Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-14
LANSING GETS OUT
Of CABINET UNDER
WILSON'S REBUKE
Called Meeting Without Author
ity of President; Accused
of Disloyalty.
RIFT BEGAN IN PARIS


Of State yesterday under sensational cir
c,imstances. involving personal differ
cnces with President Wilson.
Correspondence between the President
and his Secretary Of State, made public
last night shows that the President accused
Secretary Lansing of attempting To
usurp the executive authority and OF
being out of harmony with the views
and suggestions of the President.
Smarting under these accusations, MIR.
Lansing rendered his resignation to the
President. who accepted 1t yesterday.
The fact that Frank l.. Polk, Under -Sccre-
iary of State. called at the White Hsuse
later in the day is being taken as evl-
ieuce that he may succeed MIR. Lansing
or may be designated es Secretary OF
State ed interim until the President has
selected n new senior member OF hrs
official family. Officials close To the White
House said last evening that Mr. Lansing &
successor had not been chosen,
The circumstances of MIR. Lansing s
retirement sharply recall the quarrel be-
tween President Ben jamln Harrison and
James G.. Blaine, which resulted in Mr.
Blaine's sudden resignation from the
Secretaryship of State. MIR. Blaine WAS
succeeded in that office by General John
W. Foster, the father-ln-law of MIR, Lansing
In all its features the resignation of
MIR. Lansing is equally sensational with
that Of William J. Bryan who left the
Cabinet in June, 1918. and was succeed
cd by Mr.. Lansing, who had been Coun-
selor of the State Department. In "A mea-
sure however the retirement OF er.
Lansing has more interestin featuresS
uINT OTHERS MAY RESIGN.
In some quarters the suggestion is
made that other IN nnbers of the Cabinet
might feel impellcd 10 follow Mr. Lansing
example. for MIR. Lansing states in one
Of his letters 10 the Pr sldent that Ger
taiY members of the Cabin I sided with
him in the decision to hold informal
Cabinet ssions iurin the President
Inc :. which dccls on, according To the
Presidents : own statement caused him
take the course that lei to Mr.. Laaslngs
resignation.
While the correspondence made public
,ho VIZ that MIR. LanSings resignation
was rendered rs an outcome OF dlSsatis-
faction on the Presidents part with the
action OF Mr.. Lansing III calling Cabinet
meetings without consulting the PrcSi-
dent il il also disclosed that there had
heen strained relations or what amount
I'd tn strained relations between the
President and the Secretary Tor more
than year
Mr.. Lansing tells OF having desired to
resign the office of Secretary Of State
A. far back ss January, 1919, when he
md the President were in Paris as Ameri-
can Commissioners to negotiate peace.
He had felt, he says, that YOU (the
President) were no longer disposed 10
welcome nv advice in matters pertain
60 h., trot m Paris a
oreign service or To international affairs
n general" For his part tho President
,onfesses that 'while we were IN Paris |
cit and have increasingly felt ever since
hat YOU accented my guidance and di-
rectionA With increasing reluct ance.
In addition, he accuses Mr.. Lansing Of
rying to forestall the Presidents judg-
nent in n number oil matters.
Bu1LirT TEsT IMoNY INCREASED RIFT.
The best information obtainalle IN
last night leads 10 the CON
rluslon that the real foundation Tor the
acute differences between the President
and Mr.. Lansing was the testimony
gwen before the Senate Committee ou
, ioreign Relations by William G. Bullitt,
v no had been attached 10 the american
Peace Commission IN Paris.
Bullitt told o. confidential convcrsa-
tions with Secretary Lansing in which
: he latter criticized thc peace treaty and
lne League o. Nations covenant Mir
Lansing declined 10 make any public
ia,emcnt with regard to Bullitts tcsti-
lnonv and everything known on the suit
Jet Indicates that he made no cxplana-
ton 10 the President.
There were reports at the time that
Mr. Lansing would leave the Cabinet.
lie denied them. One remark made hv
ne then Secretary of State while these /
reports were IN circulation was; 1T looks
to me az if somebody Is trying to ALLEVIATE
the President friends from him.
The Mexican situation produced much
Df the feeling ON President Wilson /.
part that ultimately brought about the
retirement of MIR Lansing This was
understood IN Washington in
Connection with his demands on the
1arranza government for the immediate /
elease' OF William o. Jenkins, the United /
states Consular Agent al Puebla, who had /
,een arrested on the charge Of having |
onnived at his own abduction The /
President, when the issue was brought.
harply 10 hls attention. practically re-
,udiated the independent course taken
~ the Secretary of STATE
Senator Fall OF New Mexico. sum
noned hastily 20 Washington bv some
colleagues on account OF the
icutenesS Of tho relations between the
nited States and Mexico went directly
ipon bis arrival in Washington 10 Sec
etary Lanslngs residence. and a.
esult Of their conference offered a reso-
I,ion in he Senate sustaining the course
{ the State Department IL the Jenkins
ase and calling for Il severance Of rela-
ions with the Mexican government.
5efore this was acted upon Senators
'all and Hitchcock had u personal inter
lew with President Wilson in his sick
oom
Subsequently Mr.. Fall submitted to
he President in writing his views on the
1exican situation, and in his response
be President took a position that was
onstrued as repudiation of the course
hat had been followed by his Secretary
{ State
Surprise WAS expressed IN Washington
,st night over the President S statement !
! ms letter of February T. indicating that /
c had Just learned that Mr. Lansing had
called the heads of the execu-
i've departments into conference. This
urprise Is due to the fact that after a
'abinet meeting in October, % consider
le critical situation growing out of the
Irike OF the soft coal miners, Attorney
General Palmer visited the Presidents
ck room and told him Of the meeting ;
nd what had taken place there
Tins and other circumstances, as we'll
reliable information lead to the con- {
usion that the action Of MIR Lansing !
calling sessions of the Cabinet with :