiation of a treaty, especial
ly one of such vast Importance as
that ending the greatest war In
history.
So he took no members Of the Sem
ate with him, believing that any one
who took part in the negotiation of
the treaty would be in a sense dis
qualified from voting in an unpreju
diced way on it as a member of the
Constitution were wise in insisting
that members of Congress should not
hold office under the authority of the
executive branch of the government
as would have been the case if SEN
ators became part of the peace
delegation, subject to the instruc-
tions of the President and Secretary
of State.
When President Harding appoint
ed Senators Lodge and Underwood
n.i a mi q 70 I'll
the Secretary of State in negotiat-
ing the four-power treaty witt. Grea,
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 We're eligible. but Mr.. Wilson'S
objection was that they could not
remain senator's and act under the
branch of the government at the
same time.
Appeal for Democratic Congress-.
The illfated appeal of October,
1918, when President Wilson asked
the American people to elect a dem
ocratic Congress, WAS really a natu-
raj development of his theory of
Il democratic Congress because re-
publican leaders had expressed op-
position to his declaration of peace
aims, He feared embarrassment by
his opponents i'll the making of peace.
His fears were confirmed. Even be-
fore the Executive could complete
his negotiations with other govern
!
robin. expressed dissent. In Janu-
airy, 1920. after the weary deadlock
| in the United States Senate over the
ratification of the Versailles treaty,
in which was incorporated the con-
Stitution of the league of nations
President Wilson, again conscious of
party responsibility, appealed for a
national referendum" to decide
whether the United States should ac-
! cept the treaty and enter the league
of nations. He made the suggestion
for referendum" in a letter to a
national gathering of democrats at
a jackson day banquet-an occasion
for party counsel. Six monthe later,
when the democratic national conven-
ton was in session in San Francisco.
Woodrow Wilson felt that he should
be nominated again for the presi-
dency so that he might make the
fight for the league. He held that
l
since he had made the record he
should enter the lists as its defender.
These were the days when Wood
row Wilson had suffered a physical
thought. of course. of retaining the
presidency for a third term if elected
But he hoped his health would return
so that he might seek vindication by
personal appeal to the voters. His
party associates at San Francisco. in
.ltI1 limo ,1Nr~ts
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 advising their
chieftain that circumstances would
prevent the passage of such a. motion
and that the plan had better be
abandoned. The telegram was never
published and Mr.. Wilson never re-
piled.
Didn't Believe 1t Referendum.
Was the election of 1920 the refer
endum Mr.. Wilson sought? He never
thought so. Thirty-one republicans,
including such eminent statesmen as
Elihu Root, Charles Evans Hughes
and Herbert Hoover signed a state
sment issued to the republican voters
of the country declaring that vote
for the republican presidential candi-
date was a vote in favor of the league
of nations 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 woodrow
Wilson hoped for a clear-cut issue in
the platforms of the presidential con-
test, but he died before the lines of
battle for 1924 could be drawn.
So to the end Woodrow Wilson car
ried his theory of personal response
bility to the party that had honored
him with it's leadership for eight
years.
Copyright, 1924. by the George II. Doran
Company, in the United States, Canada,
South America World publication rights
reserved by Current News Features, In
cOrporated.)
TOmOrrOw's chapter will deal with
the intimate side OF Woodrow Will