Cary T. Grayson Diary

Title

Cary T. Grayson Diary

Creator

Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938

Identifier

WWP17186

Date

1919 June 4

Source

Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia

Language

English

Text

The President, after breakfast, went for a short walk, after which he attended the meeting of the Big Four, which devoted the entire day to perfecting the economic and military clauses that are to be inserted into the Austrian treaty, and which were withheld when the treaty was given to the Austrian delegates at St. Germain.

We got full particulars today of the latest bomb outrages in the United States, which are apparently being carried on in an effort to force the Government to stop its prosecution of the anarchistic leaders and the IWW, who have tried to terrorize the country. Attorney General Palmer’s house in Washington was among those damaged by a bomb explosion, the man who planted it having been blown to pieces while placing the infernal machine in the vestibule of the house. This premature explosion probably saved the life of the Attorney General and the members of his family. Had the bomb been squarely placed the entire residence undoubtedly would have been demolished. The attack on Mr. Palmer recalled to my mind the fact that I had been distinctly instrumental in assisting in his appointment to his present position. When I came to Paris on my first trip I brought a letter from Attorney General Gregory to Colonel EM House. It developed later that this letter was a notification to the Colonel that he (Gregory) was going to retire from the Cabinet, and a suggestion that the Colonel get busy and name his successor. It was rather a remarkable coincidence that Colonel House had selected James C. McReynolds as Attorney General when the President was first elected. McReynolds was a Texas Lawyer and hardly known outside of his own coterie, but he made good as Attorney General, and later secured the appointment to the Supreme Bench at the hands odf the President. He was succeeded by Thomas Watt Gregory, another Texan, who was picked for the job by Colonel House.

The Colonel told me that he expected to recommend Assistant Attorney General Todd to succeed his chief, Mr. Gregory. This was even too much for me, and I made it rather plain that Mr. Todd would hardly be acceptable in view of certain things which had developed during his tenure of office, and especially during the abortive draft age raids in New York and other cities, which brought the Draft Act into disrepute. It was necessary for the President at that time personally to interfere to end these raids which were conducted with such a high-handed disregard for the law that later it became necessary practically to reorganize the entire Investigation Bureau of the Department of Justice. Colonel House soon abandoned Mr. Todd, and then he swung around to the support of Sherman L. Whipple of Boston.

Whipple was a remarkable lawyer and well-known through the East for his corporation abilities, and he had been the attorney selected to conduct the so-called “leak” investigation in Washington at the time the President made his first peace move. I knew that Secretary Tumulty and a number of other Democrats, who were interested in the Democratic party’s success, were very anxious that Mr. Palmer should be named as Attorney General, they feeling that his record as Custodian of Alien Property had shown that he was extremely well-qualified for the post. However, the influence of Colonel House was very strong, and when we started back for the closing session of Congress the President had about made up his mind that he would appoint Mr. Whipple. Just before sailing I got a very urgent message from Secretary Tumulty asking me to ask the President not to announce any appointment on the trip across. I did so, and found that the President, had about decided to send the nomination by wireless. However, when I explained the situation to the President he agreed to defer a conclusive decision as to who would be named until after he had a chance to see what the exact situation was in Washington. When the transport reached Boston, Secretary Tumulty came on board and he sat up with me until four o’clock in the morning discussing the situation and pointing out why Palmer should be named and why Whipple should not. I told him the situation was such that it would require very strong influence to cause the the President to refrain from appointing Mr. Whipple, and finally he (Secretary Tumulty) left and brought that influence to bear with the result that before the the President started back for Europe Mr. Palmer was made Attorney General.

The President and Mrs. Wilson had lunch together, and after lunch the President went for a ride, returning for another meeting of the Big Four, at which the Adriatic situation again came up. President Wilson again made it plain that he would not be a party any agreement settling the Adriatic question which was not satisfactory to both sides, and which was in accordance with his original declaration. Clemenceau told the Italian Premier that the French had determined that whatever settlement finally was arrived at must be one that would be satisfactory to the President himself. Orlando then asked the President if he could not make a suggestion whereby they could work out a solution. The President said: “Yes, you might make the solution along the lines set forth by and old judge in a story that I know. The Judge was presiding over a trial where two men were demanding the right to a particularly rich piece of land and neither could agree as to how the line of division should be drawn. The Judge after hearing the argument, and seeing how impossible it was to get them to agree, suggested: ‘You, Jones, take this map of your ground and draw the line which you believe should be the dividing line in the premises; if you do this, you will have made the decision, and Smith, of course, will be given the first choice as to which one of the two pieces of land he desires.’ By doing this, (the President added) you obviate the necessity of any Judge.” Orlando listened calmly to this suggestion, but it did not apparently appeal to him, for if he were to draw th line the Jugo-Slavs would be given first choice of the territory involved in the Adriatic.

There were no guests at dinner tonight, and the President retired early.

Original Format

Diary

Files

http://resources.presidentwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/PCST19190604.pdf

Citation

Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 June 4, WWP17186, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.