New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1920-02-18
LANSING RESIGNS
SECRETARY POST
EXPECTED STEP FOLLOWS BIG
ROW WITH PRESIDENT
WILSON,,
EXCHANGE OF LETTERS SHOWS
FRICTION OF MORE THAN
YEARS STANDING.

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: Robert Lansing ended his career as
Secretary Of State on Friday after
President Wilson had accused him Of
usurping the powers of President by
calling meetings of the cabinet during
Mr.. Wilson's illness, according to news
dispatch from Washington issued late
Friday. 49,.
Mr.. Lansing, in reply to letter
from the President, dated February
Z, denied that he sought or intended
to usurp the presidential authority.
Mr.. Wilson on Wednesday again
wrote to Secretary Lansing, saying
that he was much disappointed by
Mr.. Lansing's letter regarding s'the
so-called cabinet meetings."
Before this letter was written the day
for the regular cabinet meeting-last
Tuesday-had passed and the CORE
spondence discloses why the cabinet
did not meet. On the same day that
he received this letter from the President,
MIR. Lansing announced that he had
written other cabinet officers that he
would not call any more cabinet con-
ferences for the present, but no explana-
ton was offered. Inquiry at the White
House brought only the statement that
Mr. Wilson himself probably would call
and preside at the next session of his
official advisers.
But the differences between the
Presid ent and the Secretary OF
State long pre-dated the first cabinet
call by. Mr.. Lansing, which was issued
last October 5, seven. days after Mr..
Wilson returned from his Western
speaking tour and took to his bed. They
began at the peace conference in Paris,
as Mr.. Lansing disclosed in his final
letter to the President, under date of
February II and had continued since that
time-one of the chief differences being
over the governments attitude toward
Mexico.
Cabinet Met Frequently.
Until last week, the cabinet
met more or less regularly. During
the coal strike it met twice week,
in an effort to avert the walkout of the
miners, and several weeks ago it was
decided to have meetin gs every Tues
day and Friday.
During the coal wage controversy
the President was said at the White
House to have been advised of the
meetings, and to have been kept informed
as to the progress his advisers were
making toward a settlement of the
controversy. He finally took the matter
out OF the cabinets hands and suggested
a Settlement which the miners accepted.
The correspondence between the Presi-
dent and MIR. Lansing which resulted
in Mr.. Lansing's resignation was made
public Friday at the State department
an hour after Under Secretary Polk
had conferred at the White House with
Secretary Tumulty.
Mr.. Lansing accompanied the Presi-
dent to Paris in December, 1918, as one
of the American peace delegates, but
his friends have said that while Mr..
Wilson was at the peace conference
MIR. Lansing was virtually without
authority, and that naturally he felt
this keenly, since the other Allied and
Associated countries were represented
by their preniers and not the heads of
their government.
Friction Continues.
Mr.. Lansing finally returned from
Paris before the work of the Ameri-
can peace delegation was concluded,
being succeeded by Frank L. Polk,
under secretary Of state The friction
between himself and Mr.. Wilson con-
tinued after he came back to Wash
ington.
During the Presidents illness the
Mexican issue again came to the front
with the kidnapping and subsequent
arrest of American Consular Agent
jenkins in Mexico. After the Jenkins
case had been discussed at cabinet
meetings presided over by Mr.. Lansing,
the State department sent note to
Carranza bluntly warning him that
further "molestation" Of Jenkins Wo..l
seriously affect the relations between
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the United States and Mexico, for which.
the government of Mexico must assume
sole responsibility jenkins case still
is pending in the Mexican courts, having
been transferred from the Puebla state:
courts to the federal supreme court,
which, the State department has CON
Continued on page 10Y.