Republican farmer., 1920-02-20

washington, FGp- 14-ReDukoQ by President Wilson for calling cabinet meetings during his illness. Secretary Lansing has risgned.
 The president has accepted the resignation with appreciation" and MT. Lansing becomes the second secre- tary of state to leave the administr<S ton over a disagreement with his chief.
 There will be no more reSignadons from the cabinet as a result of the Lansing incident, it was said at the White House today.
 "T am not going to discuss the Lan- sing-Wilson controversy---the letters speak for themselves" Secretary Tu- multy said.
 There was no information available at the White House as to a probable successor to MT. Lansing, but the ap- pointment is expected to be made soon. John W. Davis, ambassador at London, and Under Secretary Polk are being discussed.
 Cabinet meetings will be med "very soon'' and as announced few days ago President Wilson will pre- side White House officials reiterated today that he was making rapid strides toward regaining his health
 Although the correspondence be- tween MT. Lansing and the president makes the calling of the cabinet meetings the incident which leads directly to the secretary's resignation. persons Ion the inside of the ad- ministration who know what has been going on, say that was only an incl dent and that the real reason for the break goes back over a period of many months and come from funda- mental differences of opinion in policy.
 The disagreements between the president and the head of the state department even antedate the entry of the United States into the war. The relations between the two men almost reached the breaking point early in 1917 when MT. Lansing is- sued his celebrated statement saying the United States was daily being i drawn nearer and nearer the war. By some, it was taken to forecast the entry of the United States. The president made every effort to over take the statement after it had beer given out at the state department 1 but it was impossible.
 When Mir. Lansing went as a mem Der of the American delegation tc Paris more differences developed With other members of the American mission, he was not in accord w1tf the Presidents idea of making the | treaty of peace and the covenent o1 1 the League of Nations one and the same inseparable document. It was MT Lansings idea that such a plar would delay the ratification of g peace treaty, and In this he was sup ported by Henry White and E. M House
 It may be said with a great degre' of authority that while the Presiden and Mir. Lansing were together II Paris other differences of more tha1 i minor nature developed, and this i confirmed by the reference which thu | President makes to it in one Of hi l letters.
 When President Wilson went bacl to Paris last March and found Una
 during his brief absence in the Unite States Mir. Lansing and the others o the American mission hac agreed tentatively at least, to have the peac iterms and the League of Nations GOV f enant separated, the situation cam very near to a breaking point an' probably was avoided only becaus | the President thought it more 1mpor tant not to let European statesmen see split in the American peace dele gation While MT. Lansing probabl saw and conferred with the Pres1den in Paris as much any other mem bcrs of the American mission, it wa a matter of remark that he saw h1r very little.
 However, the incident which cam
 nearer causing a break that an
 other was the sensational testfmon
 of William c. BulIitt, one of the eS Derts attached to the American peac
 mission, before the senate foreign re
 lations committe. Bullitt, as will b
 recalled, reading from a diary, quot ed Secretary Lansing as having tol
 him he was out of sympathy wit
 the League of Nations covenant an ! as Y,redicting that the treaty woul
 fail if the American people eve !learned of it's full import.
 Mir. Lansing, obviously in a ver
 difficult position, did not repudia1
 Bullitt's statements, although 1t WE momentarily expected in Washlngto that he either would repudiate the1 or resign his office President Wi : son was at the time on his speakir
 +onr in the West. To say that I was upset by BulIitts story and h quotations of the secretary of sta
 nuts if mildly Officials in the pre- ? idential party who knew the worl } ings of the Presidents mind eXpec ed to see the secretary's reslgnatie . asked for when the president return ed to Washington. These same off cials believe now that the breakdoN which sent the president horrt: very sick man was the only thll
 1 which prevented it.
 MT. Lansing, however, never sa the president again, and did all |
 business with the, chief executive
 writing. The relations between U Q men remained very much stralne " and then MT. Lansing's action in ca 70 ing the cabinet together brought the II l to the breaking point.
 ,f. Those who were present al the III
 1 cabinet meeting describe 8 rath