The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-14
Had No Power to Call
Cabinet Meetings lin
Wilson's Absence.
LANSING DENIES
THE IMPUTATION
Says He Believed Cab.
net Conferences Were
For Best Interests Of tl,e
Administration
BY JAY JEROME wnLrAsss.


Washington, Feb. 13.-RobeYt Lam
sing tonight resigned as secretary %
state. $sssa
Mr.. Lansing left office because I'D
was charged By President Wilson with
assuming the prerogatiees of the chief
executive during the past four months
in calling and presiding over meet
ings OF the cabinet. ssss
His resignation, rendered in q lefs
ter under date of February IL. to the
president. was accepted by the latter
today and became effective at once.
Under Secretary of State Frank Hp1k
, is tonight the Lansing's successor.
The entire correspondence bAtWAAu
the president and Mr.. lansing Wa
made public this evening at the Stxte
| department The letters. becaun4 os
the gravity OF the charge brought
against Mr.. lansing by the president.
constitute one. of the most amazing
chapters in the history OF any admin
/ istration of the republic.
Never before in the history III the
scountry has president accused 1see-
Rotary of state, the leading eAlcar of
the cabinet. OF attempting to usurp
! presidential prerngat ixhs- ii L.
In his letter, rendering his reAlG~
nation, Mr.. Lansing said that he
could not permit to pass sunc11l-
ienged the inlputation that In calling
into formal conference the heads at
the executive departments, I sought
70 usurp your presidential anthortfy.
He explained that he believed the
cabinet conferences were for the hAat
interests of the administration 4nd
of the republic. He also declared
that his belief was shared by others
! whom 1 consulted"
fvT-yI-rC NAV uyarJnru
Mr. I.ansing's declaration that 10 eea-
suited with others-meaning otAog
rs snbsrs OF the cabine.--beto suns~
n.caiug them into conferences. ga1s rfae
Ia the Thought that all members ~ the
cabinet wto participated in the M4et.
ings. might feel it incumbent ap61
then to tender their resignation1 ~
Mr.. Wilson. Efforts to deterMtns
whether or not any of the other MeuR-
bers of the presidents cabinet toolgs
this view were unaysilinE toMtghk ~
/ All those approached on thu au6t4GEs
! with the exception Of SecrA4&3Y M ~
| Labor Wilson. who has been In akte0d-8
lance at all the outlaw" session4 pk14@
served silence.
| All that secretary Wilson would Says
! and he would talk only through ath1F4
party was that he knew netAt4E
whatever OF anything pertaining ~ tho
entire situation"
Against the view that the preeadem4s
M ght be rendered shcaf OF rseiGAas
tons, however. was the fact thAt onty
a Few weeks ago the president appoint
ed Secretary of Agriculture Houskea.
/ who was likewise in attsndano4. ~
the OUTLAW" meetings. secretary ~
, thes~treasury to succeed Carter tCaAn9.E
This action by Mr.. Wilson makes u an-s
Parent that he believes Mr.. L&nsinG ~
he the one guilty party, and thA AM9.
on whom all the responsibility teata< a
The president in his letter to 896x0vS
tary lansing expressed ignoranee th4&s
cabinet meetings had been held ANt41x
the four months Of his illness ~ DAtA9
he had been told so and waNe&3 X4GNFi
Lansing to inform him whether N N1e
1.-The report which had reached htksNAas
sfrue. T - 75s a
Il was recalled that all duFine tho
period of the presidents seciusion tAa4eS
was an Intense desire in congress- -
ascertain whether or not he wae c0I1a~Ss
petent to perform the duties Of hin 90
fee Before the senate had acted uponS
| the Fall resolution. requesting tn
president to withdraw~>recognA ~
Mexico. the senate foreign fAlAt3pASs
committee sent two Of it's mom1~e9s
Senators Fall and Hitchcock. II -
White House to confer with the pfa44-Ss
dent and report back to the cor6M4e4M
lostensibly his views on the Wa4lpNDs
situation, but in reality whM4 N4As
wanted was a report on the pree1643kus
mental and physical condition. u.
UsuRPED AUTHORITY. &
/. The president in his correNnMNSas
dence with Secretary. Lansing not NSgl
admits that he did not kn0wK
the cabinet was doing. but cenA1
| Secretary Lansing with having u4s
! ed some OF the prerogatives m
! president. y II
LII view of this administers
charge, there was a good deal 0&SnM1S IN
| sip tonight TO the effect that t4&M 4S
! ate might possibly think It SAN5 y
/ TO appoint a committee to invNG4tS&
| all the circumstances SUPERINTENDENT +.
| past four months and all the "
! OK the charge OF usurpatfon.
To ascertain the .pcssibil1 Z
such step half dozen AZ a. 4
I ing Republican senators weF
municated with tonight Rl
exception or so they were
comment on Mr.. LanyfnSs = ree
/ for publication. but &fI dertAx3xX
/ did met aASnk IN innlltr
undertaken They tr0k theS
# Wzs m n NJ
lttnn. # u s.a NJ HI