Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-15
PUBLIC BACK
OF LANSING
Taft CLAIMS
Former President Says Re-
signed Secretary Was Acting
Within Rights in Calling Con-
ferenceS of Cabinet Members.
OFFICIAL WASHINGTON
FURNISHED SENSATION
Break Not Openly Discussed in
Congress, But Proves Most
Prolific Matter for Talk in
C!oakrooms and Elsewhere.

iSit''O hottS' Wv NN ~
CIoakrooms and Elsewhere.
ST. Joseph. Mo-, Feb. l4-William
Howard TAFT, eX-president OF the
United States. said here that the
public will side with Secretary of
State Lansing in the controversy
with President Wilson which result
cd in the resignation Of Mr., l;ans-
ing,
r believe that Secretary Lansing
was acting altogether within his
rights in calling conferences of the
cabinet members" Mr.. TAFT said.
II would not call them cabinet meet
rinps.'
TO my nird. calling such meet
ings docs not constitute an assump-
ion Of presidential authority within
the meaning OF the constitution y
Polk May Succeed. {
Washington. Feb. 14.-l'nder-
Secretary Polk, John w. Davis, am
h2ssador 10 Great Britain, and Hugh
{. Wallace. ambassador to France,
are foremost among those being dis
c~ssed to head the State department.
rs successor to former Secretary
~" ing, who announced his reslg-
90 ion after dramatic clash with
p -iIent Wilson.
N.h0uohi it is krown that Mr.
Polk had determined to return TO
nriyate life aud practice law, some
friends oi the administration were
hopeful tirat he might be induced to
serve ont the uuexpired term OF his
i9ruer ,tief
TIE qrsing resignation fur
niSied official Washington with a
,ensati0n unparalleled since William
! BRYAN departed from office, The
statement of Secretary Lane, who IS
leaving the cabinet March |. that
he felt an equal responsibility with
Mr.. Lansing for holding the cabinet
meetings to which President Wilson
objected. seemed TO add possibilities
nj further cabinet designations for a
time. but this was disposed OF by a
statement at the White House that
the~e were to be no further retire
ments as a result of the incident,
Congress Discusses Sensation.
CONGRESS- discussed the sensation
with avidty. hut in the cloak rooms.
however,, and tie subject did not
come UP in debate on the floor OF
either house or senate. Such COM
,nent as was made was more or less
divided. opponents OF the treaty
l,aising Mr., Lansing'S course. and
others recalling that one OF the pres
dents preroaatives is to select the
members of his own official family
The row served to bring to public
. light much that has been going on
,tnder the surface since the president
iell Ill, ard the principal effect was
to emphasize that President Wilson
and his former secretary OF state
we're at loggerheads on many I'M
rortant subjects even before the
United States went into the war III
1917 and that these disagreements,
which were on fundamental ques-
tions of roiicy. continued through :
out the peace negotiations at PARIS
and even into the handling OF the
Mexican situation since the president
has been Sick
Acted on President.
The best informed of those close
"a the administration were sure that
the climax was the result OF an &C
runulation OF conditions which con-
tinued over the question OF whether
the peace treaty and the league OF
nations covenant should be separated
n treated as one document ranged
:nto the recent handling of the Mex
can situation and wound up in the
aside administration discussion OF
whether the presidents illness m
,apacitatod him from discharging the
duties Of his office.
Mr.. L.ansing'S friends said that IN
,al!:ns the cabinet together he was
citing with precedent to support
irq,. and that although as ranking
,iticer OF the cabinet he actually
allied the meetings. other members
VI the CaDlHtt dSlSSu III 'hN
lure. They point to Secretary Lane 5
statement that he assumed equal re-
,ponsibility and that all the cabinet
members thought the cabinet meet
.ngs a good thing.
Much Private Discussion.
The under-the-surface discussion
al the incident, howeveE, the sort
which goes on between officials and
i not intended for publication
,onnects at least the first of cabinet
meetings last October with the spec
aation which was going on at the
ime as to whether Vice President
MARSHALL ought to be called upon
O take over the duties of the presi-
lency. While it is known that the
,ubiect never came up actually at a
meeting Of the cabinet officers. it is
,lso known that it was discussed pri-
atelv and that some of the reports
yiich were taken to the president
Included Secretary Lansing's name
among those who were discussing
that probability, How much this
CONTINUED on rasc Two, Column one)