Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-14
LANSING HOSTILE TO TREATY.
WILSON'S FRIENDS AVER,
DISCUSSING RESIGNATION
Washington Supporters of the Administration Think Pesi
dent Should Have Parted With His Chief Cabinet Adviser
Some Months Ago. Republican Leader However, Says
Wilson's Dismissal Of Lansing Was Unwaranted.
" A,sociatod Press y livery Kveninr

ny Associatod Press N livery Evening
Washington, Feb. 1.-THE resignation
II Secretary ~ State Lansing announced
last night is the topic II conversation On
al lips here today
The friends n the administration hold
that the President delayed too long 10
taking action against the "disloyalfy"
~ his Cabinet leader II is recalled now
that the Secretary has opposed tho
Presidents attitude on the German Peace
Treaty even more frequently and openly
than have many other opponents ~ tho
pact, not connected with the admins
tration.
Lansing's efforts 70 separate the League
of Nations from the Treaty are again
brought up as sufficient provocation for
the drastic step II the President IN ousfing
the Secretary from bis Cabinet
The Republicans and enemies of the
President arc loud today 1n their de-
nunciation n hrs actiou IN driving" BE-
they call y, his Secretary of state from
office
When President Wilson went bark -
Paris last March and found that during
bis brief absence in the United states
Mr.. lansing and the others of the AMER
can mission he'd plsns. tentatively, ~
least, 70 have the Deace terms and ne
league Of nations covenants parted. Z he
situation carne verv near breaking
point and probably vas ev0ided only be-
cause the President thought Il moro
important not - let European statesmen
see a split IN the American peace dele
CATION While Mr. Lansing probably
saw and conferred with tbe President ln
Paris as much az any other members of
the American mission. il was matter u
remark that he saw him very little
However, the incident which came near
or causing a break than any other was
the sensational testimony If William O.
Bullitt, one Of the experts attached 20 the
American peace mission before the -enata
Foreign Relations Committee Built,
az will be recalled reading from q diary,
quoted Secretary Lansing as having told
him he was out Of sympathy with the
league Of nations covenant and as predict
ing that the treaty would fail # the ArnerI-
can people ever learned Ct IT'S full import.
LANSING IL DIFFICULT POSITION.
Mr.. Lansing, obviously in a very dif-
fcllt position, did not EepuGlass BullItt's
statements although i was nuDmeutar7fy
expected in Washington that he either
would repudiate them Cr resign his Office.
President Wilson was at the time on zig
speaking tour in the west. To say that
he was upset BY Bullitss story and his
quotations OF the Secretary of state putt
It mildly
Officials in the Presidential party whs
knew the workings oi the Presidents
mind expected 70 see the secretarys
resignation asked for when the President
returned 70 Washington These sans
officials believe row that the breakdown
which sent the President honc a very sek
man was the only thing which prevented it
NEVER saw PRESIDENT AGAIN.
Mr. Lansing, however. never saw the
President again, and did al his business
with the chief executive writing IN ne
relations between the men remained verv
much strained and then Sir Lansing
action IN calling the cabinet together
brought them t1 the breaking point
Those who were present 1t the first
cabinet meeting describe s rather tense
and dramatic scene. Congress was flll of
rumors that the President was 50 dis
abled as to be constltuuOnally unable 70
discharge the functions Of his Office.
There was talk of what might be done
TO place Vice President Marshall at the
head OF the government and how Congress
might 20 about doing it. Nobody knew
the full extent Of the President Illness
1t had net then become known that lie
had partly lost the use Of his left arm and
leg through an accumulation Of blood IN
one Of the arteries in his brain.
There were even ugly runors that the
President might not be IN posse sSlon ol
al MS faculties. Some senators were even
contemplating some action to hnd out
whether we have President or not. Is
one Of their number put it These ugly
stories were, of course, all disposed of and
show to be unfounded gossip By the later
developments. but they were beng cir
culated and widely credited last Novem-
Der when the cabinet assembled for its
first conference at the call of Secretary
Lansing.
GARFIELD CASE CITED.
The Secretary Of State. it should be
stated believed he was supported by
precedent in calling the cabinet together.
Looking up the historical record he
ound il had been done when President
Garfield lay IN for weeks after having
been shot by an assassin and that it had
oeen done before that when President
Continued on maze &