Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-03-20
Assistant Secretary is
Piqued by Position on
the Chinese Policy.
HAD PROMISED TOSTAY
Gives Out Statement Charging
Administration Has Acted
With Too Much Haste.

Washington, March 2O.-Huntington
Wilson, assistant and acting secretary
Of state, has resigned and insisted
upon immediate acceptance of his res
ignauon because of radical difference
Of opinion with the administration re.
garding the Chinese policies. The
president Immediately accepted the
resignation.
Wilson, like all of the assistant sec
retaries, rendered his resignation as a
matter of form to the president di-
Fectly on the latter's assumption of
office. He was requested to continue
in the place until it was convenient for
the president to name his successor
and promised to do so to accommodate
Secretary Bryan in his desire to visit
Lincoln.
In a thousand word letter to the
president, former Acting Secretary
Wilson set forth that when he con-
sented to continue for time with
the new administration he did not
understand there were to be any radi-
cal changes in the policy for which
he was to be called upon to act as
spokesman. The letter in part says:
CHARGES HASTY ACTION.
81 had no reason to suppose that
officials on duty in the department of
state would learn first from the news
papers of a declaration OF policy
which l think shows on its face mad
| equacy of consideration given to facts
and theories involved and failure clear
ly to apprehend the motives leading
| to and the purposes of the policy SUI
| perceded. l had no reason to sup
pose that the fate of negotiations
which so long had studous attention
of the foreign office of six great pow
ers would be abruptly determined
with such quite unnecessary haste and
in so unusual manner. These methods.
against which | respectfully protest,
are the very extraordinary circum-
| stances which l feel vtiate my under
standing with Mr.. Bryan and complete
| ly relieve me of any further obliga-
tions in the premises.
TELLS OF MOTIVES.
Repeated utterances of the last ad-
ministration must have made perfectly
clear that the motive and purpose of
the policy now abandoned we're first
and primarily the protection of Chin
ese integrity and sovereignty, uplift of
the Chinese people, morally, materially
governmentally, development of Chin
ese resources, maintenance of our
traditional policy Of the open door
or equal opportunity for American en-
terprise. Precisely because of tho ul-
innate possibility of a measure Of for
eign control of China's finances which
may be inferred from a study OF other
countries which found themselves in
similar situation, it was deemed
imperative there should be American
participation in the rehabilitation of
Chinese finances, in order to make
sure of the presence of the potent,
friendly and disinterested influence Of
the United States The only practi-
cable methods of such participation
were by the use of reliable American
bankers"
PRESIDENT ACCEPTS.
The president replied as follows:
MY dear sir: Allow me to acknowl-
edge receipt Of your letter OF yester-
day, and say that | accept your resig-
nation as you suggest as Of present
date"
At the White house today It was
said the reported declaration OF
Charles w. Eliot, president emeritus
Of Harvard, that he would decline
diplomatic appointment, if IT were Of
| Il
son from urging Eliot to reconsider
and take under advisement an offer
Of foreign post.
Il was stated later that reports thrt
e he would decline diplomatic appoint
, nent did not come from Eliot. In
= view of this, 1t is said he is now fore
rlcst under consideration for the court
Of St James.
The appointment to London is
thought to be the most likely offer If
one is made. 1t has been reported
Eliot declined a similar offer from
, President Taft
J John r. Mott, Montclair. y. J.,
> it was said, today has declined al
offer to be minister TO China. Mott Is
NJ G. 4. official and has been
identified with the missionary move
q ment. especially in the far east II IS
y said Mott has been asked to recon
! glder his declination. 1t was also IA
I timated at the White house that with
the selection of a minister to China,
J formal recognition Of the republic
, might be announced by the united
: States The subject is now under
consideration by the president