Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-09-27
VICE PRESIDENTS.
HOc They Haze Usually AmtaDOMise'
Their Presidents.

HOtU They Haze Usually AMtaOOaaised
Their Presidents.
The American people should now look
squarely in the face the fact that during
the last forty years four vice presidents
have succeeded to the presidency, and
that-computing President Arthur's
term-vice presidents will go into history
as our chief magistrates for fourteen out
of forty-four years. Tyler became presi-
dent for three years and eleven months;
Fillmore became president for two years
and eight months; johnson became pres
ident for three years and eleven months,
and Arthur has become president for
three years and six Notwithstanding a
total of fourteen out of forty-four con-
that period the nation has had nine elect
ed presidents, and four of them
have died in Office. And every
vice president who became presi-
dent was a political accident. Not one
of them was presented to the people be-
fore the nominating conventions met for
popular support to impress those who
were charged with the selection of ma
tional tickets. Tyler was chosen because
he wept and agonized in the Harrisburg
convention over the defeat of Clay; Fill
more was selected because he was needed
to balance the weak points of Taylor in
New York; johnson was nominated be-
cause the desire was general to strip the
party and the government of their Sec
tional features, and Arthur was nomina-
ted because Conkling's pride had the op-
portunity to make the leaders who had
smitten Grant bow in the dust at his
feet.
So thoroughly loyal are the American
people to their free government that the
lawful president, however untitled or
distrusted, commands their generous al
legiance and support, and it will be so in
the case of President Arthur. There is
not county in the union that would
have named him for the presidency, OF
even for the vice presidency had his &C
cession to the presidency been deemed
probable; but he was elected vice presi-
dent by the people; he is now the lawful
chief magistrate of the republic, and he
will be literally sustained and reluctantly
censured If he shall make an honest
effort to perpetuate the now well under
stood and most earnestly approved policy
of the Garfield administration, he will com
mand the favor of all parties; if he shall
reverse the policy of Garfield and make
his administration Grant Restoration,
he will end his public career amidst the
excavations Of the people.
1t is not entirely unreasonable that
vice presidents, selected as ours have
been, should uniformly reverse the gen
eral policy of their immediate predeces-
sors Tyler did it; Fillmore did it; John.
san did it, and Arthur is reasonably GER
tain to do it. And why? The answ is
simple and logical. Vice presidents rep
resent nothing. They are nominated tc
meet some present and accidental politica
necessity, generally resulting from the
nomination of the presidential candidate
They, therefore, represent no great senti-
ment in. the party, and they become
, ciphers in the administration. They
gravitate into estrangement because they
are voiceless; the disappointments of the
party naturally cluster about them until
they become the central figure of the OPP
position, and when they succeed to the
power that disregarded them they fall
into the arms of those who were not in
sympathy with the elected President. AS
long as presidents are subject to
the ordinary laws of human nature they
will be the natural antagonists of the
president. his policy and his friends.