Cary T. Grayson Diary

Cary T. Grayson Diary

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

WWP17227

1919 September 17

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

English

WEDNESDAY,Oakland was reached at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, and the President was greeted here by the reception committee from San Francisco, headed by the Governor and the Mayor. A special ferry boat was waiting in the mole and the party was conveyed across to the foot of Market Street, San Francisco. Despite the early hour of arrival the streets were thronged with men and women – all anxious to cheer the Chief Executive. Market Street was a blaze of colors from the Ferry all the way to the top of the hill, and as the Presidential party passed up the crowd cheered loudly. At the Civic Center all of the school children of the city had been gathered, and they occupied special stands that had been erected for them. The President and Mrs. Wilson left their automobile here and went out to a small stand that had been constructed, from which both of them waved a greeting to the assembled children. The children were armed with American flags, which they waved while they cheered lustily their welcome to the distinguished visitors. The party then proceeded to the St. Francis Hotel, where headquarters had been established for the two days’ stay in the city. The President was allowed to rest until 1:00 o’clock, when the automobiles were reentered and he proceeded to the Palace Hotel, where a luncheon in his honor had been arranged by the Women’s clubs and associations of the city of San Francisco. There were 3,000 women and very few men present when the President entered. The President was not feeling well. He had had a splitting headache all the morning and for a time there was doubt whether he would be able to make his address. However, he insisted on carrying out the program, and I had done everything possible to relieve his pain. He drank a cup of coffee while waiting for the luncheon to terminate, and then made a splendid address, in which he appealed directly to the women for their support. He referred indirectly to the opposition led by Senator Johnson and carried his audience with him when he declared that he could not conceive how public men could wilfully misconstrue the facts concerning the Treaty. He told the audience that in the framing of the Treaty concessions had been made by all concerned, but that at no time had any one been forced to sacrifice any principles. His address was one of the best of the entire trip and it fairly electrified the crowd of women who listened to it. Arrangements had been made for a long automobile ride in the afternoon, but I refused to allow the President to take it. He needed rest and I was doing everything possible to prevent a breakdown and to keep him in shape so that he could carry out the program. In consequence he spent the afternoon in his apartments with Mrs. Wilson resting for the night meeting. The night meeting was a very demonstrative one. For a time it seemed that the crowd had gotten beyond the control of the presiding officer and there was noise, cheering and confusion. There was apprehension on the part of Gavin McNab and the others who had arranged for the meeting that the crowd would not listen to the President and fifteen minutes was consumed in endeavoring to restore order. However, when the President himself started to speak there was a prompt checking of the enthusiasm and he was well received. As he proceeded with his address the entire crowd warmed up and he was cheered for fully five minutes after he ended his speech. The major portion of the address was devoted to replying to allegations by Senator Johnson and others that the United States had not been sufficiently safeguarded, especially in the covenant of the League of Nations. Senator Johnson had directly charged that the League of Nations gave six votes to Great Britain and only one to the United States. The President explained this allegation by demonstrating that the British Dominions were given a vote in the assembly of the League of Ntations, but that in the Council, which was the supreme over-all body, Great Britain had the same vote as the United States – one. The Assembly, the President told the audience, was merely the machinery for bringing to the attention of the Council matters which it must consider, and the decisions of the Council, he said, must be unanimous before they could be accepted. Because of this, the President said, the one vote of the United States counted for as much at all times as the six of Great Britain. The President also told the audience that the reason why it had not been possible for the Paris Conference to consider the claims of Ireland for independence was because it was not a matter directly affected by the war. He pointed out that the conference had agreed that nothing could be considered by it except with unanimous consent, and inasmuch as the British representatives were apposed to any injection of the Irish question into the deliberations, it was utterly impossible for him, even if he had desired to do so, to plead the cause of Ireland in Paris. This direct answer to the Johnson charges made a great hit with the people of San Farancisco. The President returned to the hotel late at night immediately after the meeting.

Diary