G. Presetin to Cary T. Grayson
Title
G. Presetin to Cary T. Grayson
Creator
Presetin, G.
Identifier
WWP16095
Date
1919 December 1
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
8 Baldwin Place,
New Haven, Conn.
Sir
Referring to the attached, I understand that the President suffers from a general break-down from overstrain, and overwork, and unnecessary over-worry brought on by selfish politicians, and other schemers— I presume that only for the care Mrs. Wilson and you took of the President would be dead long ago — After all the trouble that the President and other clever Americans took, along with British, French and Italians to produce the “League of Nations”, it’s too bad that men who were at home in US doing little or nothing, should be able to delay the progress of passing the League into Law, along with some who object to it only because it wd be a help to England, as it wd to US, and France and Italy —The President’s Illness.
THE sympathy of the American people with Mr. Wilson in his protracted illness is so genuine, and the desire as well that goes with it that he may soon return to the discharge of his duties, are the causes of the natural reluctance everywhere felt to consider more candidly just how ill he is and what are the prospects of his recovery. There can be no question of the willingness of the American people to put aside their fears of untoward circumstances nowing from his continued confinement provided there is an assurance that his ailment is such, and the prospect of his recovery to full health is such that there is no danger of the government efficiently functioning.
The trouble is that the country is in the dark as to how sick a man he is and what the illness is. There has been a strange unwillingness of the attending physicians to treat the country with complete candor. The bulletins they have issued, and their occasional assurances of his improved condition, seem to carry no more understanding to physicians and surgeons than to laymen. The result is that the country is filled with rumors of an alarming character, which no sooner die down than such incidents as that of Saturday, when Senator Hitchcock was not able to see him on an important errand, give them new life and an even more alarming character. Nor is it possible to protest against this wagging of tongues. The country has been led to believe that Mr. Wilson has been able to consider the coal situation sufficiently to comment upon it in a public statement, and to analyze the treaty condition in the senate with such concentration that he was able to advise in a letter to Senator Hitchcock the non-ratification of it. The country expects that the annual message to be read today to the congress is the product of his mind and pen, and yet the statement is made at Washington that it has not been deemed advisable to inform him of the adjournment of the coal conference. The impression is rapidly gaining ground in consequence that the cabinet is exercising the duties of the president in spite of the fact that the constitution does not recognize the existence of that body.
It would appear under these circumstances that the country, and congress in particular, ought to know the exact condition of the president’s health. Nor it is possible to exaggerate the fact that the full functioning of the executive office was never more needed than now. The mere fact that the cabinet split upon the coal issue in the absence of the strong hand to lead has added to a feeling of apprehension which ought not to be permitted to take on a graver form.
Resplly,
G. Presetin
New Haven, Conn.
Sir
Referring to the attached, I understand that the President suffers from a general break-down from overstrain, and overwork, and unnecessary over-worry brought on by selfish politicians, and other schemers— I presume that only for the care Mrs. Wilson and you took of the President would be dead long ago — After all the trouble that the President and other clever Americans took, along with British, French and Italians to produce the “League of Nations”, it’s too bad that men who were at home in US doing little or nothing, should be able to delay the progress of passing the League into Law, along with some who object to it only because it wd be a help to England, as it wd to US, and France and Italy —The President’s Illness.
THE sympathy of the American people with Mr. Wilson in his protracted illness is so genuine, and the desire as well that goes with it that he may soon return to the discharge of his duties, are the causes of the natural reluctance everywhere felt to consider more candidly just how ill he is and what are the prospects of his recovery. There can be no question of the willingness of the American people to put aside their fears of untoward circumstances nowing from his continued confinement provided there is an assurance that his ailment is such, and the prospect of his recovery to full health is such that there is no danger of the government efficiently functioning.
The trouble is that the country is in the dark as to how sick a man he is and what the illness is. There has been a strange unwillingness of the attending physicians to treat the country with complete candor. The bulletins they have issued, and their occasional assurances of his improved condition, seem to carry no more understanding to physicians and surgeons than to laymen. The result is that the country is filled with rumors of an alarming character, which no sooner die down than such incidents as that of Saturday, when Senator Hitchcock was not able to see him on an important errand, give them new life and an even more alarming character. Nor is it possible to protest against this wagging of tongues. The country has been led to believe that Mr. Wilson has been able to consider the coal situation sufficiently to comment upon it in a public statement, and to analyze the treaty condition in the senate with such concentration that he was able to advise in a letter to Senator Hitchcock the non-ratification of it. The country expects that the annual message to be read today to the congress is the product of his mind and pen, and yet the statement is made at Washington that it has not been deemed advisable to inform him of the adjournment of the coal conference. The impression is rapidly gaining ground in consequence that the cabinet is exercising the duties of the president in spite of the fact that the constitution does not recognize the existence of that body.
It would appear under these circumstances that the country, and congress in particular, ought to know the exact condition of the president’s health. Nor it is possible to exaggerate the fact that the full functioning of the executive office was never more needed than now. The mere fact that the cabinet split upon the coal issue in the absence of the strong hand to lead has added to a feeling of apprehension which ought not to be permitted to take on a graver form.
Resplly,
G. Presetin
Original Format
Letter
To
Grayson, Cary T. (Cary Travers), 1878-1938
Files
Collection
Citation
Presetin, G., “G. Presetin to Cary T. Grayson,” 1919 December 1, WWP16095, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.