New Britain herald., 1920-02-14

liver to the secretaries
 Grayson in Chnir.
 The secretaries assem bled at their usual places that day and Mir Lans- ing sent for pr. Grayson. The presi- dents chair at the head of the table was left vacant until the physician arrived and he was asked to occupy it. 4@
 ''Dr. Grayson,' Secretary Lansing is reported by those who were pres cnt to have said, i've wish to know the nature and extent of the presi- dents illness and whether he is able to perform the duties of his office. so that we may determine what shall be dcne to carry on the business of the government"
 The presidents physician is quoted by some of the other secretaries as having replied in substance:5
 ''The president is doing as well as coulG be expected: he is in full pos session of ail his faculties, and ho has directed me to inquire of you by what authority this meeting of the cabinet was called, what business is before it and what business might be transac cted at a cabinet meeting With out i,is participation"
 No Opportunity to Reply, -..
  time, Secretary Lansing had no op- portunity to reply, because some of the other mem bers stepped into the breach and asked Dr. Grayson to say to the president that the only pur- pose of the meeting was to inquire into the state Of his health and to send him a message of loyalty and encoura cement. At that point the meeting broke up without having transacted any business. but it did not end the so-called cabinet con- fcrences.
 It has not been made public whether President Wilson knew since then that the cabinet m em bers had been assem bling and talking over inter-depa i-trn ental affairs, but the meetings have been held in the caDi- net room in the executive offices, and if the president did not know it, it probably was because those sur rounding him did not think it wise to tell him.
 Was Ignorant of Meetings.
 The best opinion of those Ion the inside" is that the president did not know until last week of the regular ity at which the cabinet was meeting at the call of the secretary of state, because at about the time which the presidents first letter to MT. Lansing is dated the White House offices let it be known" that the president had ended the cabinet conferences, and there was an inference that he might preside at the next one himself. There was, however, no hint that tho ending of the meetings marked a separation between Mir Wilson and MT. Lansing
 
 Mfr. Lansing has left the cabinet, much may be revealed of the extent to which the secretary of state and the president differed in matters of policy. Quite aside from the differ ences at the peace conference, there were other differences in foreign pol icy,- and some of MT. Lansing s friends say he would have left his office some time ago but for the ia ct that he wished to spare the president an upheaval in his official family at a time when Europe was watching the fight over the treaty Tn America, and especially when the president was i'll and unable to look after the af- fairs of the State department himself.
 Succeeded Bryan.
 MT. Lansing became head of the State department when William J. Bryan and the president had their differences over the Lusitania notes. Mfr. Lansing was counsellor, an office in which he had succeeded John Bas- sett Moore. It has been common knowledge that while MT. Lansing's s name was signed to the State depart ment notes to Germany and notes which preceded the armistice, Mir. Wilson wrote them himself-in fact, he practically acted as secretary of state in all important business. If was the presidents conception of his relation to the foreign policy of the nation.
 Differed on Mexico.
 How much MT. Lansing and the president differed on the Mexican pol icy never has been fully revealed, but officials who sympathize with MT. Lansing's views say that they differed a great deal. It has generally been believed in official circles that the sharp notes which Mir. Lansing sent to Carranza in connection with the Jenkins case are what the president referred to in his letter to the secre- tary when he spoke of the secretary of state having taken action to fore stall his Judgment. It is known. however, that Henry Pratler Fetch CT, former am bassador to Mexico, who 1 recently resigned, wrote a letter to the president in which he excorciated l the decision of the Mexican po1ics- and the general belief in the State depa rtment is that MT. Lansing and l MT. Fletcher agreed pretty generally MT. Fletcher's letter of resignatio