Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-24
PRESIDENT HAS
CONTINUED from Page one.)


the further administration of the pro-
gram. The shipbuilding is, happily, in
large part, begun and can now be read
lily cleared of debates that have unques-
tionably darkened it,
"With deep appreciation, therefore,
Of your generous attitude and with gen
uine admiration of what you have been
able, in short time, to accomplish, /
accept your resignation and feel that in
doing so / am acting upon your own
best Judgment as well as my own.
~ hope that you viii feel that the
people of the country, for whom you
have rendered great services, will judge
you justly and generously IN this, as
in other things, and that all personal
Misunderstanding and misJudgments
that may havo been created will pass in
short time entirely away.
'rWith warm regard, cordially and
sincerely yours.
tSigned "WOODROW WILSON. p"
Asks Denman to Quit.
The president s letter to Denman fol-
lows:
"My Dear Denman:
! 81 hope and believe that am inter
rreting your own best judgment as well
as NV own, when / say that our duty
concerning the debate and misunder-
standing that has arisen in connection
with the shipbuilding program ought to
be settled without regard to our per
sonal preferences or our personal feel
ings altogether and with the single pur-
nose of doing what will best serve the
public interest. No decision we could
now arrive at could eliminate the ele.
ments Of controversy that have crept
into almost every question in connection
with the program; and / am convinced
that the only wise course is to pegln
afresh-not upon the program, for that
is already in large part in process OF
execution, but upon the further execu-
ton of it.
az have found both you and General
Goethals ready to serve the public at a
personal sacrifice. Realizing that the
only manner in which the way may be
completely cleared for harmonious ana
effective action is to carry our ship
building plans forward from this point
through new agencies, General Goethals
has put his resignation III my hands ana
have adopted it in the same splils III
which it was tendered--not as decidlng
between two men whom respected ana
admire, but in order to make invidious
decisions unnecessary and let the WorA
be developed without further discussion
Of what is past. / .am taking the heer-
" of writing to tell you this in the con
fidence that you will be glad to take the
same disinterested self torgettlns
course that General Goethals has taken:
when YOU have done as he has done,
am sure that you may count with the
utmost confidence upon the ultimate
verdict of the people of the country
with regard to your magnanimous ana
upselfish view Of public duty and upon
winning in the retrospect the same ad-
miration and confidence that have
learned to feel for you.
rsWith much regard and great appre-
citation of the large services you nave
rendered.
CORDIALLY and sincerely yours,
(Signed) WOODROW WILSON"
Bids White Goodbye.
The president accepted the resigna-
tion of Captain John b. White in the
following letter:
"My Dear Mr. White:
81 think you have a perfect right to
ask to be relieved of your labors in the
shipping board and feel obligated by
the arguments you have used, TO accept
your resignation from the board.
In doing so, however, may l not ex-
press. my appreciation Of the sense of
public duty with which you have served
and thank you for the time and labor
you have devoted to the important bust |
ness of a great instrumentality Of gov
ernments
tsCordially and sincerely yours,
(Signed) WOODROW WILSON,"
General Goethals letter, written July /
20, Offering to resign, follows;
What Goethals Wrote.
''My Dear Mr.. President:
81 beg to acknowledge the receipt 4
of your letter of July 10 and wish to
express my appreciation of the eonsid-
crate manner in which you have stated .
the conclusion which You have reached.
"In the project of the emergency
of small ships, dated
March 20, 1917, and approved by you on
April 4 last, it was stated that 'to Sc
cure the speed Of production, which is
all-important We feel that the task of
securing and equipping these ships
should be put in the hands of one man.
Centralized control is essential for rapid
end efficient work
"It was on this understanding on my
part that l undertook the work at your
request.
'sThis understanding was subsequent
" confirmed, not only when / took up
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