New Britain herald., 1920-02-14

that it would relieve me of enbar- rassment, MT. Secretary, the ennbar- rassment of feeling your reluctance and divergence of judgns snt, if you would give your present ofifce up and afford me all opportunity to select some one whose mind would more willingly so along with mine.
 l need not tell you with what re- iuctancc I take advantage of your suggestion or that I do so with the kindiiest feeling. Tn matters of trans cendent importance like these the only wise course is a course of per- feet cardor where personal feeling is as much as possible left out Of the reckoning. '',-
 Very sincerely yours, -:
 WOODROW WILSON. Hon. Robert Lansing, Secretary of
 State: ..+.
 The Secretary of State, -. .... .
 Washington, Feb, 12. 1920. My Dear Mfr. President:
 wish to thank you sincerely for your candid letter Of the 1tth, in which you state that my rest gnation would be acceptable to you, since it relieves me of the responsibility for action which I have been contem- plating and which can now take without hesitation as it meets your wishes.
 T have the honor, therefore, to tender you my resignation as Secre- tary of State. the same to take ef- feet at your convenience.
 In thus severing our official asso- ciation I feel, MT. President. that should make the following stateme ent which I had prepared recently and which will show you that have not been unm{ndful that the continuance of our present relations was impos- sible and that realized that 1t was clearly my duty to bring them to an end at the earliest moment com patibio with the public interest: Ever since January. 1919. I am conscious of the fact that you no longer were disposed to welcome my advice in matters pertaining to the negotiations in Paris, to our foreign service or to international affairs in general. Holding these views I would, if had consulted my personal i'm clination alone, have resigned as Secretary of State and as a conmis- sioner to negotiate peace. I felt, how ever, that such step might have been misinterpreted both at home and abroad and that it was my duty to cause you no era abarrassrnent in car- rying forward the great task in which you were then engaged. Possibly I erred in this, but if I did 1t was with , the best of motives.
 When I returned to Washington In the latter part of July. 1919, my per- sonai wish to resign had not changed, but again I felt that loyalty to you and my duty to the administration compelled me to defer action, as my resignation might have been miscon- strued into hostility to the ratif7ca- l ton of the treaty of peace or at least into disapproval Of your views as to the form of ratification. I therefore ] remained silent, avoiding any com 1 rnent on the reports that we were not ! in full accord. 1 Subsequently your serious illness. during which I have never seen you. l imposed upon me the duty---at least | construed it to be my duty--to re- main in charge of the Department of l State until yur health permitted you to assume again full direction of for ] eig-n affairs.
 Believing that that time had ar. l rived I had prepared my resignation 1 and my only doubt as to the propPlety l of placing it in your hands was re- l moved by your letter indicating tha, l it would be entirely acceptable tc 1 you. 1 think, AIr. President, after the 1 frankness that has marked this COT. l respondence and for which am 1 grateful to you. that I cannot permit l to pass unchailenged the imputatior l that in calling into informal confer. enee the heads Of the executive de. 1 partrn ents I sought to usurr you! l presidential authority. I had no sueE l intention, no such thought. be. 1 lieved then and I believe now tha' l the conferences which were held were {, for the best interests of your admin ! istration and Of the repu bile, and tha- 1 belief was shared by others whom consulted. further believe that tn. l conferences were proper and neces sary in the circuna stances and that 1 would have been derelict in my dut, | if had failed to act as did. l also feel MT. President, that can l dor compels me to say that I canno agree with your statement that l have tried to foressall your judsmen 1 in certain cases by formulating actior 1 and merely asking your approVa 1 when it vas impossible for you ts