The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-02-16
SENSATION SPRUNG
BY SEC. Of STATE
Secretary of State Robert Lansing
Quits Cabinet After Run in With
Wilson-Practically asked to
Resign-Wilson Charges Ur-
sur2ation of Executive
Powers.

sing ended his career as secretary of
: state today after President Wilson
had charged him with usurping the
powers of president by calling meet
ing of the cabinet during Mr.. VIII
sons illness.
Il Mr.. Lansing denied that he had
sought or intended to usurp the presi-
Dental authority. He added, how
ever, that he believed then and still
believes that the cabinet conferences
were "of the best interests of the re-
public" that they were ''proper and
necessary" because of the presidents
condition and that he would have
/ been derelict in his duty if he had
failed to act as he did.
Z Y AS the record stands Mr.. Lansing
rendered his resignation and Mr.. Will
son accepted it. The resignation was
offered, however, only after the presi-
dent, under date of February Z, had
written asking if it were true that Mr.
Lansing had called cabinet meetings
and stating that if such were the
case he felt it necessary to say that
sunder our constitutional law and
practice, as developed hitherto, no
one but the president has the right to
suE1m m NE heads of the executive
departments into conference"
Mr.. Lansing answered two days
later-last Monday-saying he had
called the cabinet conference because
he and others of the presidents offici-
al family "felt that, in view of the
fact that we were denied communi-
cation with you, it was wise for us
to confer informally together on mat
tiers as to which action could not be
postponed until your medical advisers
permitted you to pass upon them"
Ready to Resign.
The secretary concluded by saying
that if the president believed that he
had failed in his "loyalty to him and
if Mr.. Wilson no longer had conf
dence in him he was ready to ere
! lieve you of any embarrassment by
placing my resignation in your
hands,"
The president replied last Wednes-
day that he was much disappointed"
by Mr.. Lansing's letter regarding
'sthe socalled cabinet meetings" He
said he found nothing in the secre-
tary's letter (which justified your as
sumption OF presidential authority in
such a matter" and added that he
must frankly take advantage of your
kind suggestion to resign"
81 must say" continued the
president, "that it wiuld relieve me
of embarrassment, Mr.. Secretary, the
embarrassment of feeling your reluc.
4 tance and divurgence of judgment,
if you would give up your present Of
flee and afford me an opportunity to
select some one else whose mind
would more willingly go along with
mine."
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
3 that he had written other cabinet
officers that he would not call any
e more cabinet conferences for the
present, but no explanation was Of
fered. Inquiry at the White House
brought only the statement that Mr.
2 Wilson himself probably would cal
and preside at the next session of hi:
official advisers.
But the difference between the
president and secretary long predatec
the first cabinet call by Mr.. Lansing
which was issued last October, seven
days after Mr.. Wilson returned from
his Western speaking tour and toot
to his bed They began at the peace
conference in Paris as Mr.. Lansing
disclosed in his final letter to the
president, under date of yesterday
and had continued since that time