The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1916-02-17
.S6C'Y GARRISON
QUITS 5 CABINET
FAILURE OF CONGRESS TO ADOPT
THE conTIINN.ENrAL SCHEME
Is CAUSE.
BRECKENRIDGE ALSO ouIrs
President Wilson Accepted Resluna.
t'on and VIII Probably Take Per.
sonaI Charge Of Affairs. s

Misunderstanding Garrison
resigned because President Wilson
would not "irrevocably" support the
continental army plan, and because he
opposes the administrations program
OF setting definite time for Philip.
pine independence.
president Wilson accepted the res.
ignatfon but has not selected a sue.
cessor. The president himself prob
tbly will take personal charge Of the
administrations national defense plans
in Congress.
Assistant Secretary Breckenridge
also resigned as mark of loyalty to
his chief. whose views he shares. The
president accepted his resignation.
both take effect Immediately. Ma
Jor General Scott, chief of Staff of
the army, automatically becomes sec.
fetary OF war ad interim.
1t is known that one OF Secretary
Garrison's principal reasons for HIS
conviction that only Federal CONT.
mental army instead of a reorganized
National Guard should be the main
military dependence of the nation was
MS pehef that some day the United
states may be called upon to defend
the Monroe doctrine and in that event
ne foresaw that the National Guard
might not be available for use outa,de
or the United States before a declara.
ton Of war.
upon that contention, on the one
hand, that the continental army or
ultimately universal service waa the
nations only reliance, and the posi-
tion on the other, that no one pIan
could be upon Congress-, President VII.
son and his secretary of war parted
official company.
Mr.. Garrison's resignation was a
complete surprise to official Washing.
ton generally. He made no personal
explanation. Several hours before
the official announcement he had
boarded train with his wife for New
YORK and word had been passed at
the war department that he had gone
for an indefinite stay.
The acute differences of opinion
which lod to the break began earlv in
the year when opposition to the con.
tlnental army plan began developing
IN congress. There had been indef-
mite rumors Of the possibility of the
secretary of war leaving the cabinet
put they never were countenanced in
o1r1c1al quarters. The secretary eyerv.
where was regarded as one of the
strong men Of the administration upon
whom the president leaned in the dini.
cult situations, both domestic and in.
ternational, which have marked his
administration.
the circumstances which led ND to
the resignation are detailed in the
secretary's correspondence with the
president which was made m,hlic. ~
the White House. The pre.s;aa,,. ~, ~
rotefs tratpa disclose .,s.slg1aaREed bslg1aREed that the
,ni,,t rn $50 = saGization and control of
,,,s.1tt.Ssssary reserve should be under i'm.
12lediate Federal direction, but is not
"irrevocably or dogmatically commit
ed to any one plan" He wrote Mr..
Garrison that he could not force any
specific plan on Congress and added:
"I must welcome frank inter
change Of views and patient and
thorough comparison Of all the meth.
DDS proposed for obtaining the object
we all have in view"
Mr.. Garrison's contention that only
the plans Of the war department could
be considered seemed to the president
wholly unjustifiable." Mr.. Garrison
considered reliance upon the militia
for national defense an unjustifiable
and imperiling of the nations safety"
In resigning he wrote the president:
ut Is evident that we hopelessiy
disagree upon which conceive to be
fundamental principles" IN