Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-15
POLK, WALLACE
AND DAVIS ARE
SPOKEN Of FOR
+. LANSING s JOB
Three Men Are Being Dis
Cussed, One of Whom May
Be Selected BY President
Wilson as Right-H Man
OTHER CHANGES IN
CABINET PREDICTED
Statement From the White
House, However, Says
There viii Be No Further
Breaks in Official Family.
tsy MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED w'Rsl

IBY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiHsl
Washington, Feb, 14,-Under-
secretary Polk, John w. Davis am
bassador to Great Britain, and
Hugh C. Wallace, ambassador to
France, are foremost among those
being discussed to head the state
department as successor to former
Secretary Lansing, who announced
his resignation after dramatic
clash with President Wilson.
Although it is known that Mr..
Polk had determined to return TO
private life and practice law. some
friends of the administration were
hopeful that he might be induced
to serve out the uneXpired term OF
his former chief.
The Lansing resignation furnish
ed official Washington with q SEN
sation unparalleled since William
j. Bryan departed from office, The
statement of Secretary Lane. VINO
is leaving the cabinet March ], that
he felt an equal responsibility with
Mr.. Lansing for holding the cabl-
net meetings to which President
Wilson objected, seemed to add
possibilities of further cabinet res
ignations for time, but this was
disposed of by a statement at tne
White House that there were to be
no further retirements as result
: of the incident.
Congress discussed the sensation
with avidity. but in the cloak
rooms. however, and tho subject
did not come up in debate on the
floor of either house or senate.
Such comment as was made was
more or less divided, opponents of
the treaty praising Mr.. Lansings
course and others recalling that one
Of the presidents prerogatlves IS
to select the members of his own
official family.
The row seemed to bring to pub
lie light much that has been going
on under the surface since the
president fell i'll, and the principal
effect was to emphasize that Pres
ident Wilson and his former secre-
tary of state were at loggerheads
on many important subjects even
before the United States went INTO
the war in 1917 and that these dis
agreements, which were on funda-
mental questions of policy, con-
tinued throughout the peace nego-
tiations at Paris and even into the
handling of the Mexican situation
since the president has been sick.
The best informed of those close
to the administration were sure
that the climax was the result of
an accumulation of conditions
ri
of whether the peace treaty and
the league of nations covenant
should be separated or treated as
one document, ranged into the re-
cent handling of the Mexican sit
uation and wound up in the inside
administration discussion OF Wheth-
er the presidents illness incapac1-
tated him from discharging the
duties Of his office.
Mr.. Lansing's friends say that in
calling the cabinet together ne
was acting with precedent to sup
port him, and that although as
ranking officer of the cabinet he
actually called the meetings. other
members of the cabinet agreed in
the procedure. They point to Sec
retary Lanes statement that he as
sumed equal responsibility and that
all the cabinet members thought the
meetings a good thing,
The under -the-surface discussion
of the incident however, the sort
which goes on between officials
and is not intended for publication
connects at least the first of the
cabinet meetings last October with
the speculation which was going on
at the time as to whether Vice
President Marshall ought to be
called upon to take over the duties
of the presidency. While it is
known that the subject never came
up actually at a meeting of the
cabinet officers, it is also known
that it was discussed privately and
that some of the reports which
were taken to the president in
cluded Secretary Lansing's name
among those who were discussing
that pt liability. How much this
part of fshe incident had to do with
the outcome can only be left to
speculation.
Mr.. Lansing was not at the de-
partment today and, it was under