The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1914-05-01
WILL STAY EVEN
IF WAR COMES
Secretary Bryan Has No Idea
of Resigning.
MATTERS FREELY DISCUSSED
Bryan Declares That Under No Cir
cumstances Would He Quit
His Post During Pres
ent Trouble.

Washington, ID. C.-Secretary OF
State Bryan emphatically denied wide
spread and persistent reports that he
would resign from the Cabinet. When
informed of published reports that he
would relinquish his post should war
be declared against Mexico, Mr.. Bryan
said 1.-The subject of my resignation
has never been discussed with anybody
nor thought of by me-"
White House officials pointed to the
general denial issued few days ago
of the story that Secretary Bryan
would resign, saying that statement
was sufficient to cover all rumors of
Cabinet dissension. They said they
did not regard it as necessary to re-
peat the denial with each published
report.
1t is stated on authority that in no
case has Secretary Bryan declared that
he would resign his office in case it
became necessary for the United
States to engage in war, and he has
let it be known to his personal friends
that he could be relied upon to do his
full duty to the administration and to
remain at his post under present con-
ditions, and any others that he thought
could possibly arise.
The rumors of Mr. Bryan's intention
to retire from the Cabinet in various
contingencies are ascribed by his
friends to sentiments uttered by the
Secretary in the early days of his in
cumbency. He has spoken often of
the subject of universal peace and has
expressed the altruistic sentiments,
and, among other things, has declared
in speech delivered in the West that
there would be no war while he was
Secretary of State. The Secretary's
purpose, it is explained, was to en-
phasize his general conviction that the
growing feeling of disapproval of war
fare could be relied upon to prevent
the country from drifting into a war
under any set of conditions that could
be conceived of by those to whom he
addressed himself.
Outside of the White House, there
has been considerable discussion of
the individual views known to be held
by members of the Cabinet on the
present situation. None of these is
said TO be serious or approaching any
breach in the Presidents official fam
lily, but there have been natural diff
ferences of opinion as to what ag-
gressive measures should be pursued.
The President himself, it is said, has
invited the widest range of sugges-
tons from his advisers and has steered
a middle course between those who
favor quickly aggressive policy and
those who believe war can be best
averted by patient observation and
carefully deliberated action.
Persons close to the administration
council described the divergence of
views as the product of natural diff
ferences among those charged with re-
sponsibility for executive action. Off
Gals point out, for instance, that the
War Department is naturally anxious
to take every reasonable precaution
with its military forces, and the Navy
is bending it's energies likewise to
perfecting its preparations for actual
warfare. They say also that the State
Department, which is directly re-
0ponsible for relations with other for
eign governments and which is trying
through diplomacy to prevent aggres-
sive movements which might aggra-
vate action by the Constitutionalists
and the Mexican people as a whole, is
busily occupied in friendly repression
OF the war spirit of it's allied depart
ments.