Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-02-14

~ WYNN 04vOTNyON4 Q4coSAAJ OAAASS
up and afford me an opportunity TO
select someone whose mind - would
more willingly .ago along with mine.
] need not tell you with what re-
luctance I take advantage of your
suggestion. or that I do SO with the
kindliest feeling.@@ssfn, matters Of tram
scendent importance like this, the
candor, where personal feeling is as
much as posstble left out Of the
Veryssincerely yours. i,
(Signed) Woodrow Wilson. u
Hon. Robert Lansing,
Secretary Of State.
81 T.AEtG-- GEs~.
Lansing Resigns q
The Secretary. Of State, Washington,
February 12,af09D. NJ - : = I;
My dear Mr.. President:'i.5l h Il
l. wish to- thank you sincerely Tor
your candid letter Of the 18th in
which you state that my resignation
would be acceptable to you,s since 1t
relieves me OF the responsibility for
plating and which i can now take
without hesitation, as 1t meets your
wishes. ~ =. ~
I have the honor, therefore, to
tender you my resignation as secre-
tary Of state. the same to take effect
at your convenience.
In; thus severing vi official associa-
ton I feel, Mr.. President, that I
shouldNmake the following statement,
which L had prepared recently, and
which will show you that 1 have not
been unmindful that the continuance
of our present relations was impossi-
| BILE, and that I realized that 1t was
rclearly my duty to bring them to an
end at the earliest moment compatible
with the public interest.
Ever since January. 1919, I have
been 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 / would,
it'll had consulted my personal in
clination alone. have resigned as
secretary Of state and as a commits
however, that SUCH a step might. have
been misinterpreted. both at home
and abroad. and~tifat it was my duty
to cause you no embarrassment in
carrying forward THE great task in
which o were then engaged. Pos
sibly I erred in this. but If I did it was
with the best of motives. =
When I returned to Washington in
the latter part of July, 1919, my per-
sonal, wish to resign had not changed,
but. again I felt that loyalty to you and
my duty to the administration COM
PEELED me to defer action. as my
resignation might have been miscon-
strued into hostility to ratification Of
the treaty Of ~ or at ,least into
formsof rati6Eatiensss T. therefore, re-
inainedS silent. avoiding any comment
on the frequent REPORTS that we were
not in full agreement. Subsequently
your serious illness, during which /
have never seen you, imposed upon
me h duty-at least I construed 1t to
be my duty--to remain in charge Of
health permitted you. to assume again
full direction of foreign affairs. 2
! Believing that that time had ar
4 rived, 1 had prepared my resignation,
: When my only doubts as to the pro-
/, priety Of placing it in your hands was
removed by. our letter indicating that
It would be entirely acceptable to you:
I think, Mr.. President, in accord-
ance with the frankness which has
marked this correspondence, and for
which am grateful to you, that ]
cannot permit to pass uncha1lenged
the imputation That in calling into
informal conference the heads Of the
executive departments I sought to
usurp your presidential authority. ]
had no such intention, no such
thought. I-believed then, and I be-
lteve now that the conferences which
we're held were for the best interests
of your administration and of the re-
public. and that belief was shared
by others whom I consulted. I fur
Their believe that the conferences were
proper and necessary in the circum-
stances and -that}I would have been
derelict in my duty il I had failed to
act al I did.
]. also feel, Mr.. President, that
candor compels me to say thatSI can
not agree with your statement that
have tried to forestall your, judgment
in certain cases by formulating action
and merely asking your approval
when it was impossible for you to
form an Independent judgment. be.
cause you had not an opportunity to
examine the circumstances with any
degree Of independence. I have. it is
true. when,I thought atcase demand
ed Immediate action, advise you what
in my opinion, that action should be
stating at the same time, the rea
sons on which my opinion wal
based. This l conceived to be a func.
Stion ofsthe secretary ofss state and
have followed the practice for the last
!. have been surprised and disappoint-
s,'. =. re irf s'9 a,sapproy1 LIT, 9s my Z,
follow your. decisions. however din
foreign affairs.
1 need hardly add that / leave thu
Office of SECRETARY Of state with only
good will toward you, Mi. President
and With 2 sense Of profound relief.
Forgetting Ourf differences and re.
EmsmberinE oaly yosr man, kind !:
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