Evening star., 1925-07-29
BRYAN AND WILSON
BREAK IS RECALLED
Commoner's Own Note of
Resignation Said German
Policy Was Cause.
Bv the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Many conflicting stories bearing on
the break between William Jennings
Bryan and Woodrow Wilson have
gained currency since the death of
the Commoner and most of them
have served to accentuate the differ
ences which arose between the two
over the negotiations which preceded
American entry into the World War.
1t was apparent at the time that
their disagreements on questions of
policy were very far-reaching, going
beneath the surface of the submarine
note to Germany. which Mr. Wilson
prepared and which Mr.. Bryan re
fused TO sign. Although the former
never publicly went into these differ
enceS al length the latter on many
occasion on the platform and in pub
lie statements indicated his disagree
ment with many features of the VIII
son foreign policy.
Bryan Gave Reason.
Mr.. Bryans letter of resignation.
written on June $, 1915, revealed di-
rectly the specific incident over which
with his chief He wrote:
"Obedient TO your sense of duty
and actuated by the highest motives,
you have prepared for transmission
10 the German government note
In which | cannot join without vio-
lating what I deem to he an obliga-
ton to my country.
II, therefore, respectfully tender
my resignation"
In statement on the following
day the retiring Secretary called at
tention to this statement and then re
cited at length the difficulties that
had arisen, but indicated that others
were in the background. II was APP
parent that the handling of the sub
marine question with Austria also
had been a matter of disagreement,
and one of Mr.. Bryan'S friends in a
statement issued last night in Port
land. Ore. declared that to have been
the real cause of the break. Other
friends of the dead man here today
also asserted that Austrian relations
had much to do with MIR. Bryan $
resignation, although all agreed that
the submarine policies in general
rather than any one particular Incl
dent brought the whole disagreement
to a head.
Differed on Patronage.
There is no doubt that Mr. Bryan
and Mr.. Wilson also differed seriously
at times over the questions of Fed
eral patronage. In his three cam
paigns for the presidency the Com
moner had gathered about him a cir
Gle of friends whom he desired to
see appointed to office when at last
the party came into power, and some
of his recommendations did not re
19.- l. L,
deserved.
A certain amount of friction also
arose by virtue of Mr.. Wilson's close
personal supervision over the affairs
of the State Department. More than
one of the important diplomatic notes
of the war period were first written
by the President on his own type
writer It was rbt unusual for him to
make revisipns on notes submitted for
presidential approval just before their
transmission abRoad.
Said Note Was Revised.
Mr.. Bryan charged publically that
the German submarine note to which
he ascribed his resignation was so
revised after the resignation was ac-
cepted.
"The note was softened," he said
in "A statement, when the text of the
communication was made public, but
not sufficiently to justify me in ask
ing permission TO- Withdraw my resig-
nation
Addressing directly THE American
Peo Pile" on the basis of the text as
finally forwarded to Berlin, he said:
"Hou now have before you the text
Of hIe note to Germany-the note
which it would have been my official
duty o sign had 1 remained Secretary
of Sta te. l ask you to sit in judg-
ment upon my decision to resign
rather, than to share responsibility for
it.r
It an nDeared from all of the state
ments n both sides that the real diff
ference over the note was in regard
to it's td ne. The President enforced his
purpose of telling Germany directly
that ser iOus consequences would re-
suit in q )ntinued attacks on American
citizens, while Mr.. Bryan thought
"A more friendly and argumentative
tone shot Id have been adopted.
More - )ecifically, the Secretary ad-
vocated &rnd The President opposed
suggestion of an arbitral commission
10 handle the trouble with Germany