Evening star., 1924-03-09
The True Story of
Woodrow Wilson
ByDAVID LAWRENCE.

lied better than Woodrow Wilson
the difficulties that might ensue if
he failed to select William Jennings
Bryan for a portfolio in the cabinet
No one. on the other hand, had been
as keenly aware OF Mr.. Bryan'S tenn
peramental fondness for the stump
and public speaking rather than the
involuntary silence and seclusion i'm
posed by tradition upon a Secretary
OF State. Mr.. Wilson felt from the
start that Mr.. Bryan's position as a
leader of the democratic party in
three separate campaigns entitled
him. to the ranking position in the
CABINET OF a democratic administra-
ton.
Place offered to Bryan.
One of the first things Mr. Wilson
did on his return from Bermuda early
in December. 1912. was to offer the
seoretaryship of state to Mr.. Bryan,
and the latter accepted. The tender
was made verbally and was kept a
secret for many weeks Col. Edwin
NJ. House, who had become identified
with the Wilson pre-convention cam
paign, began at once to enlist Mr..
Wilson's interest in currency reform,
on which he had spent many years
of study. The President-elect sane
toned a trip by Col. House to Flor
ida to let Mr.. Bryan know in a gen.
eral way of the plans for currency
legislation and to win his support.
IT was Col. Houses tact and skill on
this mission that prompted the Presi-
dent-elect to rely more and more on
the judgment of his new-found ad-
wiser.
The colonel had the happy idea that
John Bassett Moore, Americas most
eminent authority on international
law, could be persuaded to accept the
position of counselor of the Depart
ment of State and that the team of
Bryan and Moore would satisfy pub
lie opinion. especially that part of
would follow a conventional policy
In handling foreign affairs
Looking back on the hopefulneSs
with which that plan was launched
one cannot help feeling that it was
a splendid example of the kind Of
thing which looks we'll on paper but
never works in actual practice. 1t
was good political move, but bred
,ts disappointment later on. Mr..
MOTIVES Moore was a stickler for traditional
judges on the Court of International
Justice at The Hague. Mr.. Wilson
respected tradition and precedent
only in so far as they presented an
opportunity to create a new prece-
dent. Mr.. Bryan, whose heart was
as big as the world itself. felt that
precedent and law were compelling
only in so far as they conformed to
principles of Christian morality and
the broader faith Of civilization itself.
Worked Well with Bryan.
AS Secretary of State Mr.. Bryan
surprised Mr. Wilson by his Jealous
advancement of certain fundamentals
OF foreign policy. and though the
President and Mr.. Bryan disagreed
on the use Of physical force instead
or moral force in issues with Ger
many. there is no doubt that the
Bryan-Wilson combination was a
closer one than either man had
dreamed it would be in the days Of
1912. Their emotions frequently were
aroused in the same way-their SYM
pathies stimulated by identical cir
cumstances. Points of difference were
many, but the decision to take Mr..
Bryan into the cabinet was a plunge
INTO the dark by Mr.. WilSon-it was
SIMPLY q conviction that the demo-
cratic party should be kept united
and that Mr.. Bryan had earned first
place in the cabinet
while the cabinet problem, of
course, was the principal work upon
which Mr.. Wilson was engaged when
ne returned from Bermuda, he began
ser1eS OF conferences with congress
Sional leaders on prospective leeis-
lation. 1t was in the little cottage at
princeton that Col. House and Rep
resentative Carter Glass. chairman of
the House committee on banking and
currency, first laid before Mr.. Wilson
tne essentials OF the plan which in
time gave the United States the fed
erai reserve act now on the statute
DOCKS, substituting for an antiquated
currency slstem a structure in keep
ing with the business expansion of
the country.
The bold and outspoken manner in
which MT. Wilson. as President-elect,
discussed what he intended to do as
President on the major issues, name
Iy, the tariff ard currency reform.
gave many Of those about him the
IMPRESSION that he was overconfident.
MT Wilson, however, had a sublime
Neither the tariff act nor the federal
reserve act, as finally written into
law. were actually what Mr.. Wilson
wanted, but their fundamentals were
what he had sought from the begin
ming. He believed public opinion was
behind him and that chief execus
tive who could marshal public opin-
ion would compel Congress to aban-
don filibusters and dilatory tactics
and enact constructive measures.
Copyright, 1924, by the George 81. Doran
Company. In the United States, Canada, South
America. World publication rights reserved
by Current News Features. fncorporated)
(Tomerrow's chapter describes
how Wilson the theoretical. gave
way to Wilson the practical, I'm
dealing with Appointments to of.
ace.)
GUIDES Flowers via Telegraph
to all PARTS of the world Con,,,1%