Cary T. Grayson Diary
Title
Cary T. Grayson Diary
Creator
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Identifier
WWP17235
Date
1919 September 25
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
THURSDAY
The big auditorium and convention hall, in which William Jennings Bryan was nominated for the Presidency in 1908, was packed when the President reached it, despite the fact that his address was at 10:00 o’clock in the morning. He had had a very trying night but his nerve was still working overtime and he carried the audience right off its feet at the start by a patriotic appeal that soon had the majority of the women using their handkerchiefs. The President again defended the League of Nations Covenant and declared that it was certain to prevent war.
He left Denver at 11:00 o’clock, and the train proceeded to Pueblo, where he had a two hours’ stay scheduled. As it later developed, the Pueblo address was the last that the President was able to make on the present trip. A steel strike was in progress in Pueblo but this had no effect and the President’s reception was cordial in the extreme.
Before proceeding to the new city auditorium, which he was to open with an inaugural address, the President and his party were taken to the Pueblo State Fair Grounds and driven around the race track so that the big crowd in attendance on the fair could have an opportunity to see the Chief Executive.
Returning to the hall the President delivered an address that was remarkable because of the fact that he was practically at the limit of his physical powers.
The President directed his remarks in his Pueblo speech to the women and children in the audience, as well as to the men. He related again the incident where a mother had approached him and had shaken hands with him, and, after saying – “God bless you, Mr. President” – had practically collapsed and turned away in tears. The President said that he had inquired as to the cause of this woman’s emotion and was told that she was a mother who had sacrificed her sons for the nation’s welfare. The President said that it was hard to realize that she had called for a blessing upon him when he had been compelled as Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States to send them overseas to fight, and in this way had sacrificed the mother’s sons. The President also said that he had been very greatly touched by the thousands of children that he had seen everywhere waving flags and cheering him. He very dramatically made it plain to the audience that he was willing to sacrifice his own life if by doing so he would be able to prevent the sacrifice of these children in war later on. The President carried his audience with him, and although he had planned to make only a very brief speech, he discussed every ramification of the Treaty and explained very carefully again to these people just why he believed the Treaty must be ratified if wars were to be prevented in the future and if America was to be kept from sacrificing most of her youth to preserve the institutions of the country.
Leaving the hall the President went directly back to the train. He was very tired and was suffering when he entered the car. I was concerned as to the best method of restoring him so that he could continue the trip, there being now only five set addresses scheduled. I asked the President whether in his opinion it would be of benefit to him if he could get out and stretch his legs by taking a walk, and he told me that he thought this probably would fill the bill and be a very great benefit to him. In consequence, we stopped the special train some twenty miles outside of Pueblo, and the President, Mrs. Wilson and myself went for a walk. We walked across the table-land and on up the country road directly away from the train. We stepped along at as brisk a pace as was possible without tiring the President too much.
The first person to recognize the President was an elderly farmer, who was driving along the road in a small automobile. The farmer recognized the President and stopped his car. He asked to have the honor of shaking hands with the President, and after this was done presented him with a head of cabbage and some apples, expressing the hope that the cabbage could be used for dinner that night.
We walked for the better part of an hour. En route back to the train, the President saw a soldier in a private’s uniform sitting in a chair on the porch of a house some distance back of the road. He was very plainly ill. The President climbed over the fence and went over and shook hands withhhim. The boy’s father, mother and brothers came out while the President was talking to him, and all were very much touched with the consideration which the President had shown in stopping to express sympathy for the sick youth.
We returned to the private car just about one hour after leaving it, bringing with us the apples and the cabbage. The start was then resumed for Wichita, Kansas, where the President was scheduled to make an address the following morning.
That night at dinner the President said that he felt certain the walk had done him good, as his appetite seemed to have returned, and he had more of a desire to eat than he had had for several days past. All day, Thursday, the President had such a splitting headache, as he expressed it, “that he could hardly see.”
From the time that we had reached Montana the President had been suffering from asthmatic attacks, which had very seriously interfered with his rest. He found it impossible to sleep while lying down and would choke up and cough during the night, being unable to breathe. Frequently I was summoned to him during the night to give him necessary aid and to assist him in breathing. All I could do, however, was to give him temporary relief, which would not last for more than two hours at a time, and the result was that it was necessary for him to sleep a good part of the time sitting up, propped up with pillows in a chair. He was so considerate that frequently when the attack would recur, instead of sending for me, the President himself would get up, prop himself up in a chair, and remain there. This was just another example of the consideration that he has always shown for every one.
The President was very desirous of retiring and endeavor to get some rest, but the information had come back to the train that great crowds had gathered at all of the stations along the road, and that the people were very anxious at least to catch a glimpse of the President as he sped through. In consequence, he remained up and at the first stop – Rocky Ford, Colorado – the crowd numbered fully 5,000 people. They surged about the car and shouted and cried for the President to come out and shake hands with them. I did my best to persuade the President to remain inside of the car until just before the train would pull out. The stop at Rocky Ford was a ten-minute one, it being a junction point where engines had to be changed and the cars re-iced. Secretary Tumulty and a number of the others on the train were very anxious that the President should spend the entire time on the platform shaking hands with the people. They said that a number of people in the crowd had declared that they had voted for the President but that if he would not come out and show himself and shake hands with them, they would never vote for him again. I made it very plain that the President was after all merely made of flesh and blood and nerves that had stood as much of a strain as a human being possibly could and that it would be very unwise were he to attempt to shake hands with all of the crowd that was there. Just before the train pulled out the President came out on the platform and grasped the hands of those who were closest to the rear end of the train. Then as the train moved out he stood there and waved his hand to the people as the stood lined up on either side of the tracks. After leaving here the President retired to his room.
The big auditorium and convention hall, in which William Jennings Bryan was nominated for the Presidency in 1908, was packed when the President reached it, despite the fact that his address was at 10:00 o’clock in the morning. He had had a very trying night but his nerve was still working overtime and he carried the audience right off its feet at the start by a patriotic appeal that soon had the majority of the women using their handkerchiefs. The President again defended the League of Nations Covenant and declared that it was certain to prevent war.
He left Denver at 11:00 o’clock, and the train proceeded to Pueblo, where he had a two hours’ stay scheduled. As it later developed, the Pueblo address was the last that the President was able to make on the present trip. A steel strike was in progress in Pueblo but this had no effect and the President’s reception was cordial in the extreme.
Before proceeding to the new city auditorium, which he was to open with an inaugural address, the President and his party were taken to the Pueblo State Fair Grounds and driven around the race track so that the big crowd in attendance on the fair could have an opportunity to see the Chief Executive.
Returning to the hall the President delivered an address that was remarkable because of the fact that he was practically at the limit of his physical powers.
The President directed his remarks in his Pueblo speech to the women and children in the audience, as well as to the men. He related again the incident where a mother had approached him and had shaken hands with him, and, after saying – “God bless you, Mr. President” – had practically collapsed and turned away in tears. The President said that he had inquired as to the cause of this woman’s emotion and was told that she was a mother who had sacrificed her sons for the nation’s welfare. The President said that it was hard to realize that she had called for a blessing upon him when he had been compelled as Commander-in-Chief of the Armies of the United States to send them overseas to fight, and in this way had sacrificed the mother’s sons. The President also said that he had been very greatly touched by the thousands of children that he had seen everywhere waving flags and cheering him. He very dramatically made it plain to the audience that he was willing to sacrifice his own life if by doing so he would be able to prevent the sacrifice of these children in war later on. The President carried his audience with him, and although he had planned to make only a very brief speech, he discussed every ramification of the Treaty and explained very carefully again to these people just why he believed the Treaty must be ratified if wars were to be prevented in the future and if America was to be kept from sacrificing most of her youth to preserve the institutions of the country.
Leaving the hall the President went directly back to the train. He was very tired and was suffering when he entered the car. I was concerned as to the best method of restoring him so that he could continue the trip, there being now only five set addresses scheduled. I asked the President whether in his opinion it would be of benefit to him if he could get out and stretch his legs by taking a walk, and he told me that he thought this probably would fill the bill and be a very great benefit to him. In consequence, we stopped the special train some twenty miles outside of Pueblo, and the President, Mrs. Wilson and myself went for a walk. We walked across the table-land and on up the country road directly away from the train. We stepped along at as brisk a pace as was possible without tiring the President too much.
The first person to recognize the President was an elderly farmer, who was driving along the road in a small automobile. The farmer recognized the President and stopped his car. He asked to have the honor of shaking hands with the President, and after this was done presented him with a head of cabbage and some apples, expressing the hope that the cabbage could be used for dinner that night.
We walked for the better part of an hour. En route back to the train, the President saw a soldier in a private’s uniform sitting in a chair on the porch of a house some distance back of the road. He was very plainly ill. The President climbed over the fence and went over and shook hands withhhim. The boy’s father, mother and brothers came out while the President was talking to him, and all were very much touched with the consideration which the President had shown in stopping to express sympathy for the sick youth.
We returned to the private car just about one hour after leaving it, bringing with us the apples and the cabbage. The start was then resumed for Wichita, Kansas, where the President was scheduled to make an address the following morning.
That night at dinner the President said that he felt certain the walk had done him good, as his appetite seemed to have returned, and he had more of a desire to eat than he had had for several days past. All day, Thursday, the President had such a splitting headache, as he expressed it, “that he could hardly see.”
From the time that we had reached Montana the President had been suffering from asthmatic attacks, which had very seriously interfered with his rest. He found it impossible to sleep while lying down and would choke up and cough during the night, being unable to breathe. Frequently I was summoned to him during the night to give him necessary aid and to assist him in breathing. All I could do, however, was to give him temporary relief, which would not last for more than two hours at a time, and the result was that it was necessary for him to sleep a good part of the time sitting up, propped up with pillows in a chair. He was so considerate that frequently when the attack would recur, instead of sending for me, the President himself would get up, prop himself up in a chair, and remain there. This was just another example of the consideration that he has always shown for every one.
The President was very desirous of retiring and endeavor to get some rest, but the information had come back to the train that great crowds had gathered at all of the stations along the road, and that the people were very anxious at least to catch a glimpse of the President as he sped through. In consequence, he remained up and at the first stop – Rocky Ford, Colorado – the crowd numbered fully 5,000 people. They surged about the car and shouted and cried for the President to come out and shake hands with them. I did my best to persuade the President to remain inside of the car until just before the train would pull out. The stop at Rocky Ford was a ten-minute one, it being a junction point where engines had to be changed and the cars re-iced. Secretary Tumulty and a number of the others on the train were very anxious that the President should spend the entire time on the platform shaking hands with the people. They said that a number of people in the crowd had declared that they had voted for the President but that if he would not come out and show himself and shake hands with them, they would never vote for him again. I made it very plain that the President was after all merely made of flesh and blood and nerves that had stood as much of a strain as a human being possibly could and that it would be very unwise were he to attempt to shake hands with all of the crowd that was there. Just before the train pulled out the President came out on the platform and grasped the hands of those who were closest to the rear end of the train. Then as the train moved out he stood there and waved his hand to the people as the stood lined up on either side of the tracks. After leaving here the President retired to his room.
Original Format
Diary
Files
Collection
Citation
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938, “Cary T. Grayson Diary,” 1919 September 25, WWP17235, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.