Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-05-20

IL will be seen that not one Of ouY Prosi.
dents was - old upen his Inauguration to
the otflce as Mr.. Wade, who would b in his
sixty ninth year whom insuguratsd Vics
President, should he be elected TO that
place. Only three Of our seventeen Prssi-
dents approach at all to the age of Mr..
Wade, aud the administration Of these
three illustrate exactly the unwisdom of
putting old men in executive position. The
Oldest Of our Predicate yet iuauguratsd.
Gen. Harrison, who wss four months
younger upon his inauguration than Mr.
Wade would be, died . month afterward.
absolutely hArasssi TO death BY the vexa-
tons and cares Of office; the second,
Zachary Taylor, sixty six years old when
inauguratsd, lived a year and four months
before he, too, succumbed to the weigh, of
Official responsibilities, too great for him to
bear, AID found ss.s !" th~ s,a,- nom mo
labors Of State: the third, James BnchanAn,
dlsgraccd the promise of his prime bv a
ssrvie and shufliing administration, pAlter-
ing with rebellion with an old woman's
cowardce, when younger and manlier
President would have ushed it in tho bud.
These examples do not encourage vs. 70 pu.
old men in the Presidential chair, or in 4
place where, by the death Of the President,
they would succeed to that chair. IL must
I've remembered, too, that the cares Of the
Presidency and its responsibilities arc a
thousand-fold heavier than whom they
brought down to tue grave the venerable
Harrison and Taylor. Instead Of nation
Of sixteen millions Of people, the President
inanguratsd in 1869 Will rule over forty
millions; instead Of annual expenditures Of
thirty or for millions Of dollars. the
national outlsy every year new amounts 10
three huAdrsd millions; while the offices
in the gift ofths President are ten times 40
many and hundred times 20 valuable 20
they were twenty years ago. By % uuoh
greater, then, 10 the nssd that wa sheujd
place In the Presidency man in the prime
eflifs end pessssssd Of full mental and phys
ieal vigor. Mr.. Wade, nov nearly seventy
years old, 10 no. such . man.
This objection Is especially applicable 10
Mr.. Waie ~ 10 comes Of family Wheee
members, able and talented in the prime Of
life have. some Of them, sunk int mental
weakness with advancing old age. HE
brother. Hen. Edward Wade, 10 an instance
o. this. T~sntv years age he Was enc Of
the most able ana brilliant lawyers in Ohie.
lie thrice represented lths Cleveland die.
srlcs in Congress But With approaching
age his mind bsgan to decay. Svmptoms
OF mental wsaknsn appeared during lis
last term in Congress, aud preveptsd hie
denomination. From that period hia mind
gradually became weaker, aud Al the tina
Of his death. two ysars ago. il vas eutirelv
destroyed. although he was then only sixty
three years Of age. We do not expeot that
such a:calamisv MIL bsfall the distinsu;shsd
senator from Ohio, but the very thought Of
the possibility Of such misfortune 10 n.
President OF the United States 10 one which
every patriot ought 70 consider and it
would certainly only be natural. and in &C.
cordance with the common lot Of man, If
Mr. Wade should find his intellect failias
With his bedy - he enters the confines 81
extreme old age In fact it has already
been remarked By Nr. Wade's friends that
his mind Is failing. and that be possesses
~ no means the strength Of intellect which
marked him ten years ago.
These facts are no discredit to Mr.. Wade.
and no ono viii urge them againat him in 1
spirit OF hostility or enmity. He has served
the country long and we'll he has earned
. right to the repose and rest which ID the
old mans reward after . well-epsut life
ne now approaches the scriptursl limit Of
NE HIS thsee-score yeare end Ten vill
soen have been completed, and ne should
neither be blamed nor blame Providence il
With old age come ita natural and usual ;n.J
ursnities. Kindness TO him. the,.fo,.
wssld lead bis ffieods not 10 pres him To-
ne Wee Presidency. Il would be betasr
~ him to retirs from as.ivs lie. fun III
49, n:nd OF honor, leaving u burdeua Of
~ e. )" 3oungsr men. Than, like Buchanan. |
s... ..I ns rrscie1s, vsll-sasnsd fame b. |
."cmpting dues for which HE old a..
.nn:s MN. Or, liz. Harrison and Tsvler
20 s,c.sn and die u.der the WEAKNESS Of
y1ASmsmbsrs Of thu Chie.,o r,..,,...;.
should ponder these facts es,ns..,. ~
candidly. In selecting csndidst. -. wv M
President heavy responsibility rest. ,'n ~
their shoulders. They must nat . upon
themselves to b Influenced bv feeel;o.. :,
personal ambition. The plsce ia one Of ~. !
greatest iuportancs. The history cf he
lsst tAess pears illustrates the terrible con.
ssqusncss Of our last mistake in nominal. |
ing . Vice President. Let every delegate
to the Chicago Convention consider a. ! |
patriot should biz duty in regard to the |
We Fsssidescy, and east his vote ia ae- |
eoseenes with bic candid decision. J