Evening star., 1924-06-15

Journal, he covered the Washington
end of the great world war an exact
ing, altough interesting. task, in
view of the recognized lead that his
paper took in gathering and dissent
mating the news of that epochal con-
fiict. AS an official of election cam
paign committees he had an inside
view of the great game Of politics.
So it will be seen that Mr.. Barry
had a closeup. intimate view Of his
tory in the making and the leading
characters on the. stage of politics.
Regarding those who thus held the
stage in the elder years, in com
parison with Congress as we know it
now, Mr.. Barry is non -committal, for
he says, Whether the senators and
representatives today measure up to
those of forty, fifty or sixty years
ago is matter of opinion, upon
which men and women disagree"
He does. however. give some side
lights which prove extremely inter-
esting reading-regarding President
Hayes ties and Mrs. Hayes coiffure;
about Uncle Joe" Cannon. who re-
Gently withdrew from Congress after
was during the time that Mr.. Barry
was collecting material for his book,
and who is pictured as a village cut
up; how Roosevelt disciplined re-
porters because a certain paper had
printed a story to the effect that the
Roosevelt children had tormented
some turkeys confined in the White
House grounds. awaiting Thanksgiv-
ing execution, and how Woodrow
Wilson froze out the news gatherers
Several previously unpublished
stories are told by Mr.. Barry. One
which is about the dynamic Roose-
velt," and another, which gives Wood
row Wilson's views on the ethical
side of newspaper reporting, are good
examples. He recalls that Roosevelt
was President during "a period that
covered the enactment of drastic
laws and the enforcement of even
more drastic executive orders" and
reminds us that Roosevelt did domi-
nate all the work of Congress. and,
to very large degree, the executive
departments"
A N incident of Mr.. RooseveIt's first
day in the White House as Pres
ident throws a clear light upon his
own view of the question whether he
served one constitutional term or two
as President. and also reveals the
originality of his methods, and his
handling of situations as they arose
without consulting tradition or prece-
dents or the views of other people,"
Mr.. Barry says.
Roosevelt had just returned from
the burial of President Mckinley, at
Canton, and, calling in a few of the
leading newspaper representatives,
addressed them substantially as fol-
lows:
This being my first day in the
White House President of the
United States, 1 desired to have a
little talk with you gentlemen who
are responsible for the collection and
| dissemination of the. news, as to the
relations that should and will exist
between the White House and your
organizations.
"One thing I want you to under
stand at the start feel myself just
as much a constitutionally elected
President of the United States as Nc
kinley was. I was voted for as Vice
President, it is true, but the Consti-
tuition provides that in case of the
| death or inability of the President
the Vice President shall serve as
President, and, therefore, due to the
act of a madman, l am President, and
shall act in every word and deed pre-
cisely as if I and not Mckinley had
been the candidate for whom the
electors cast the vote for President.