Evening star., 1920-02-18

counsel, in order that the fullest OBJ
tainable knowledge Of his wishes might
be had.
"Nething to Usu1p."
ut is not clear to me how one can
be q usurper when there is nothing
to usurp. or how the conscientious
meeting in conference in an effort to
serve the country better and to aid
ones chief can be considered other
There was no one man responsible for
the meetings that took place. unless,
indeed. 1t should be assumed that the
head Of the oldest department in the
government should have taken the au-
thority upon himself to forbid the
meetings. for which authority I ven-
ture to think there is no shadow of
law. Certainly. II usurpation took
place 1t was done in . most singular
way, for pains were taken at the first
gathering to inform the President of
the fact Of the gathering, to send him
an anectionate message, and his per-
sonal secretary was present . copsid-
erable part of the time. as well as on
other occasions.
"One can conceive that II the Secre-
tary OF State had assumed to call the
cabinet together for the purpose of
advising him how to carry on the gov
ernment, usurpation might have been
charged. but no such thing took
place, no such assumption was made,
no one thought Of doing anything
save serving the country and the
PRESIDENT. under most distressing con-
ditions for him and most perpIexing
seem to the writer to matter seriously
whether. In the times Of disability Of
former Presidents, meetings had been
held or not. Tho question to be de-
cided was not what was the duty of
the members Of the cabinet then. but
Wnat were the duties which weighed
were matters of pressing public con-
Germ. in dealing with which the ablest
man might we'll question the sum-
cheney OF his own information and
"PressinE Matters.~
AS 1 look back to that time it
seems to me essentially right that
thoughtful men should desire the dis
cusston with others on whose iudR-
ment and common interests they could
depend. and that to avoid conferences
% "ouIo nave been disloyal alike to the
country and to the chief whom they
were all striving to aid, and who had,
In his sickness. their sincere sym
p@thy. The serious events that took
place need not hero be rehearsed.
The coal strike was one Of them. They
were pressing matters that would not
wait and something had to be DONE
objection had the Secretary of La
Dor or the Attorney General and
others met at one or another of their
offices to talk the matter over. II
this is 50, can 1t be possible that it
was the place Of meeting that made
the matter unconstitutional and that
gave 1t the character Of usufpation?
The meetings that actually took place
did not differ in any essential particu-
lar from a meeting held in the office
OF any Of the attendant Secretaries
Nothing was said or done that might
not have taken place had the meet
ing been held in my ohice. or in any
the cabinet took decisions, and that
in these decisions rested the act of
usurpation. They did nothing Of the
kind. They discussed certain things
which fell within the lawful scope
of some Of their number. as depart
views as to what should be done, on
the action that was taken or was to
be taken by the heads Of depart-
ments functioning under the law.
Having given very careful thought
to the whole matter. in view Of the
Presidents action. confess to being
increasingly astonished at 1t, for what
behalf. for his assistance. in his sun
port, and it seems q pity that one
should have been singled out for spe-
cial responsibility in . matter in
which all were equally innocent or
guilty. Ny relations with the Presi-
cordial and delightful. but evan with
his judgment to the contrary before
me, / must frankly say that under like
conditions. in the absence Of his ex-