The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1920-02-20
LANSING RESIGNS |
CAD|NETsPOS|T|ON
SECRETARY HAD CABINET MEET
lNcs, WHICH PRESIDENT
SAYS Is HIS RIGHT.
Mls0A]DEMAnDEO he QUIT
Want Of Harmony Dated Back to
Peace Conference at paris-Mex-
ico lnvolved-lansing Served
/, Y. 8. For Many Years.

Peace CoNteeence AZ pAro-Wex-
ico Notwithstanding Served
Y. 9. For Many Years.
WASHINGTON. Robert Lansing
ended his career d secretary Of state
Fob. IS, after President Wilson had
accused him Of usurping the powers
Of president sbys calling meetings 81
the cabinet during the presidents i'll
ness.
MI. Lansing denied that he had
sought or intended to usurp the
presidential authority.
Az the record stands Mr.. Lansing
tendered his resignation and Mr..
Wilson accepted 1t. The resignation
was offered. however. only after the
president. under date OF February I.
had written asking II It were true
Mr.. Lansing had called cabinet meet
ings without his authorization.
Lansing answered February 9 say
ing he had called the cabinet confer
enc06 ann explaining why.
Wilson "Much Disappointed.
The president replied wednesday
that he was much disappointed" by
Mr.. Lansing,s letter regarding "tha
so-called, cabinet meetings" He said
he found nothing In the secretary's
letter which justifies your. assump-
ton Of presidential authority in such
a matter and added that he must
frankly take advantage Of your kind
Suggestion to resign.
Before this letter was written, the
day for the regular cabinet meeting
Last Tuesday-had passed and the
correspondence discloses why the
cabinet did not meet. On the same
day that he received this letter from
the president. Mr.. Lansing announced
that heshad written other cabinet, of.
ficers that he void not call any
pt0re cabinet conferences for the
president, but no explanation was Of
'fered. Inquiry at the White House
brought only the statement that Mr..
Wilson himself probably would call
and preside at the next session Of his
official advisers.
Oates Back to Paris.
Hut the difference between the
president and the secretary long pre-
/. dated the first cabinet call by Mr..
Lansing. which was issued last Oc-
tober 5, seven days after Mr.. Wilson
returned from his western speaking
tour and. took to his bed. They be
gan at the peace conference in Paris.
as Mr.. Lansing disclosed In his final
letter to the president, under date
OF Feb. 49,. and had continued since
that time-one OF the chief differ
ences being over the governments
attitude toward Mexico.
When the cabinet met on October
8, Joseph p. Tumulty, private secre-
tary to the president. issued a formal
statement explaining the reasons for
the conference. He said:
1.-The cabinet was called to consider
questions in which more than one
department was concerned and also
to discuss the industrial conference"
He referred to the first conference
called by the president with the hope
Of allaying the industrial unrest.
In his statement. Mr.. Tumulty said
that Rear Admiral Grayson. Mr.. Will
sons physician. was present and
suggested that only urgent matters
be brought to" the presidents atten-
ton.
Cabinet Met Regularly.
Thereafter until last week the
cabinet met more or less regularly.
During the coal strike it met twice
a week in an effort to avert the walk
out of the miners, and several weeks
ago it was decided to have meetings
every Tuesday and Friday.
During the coal wage controversy
the president was said at the White
House to have been advised of the
meetings and to have been kept in
formed as Il the progress his ad.
visers were making toward a settle
ment of the controversy. He finally
took the matter out of the cabinets
hands and suggested a settlement
which the miners accepted.
In his final letter to the president
Mr.. Lansing said that had he followed
his personal inclinati0ns he would
have resigned while in Paris, but that
he had refrained because he felt 1t
his duty to "cause you no embarrass'
ment in carrying forward the great
task in which you were then en-
gagged"
Mr.. Lansing accompanied the presi
dent to Paris in December. 1918, as
one Of the American peace delegates
but his friends have said that while
Mr.. Wilson was at the peace confer
ence Mr.. Lansing was virtually with
out authority and that naturally hi
felt this keenly. since the other allied
and associated countries were repre-
scented by their premiers and not the
heads of their governments.