Evening star., 1924-03-10
The True Story of
Woodrow Wilson
By DAVID LAWRENCE.


careful thought which he gave in his
first administration. Keenly sensi-
tive always to the currents Of public
opinion, Mr.. Wilson's multiplicity of
problems carried him away and he
rode too long on the momentum of
the public opinion which supported
him during the war.
Mr.. Wilson's success with his own
party in the first administration was
que, In part, to intimidation-there
was no certainty what the leader of
sI tine party would do with threatened
tain faith that his major policies, like
currency reform and tariff revision,
were constructive achievements, and
would help the party at the polls
JUST as soon as any President is
strong enough to carry local state
and county tickets with him in an
election Just to such extent does he
dominate his party and put himself in
position to lead 1t effectively. Con-
versely. when a President Is bitterly
opposed, and Is the victim Of his own
vacillation and compromise. the pub
lie loses confidence in him, as do the
members of his party, who strike out
on their own and assume the leader
ship.
Sense of Party Loyalty.
To an amazing extent did the MEM
bers of the democratic party in Con-
gress seek the guidance and counsel
or the President-e On many sub
jects he was plainly in ignorance and
confessed his unfamiliarity. His dis
position with respect to appointments
to Office was, of course, we'll known,
because of his independence while
governor of New Jersey. He was
! known to be opposed to the distribu-
tion of jobs as a political reward. His
instinct told him that public offices
ought not to be bartered with. But
he retained a sense of party loyalty
as well as an understanding of the
practical side of national politics. If
the distribution of Offices were simply
a matter of reward to those who had
performed political service, the sue
ceSsful candidate might we'll insist
that he would select from the group
the other hand, he would not appoint
incompetentS. In other words, his
policy would have been to select poll
ticianS only when they were COM
difficulty, however. was not in re-
warding those who had performed
service, but in encouraging those who
would be the means of winning I'M
pOrtant support In congress OF III
subsequent elections.
Mr. Wilson came to recognize that
expediency which on more than one
occasion has caused President o.
the United States to depart from hrst
impulse and to appoint instead men
recommended because OF active pal
ticipation in politics
Appointed Reeds Man.
Perhaps the most striking instance
in Mr.. Wilson's career of political
appointment which went against the
grain, but which he convinced him
justifying the means. occurred in his
early conference with Senator James
Reed of Missouri. Mr.. Reed had
strongly endorsed Colin Selph to be
postmaster of St. Louis, Mo. Objec-
tionS galore were filed against Mr..
Selph on the ground. chiefly. that he
was not of the progressive school.
to President Wilson. pointing out
that he was politically obligated to
Mr.. Selph and that he would lose
a friend If he did not win the ap-
pointment. Mr.. Wilson's mind was
torn between duty in the abstract
sense and practical politics. He knew
that Jim Reed was the type who could
make trouble in the Senate. He want
ed the Missouri senator's support, eS-
pecially on the currency bill, because
he was a member of the committee
which was framing the bill.
Mr.. Wilson appointed Senator Reeds
man. Later on Mr.. Reed showed signs
of insurgency, and to this day there
is a controversy as to whether he
helped Mr.. Wilson in framing the
federal reserve act or whether lie
embarrassed him in those early years
In 1922, after Mr.. Wilson had left
the White House, he wrote a letter
to a Missouri friend stating that
Senator Reed had embarrassed him.
but the Missouri senator produced
letters written to him during the
early stages of the currency bills
progress through the Senate seeming
to prove that Mr.. Wilson was grate-
full for the help that had been given.
1t is a fact that, although Senator
Reed was tempted again and again
to go off the reservation completely,
he realized the Importance of an in
dorsement by the President Of the
United States. especially in the year
1916, when Mr.. Reed was a candidate
for reelection at the same time that
Mr.. Wilson was running for a second
term.
Reed Turns ON Wilson.
One of the most impressive meet
ings in the early part Of 1916, when
Mr.. Wilson was making a western
trip to urge preparedness, was that