The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1920-02-14

near breaking Folnt.
When President Wilson went back
to Paris last March and found that
during his brief absence in the United
States Mr. Lansing and the others
of the American mission had agreed,
tentatively at least, to have the peace
terms and the league of nations cove
nant separated, the situation came
very near breaking point, and prob
ably was avoided only because the
president thought it more important
not 70 let European statesmen see a
split in the American peace delega-
tion. While Mr.. Lansing probably
saw and conferred with the president
in Paris as much as any other mem
Der of the American mission, it was
a matter of remark that he saw him
very little.
However, the incident which came
nearer a break than any other was
the sensational testimony of William
G. Bullitt, one of the experts attached
to the American peace mission be-
fore the senate foreign relations
committee. Bullitt, as will be re-
called. reading from a diary quoted
Secretary Lansing as having told
him he was out of sympathy with
-,the league f nations covenant and
as predicting tha' the treaty would
fail If the American people ever
learned of its full import.
Mr.. Lansing, obviously in a very
difficult position, did not repudiate
Bullitt' statements. although it was
momentarily expected in Washington
that he either would repudiate them
or resign his Office. President VIII
son was at the time on his speaking
tour in the west. To say he was up
set by Bullitt's story and his quota
tions of the secretary of state puts it
mildly. Officials in the presidential
party who knew the workings of the
president mind expected to see the
secretarys resignation asked for
when the president returned to
Washington. These same officials
believe now that the breakdown
sick man was the only thing which
prevented it.
Mr.. Lansing, however, never saw
the president again, and did all his
business with the chief executive in
writing. The relations between the
men remained very much strained,
and then Mr.. Lansing's action in
calling the cabinet together brought
them to the breaking point
Dramatic Scene.
Those who were present AT the
first cabinet meeting describe a
rather tense and dramatic scene.
Congress was full of rumors that the
president was so disabled as to be
constitutionally unable to 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 go about doing it. Nobody
knew the full extent of the presi-
dents illness. II had not then become
known that he had partially lost the
use of his left arm and leg through
San accumulation of blood in one of
the arteries in his brain. There were
even ugly rumors that the president
might not be in possession of all his
faculties. Some senators were even
contemplating some action to find
out whether we have a president or
not" as one of their number put if.
These ugly stories were, OF course,
all disposed of and shown to be pure
and unfounded gossip by the later
developments. but they were being
circulated and widely credited last
November when the cabinet assem-
bled for its first conference at the
call of Secretary Lansing.
The secretary of state. IL should
be said, believed he was supported
by precedent in calling the cabinet
together. Looking up the historical
record. he found 1t had been done
when President Garfield Law IN for
weeks after having been shot by an
assassin, and that it had been done
-efore that when President Taylor
had a long illness and ultimately was
succeeded by Vice President Fill
more.
- The Wilson cabinet assembled tho
first day with a feeling of apprehen-
sio1, for none OF the members knew
the extent OF the presidents Illness,
but expected to be informed Of it
Secretary Tumulty had informed the
president that Mr.. Lansing had called