Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 October 1909 — PRESIDENT ACTS IN CRANE’S CASE [ARTICLE]

PRESIDENT ACTS IN CRANE’S CASE

Accepts His Resignation As Minister to China. CONCURS IN LETTER OF KNOX President’s Secretary Told by Tele-' graph to Inform Crane That His Resignation, “Owing to Circumstances Found to Exist,” Was Accepted— Ousted Diplomat Issues a Statement Saying He Is Greatly Relieved by the Decision. Washington, Oct. 15. —All doubt as to what action President Taft would take with respect to the resignation of Charles R. Crane, minister designate to China, was dispelled by the receipt of a dispatch from the executive, ad dressed to Secretary Frank W. Carpenter, directing him to convey to Cramannouncement of the fact that the resignation had been accepted. The telegram was dated Prescott, Ariz., and was as follows: “Convey to Mr. Crane following communication: ‘I concur in the letter under date of Oct. 12 which the secretary of state has addressed to you, and I greatly regret that the circumstances found to exist by him make it necessary for me to accept your resignation.’" The letter of Knox referred to by the president notified Crane that his resignation would be accepted. Crane “Greatly Relieved." Following the receipt of the president’s message, through Secretary Carpenter, Crane issued this statement: “I am greatly relieved by the president’s decision There has been no minute since I learned the attitude of the department of state when I have not contemplated the possibility of a continuance of my official relations with the deepest repugnance. “Nevertheless, I have felt that my obligation to the president was to permit him to decide the issue. I have appreciated fully what would be involved in a decision by him that I should continue.

<‘l have realized also the impossibility of his securing complete information at this time. He has chosen to base his decision upon the ‘circumstances found’ by the secretary of state. “1 accepted the Chinese mission at his request and solely because of assurances that I could be and would be permitted to be of service to the country in contructive work of the greatest Importance to it and of the greatest interest to me. It has been made perfectly clear that conditions here were not and are not such as to make this possible. Did Not See Story. “To demonstrate this has involved a personal humiliation such-as no selfrespecting man who is drafted into the public service should be called on to endure, but I am grateful indeed that I have had the test of official confidence" and support here rather than in China, and now rather than at some real crisis involving the honor of the interest of the nation. > “I think I should state at this time that until I arrived here last Sunday I had never seen the newspaper article which is made the excuse for my recall, nor had I heard that such an article had been published, and at my Interview with the secretary of state it was not shown to me "1 accepted the description of its character and consequences then given to me and assumed full responsibility for my connection with it, purely incidental as that connection was.” Taft Scored by a Minister. Dayton, 0., Oct. 15. At a session of the Ohio synod of the United Presbyterian church Rev. J. A. Speer scored President Taft for bis alleged recognition of the Mormon? by delivering an address in the Salt Lake tabernacle. Mrs. Taft Leaves Beverly Today. Beverly, Mass., Oct. IS.—Today Mrs. W. H. Taft and her sister, Mrs. Louis T. More, will bid farewell to Beverly until another summer comes.