The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-06-09
Friends of Acting Secretary
State Aver He Is on Verge
of Breakdown From the
Weight of Duties.
RESIGNATION MAY
SOON BE ACCEPTED
Admission That Capitalists
Have Copies Peace Treaty
Is Source of Worry to Ad-
rninistration Supporters.
BY GEORGE H. MANNING.

Washington, June S.-The success
sion of indiscreet utterances, more
generally called diplomatic breaks
made in the past few weeks by Frank
L. Polk, acting secretary of state, it
is believed here, will do much to
hurry to fulfillment his desire to be
relieved of his ardous duties as coun-
sellor of the department and handy
man about the state department.
Mr.. Polk's latest and most Serious
break" occurred Thursday when he
admitted to the Washington news
paper correspondents that financial
interests in New York are in posses
sion of at least the financial sections
of the Paris peace treaty.
This admission was extremely ag-
gravating and embarrass ssing to thu
supporters of President Wilson and
his administration in the senate, who,
in face of the sustained attacks of the
republican senators, have insisted
there was no basis for the charge
that while the United States senate
has been refused copies of the peace
treaty private interests in New York
have had copies of it in their nanus
several days.
To each charge made by Senator
Lodge, chairman of the foreign affairs
committee, and other republicans,
that they had seen copies of the treaty
In New York which had been sold
for / 5 cents. although the senate and
the American public have been denied
a reading OF the document, Senators
Hitchcock, Swanson, Williams and
other democrats on the foreign af-
fairs committee, have retorted that it
was only hearsay and that they were
surprised the senators did not bring
copies into the senate.
The bluff was going nicely. the
presidents friends were we'll satisfied
with the situation and the general
public had serious doubts about copies
of the document being in the hands
OF New York financiers when Acting
Secretary Polk Spilled the beans"
by admitting the truth of the repub
lican contentious.
This break, following closely on the
heels of several others Mr.. Polk has
made in the past month, it is believed
here, will go a long way to convince
the president and Secretary Lansing
of the truth of the acting secretarys
claim that he is mentally and ply
sicaily exhausted from his ardous
duties and should be relieved at once
to obtain well earned vacation.
Mr. Polk has been expecting to re-
main as acting secretary OF state un-
til the return of Secretary Lansing.
but his recent diplomatic breaks may
result in his resignation being ac-
cepted before Mr.. Lansing's reeurn.
That he has been anxious to retire
from the state department and take
long rest before again taking up the
practice of law has been well known
to his friends for the past six months.
The acceptance of his resignation,
when it comes will be most welcome
to Mr.. Polk, who since November
has been greatly overworked with the
duties of acting secretary and coun-
sellor at an extremely trying time in
diplomatic affairs. With both the
president and secretary of state in
Paris, Mr.. Polk has been the buffer
for the whole administration and has
had an exceedingly trying task on his
| hands.
Mr.. Polk's staunch support of, sld
his close friendship for President Will
son and Secretary Lansing has been
so thorough, that even those who
have been provoked 0y his recent dip
| lonatic indiscretions are convinced
that the acceptance of his resigna-.
| tion will come from realization that
| he is really in a rum down mental and
physical condition and not because of
any loss Of confidence in his ability
or continued earnest support of the
administration.
Before the war was over he fully
intended to resign at its close, take
a long vacation and then go back 10
! the practice of law. But when Presi-
dent Wilson decided to take Secretary
| Lansing along to Paris with him, Mr..
Polk was prevailed upon to hold on
for a while as acting secretary OF
state.
Mr.. Polk has been in particularly
moor health since December, but has
/ held on from month to month expect
/ ing the return of Mr.. Lansing When
the report was published about six
/ weeks ago that he was to resign and
reengage in the practice of law, the
acting secretary smilingiy admitted to
I his friends that he was more than
| anxious TO quit when he could be re-
ueyed, but had no plans for the fu-
.ure further than to take long yaca-
ton to recover his health