The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-04-17
Qualifications for the Presidency.

Qualifications for the Presidency.
While the doctrine of availability
continues to be regarded as of so much
importance in the selection of candi-
date for the Presidency, it may be that
personal qualifications for the office
will be less considered than they should
be. The political ability of this or
chat prominent man to carry certain
States is, doubtless, a matter to he con-
sidered. but the most important inquiry
after all is, what sort of President
will the individual be, should he hap
pen to be chosen9 We shall, therefore.
do our best to describe the kind of
statesman fitted to become the candi-
date of the Democratic party in the
coming election.
The first and foremost qualification,
in our opinion, is thorough knowledge
of and devotion to the )onstitut on
There are many prom nent men in the
Democratic party who are very able
politicians, bat who are not American
statesmen in thu highest sense. 1t must
never be forgotten that this Federal
Government is government of limited
and specific powers, and that what the
Democracy has to do is to take the gov
eminent out of the hands of party
which has abused those powers, and 10
restore it to the true path of the Con-
stitution. knowledge. intricate knowl-
edge, of what the Constitution is. is es-
sential in a President, not only because
he is q coordinate branch OF the legis-
islative power, but because the eXecu
tive duties involve the constant
exercise of functions whose sole
guide is to be found in the writ
ten text of the fundamental law. In the
management Of the foreign relations of
this country President can be mate
rally ded by an able and accom-
plished Secretary of State. But even
in foreign relations it must be remem-
bered that Secretary of State is but
the adviser and instrument of the Pres
ident, and that the President himself is
the functionary who has to decide ev-
erything; so that along with thor
ough knowledge of the constitutional
scope of the treaty-making power. the
President should possess learning that
is peculiar to the province of interna-
tional law, diplomatic usage and the
diplomatic history of this country. This
kind of knowledge is not to be acquired
in a day, or to be put into man by
any process of examining" But in
the adm ;nistration of the internal at
fairs of this government President
who does not possess an intimate ac-
quaintance with the principles of the
Constitution, its limitations of power,
its relations to the States and the peO-
pie, however good a politician he may
be in party tactics. VIII not answer the
demands of the present eXigency. Per-
haps we have never had a President
who came nearer to filling all the ual-
ificationS for the office than did MIR.
Jefferson. He was not only highly ac-
complished general statesman, but he
was a sound constitutional jurist; and.
although he had no direct hand
in making the Constitution, he
not only understood 1T thoroughly,
but as soon as he understood
it. and ever afterward, he interpreted it
with that degree of stric ness which is
necessary to preserve it in harmony
with the reserved rights of the States
and the people Above all. jefferson
was believer in popular government
and general suffrage. His Demo racy
was of that genuine type which holds to
the exercise of popular power through
the appropriate department of gov
eminent of laws, and the defined re-
straints which people have imposed
on their servants and on themselves.
We have reached stage of things in
which the are numerous men in the
Republican party who Go not believe in
popular government or in general
suffrage. who would gladly embrace
any pretext fer transform NC our Gov
eminent into something very different
ON what it is, and we must not lose
sight of the extreme facility with which
a kind of revolution could be accom-
plished, by which we might lose the
Constitution and its popular govern
ment almost without being aware that
the process was going on 1t is a mar
vel that the Constitution has been pre-
served to Us through the turbulent and
dangerous period that followed the
civil war. 1t was no intention of many
of the mn who then had the govern
ment of affairs that the Constitution
should be restored to its supreme au-
thority. 1t has been saved in spite Of
them and their Vaccinations, and now
what is needed is that the executive |
power should be committed to the
hands of some man who will make it |
the guide of all his acts, and so COM |
plete the work that remains to be done. |
Other personal qualifications can be |
easily described, and they do not merely |
90 to make up AL ideal President. All |
honest men will agree that personal in
tegrity, high intelligence, moral cour-
age, simplicity of manners and of life, |
power to institute and carry out needed |
reforms, power to make even party |
machinery and political domination |
work for the good of the country, an
all-embracing patriotism, an absence of |
sectional feeling and an inhexible de-
termination to do right, are the qualities
that we need in a President; and while |
these qualifications make up the beau
ideal of Chief Magistrate, they are at
the same time qualities which may be
found in some men and, therefore, they |
are not mere distractions. We could |
name half dozen men in the Demo
cratic party, any one of whom, we
think, would answer the requirements
with a close approximation at
least to the ideal standard. But
we shall not name one of them,
because we do not propose to
insti ute a boom in anv direction.
We shall content ourselves with urging
those who are to be charged W IT, the
duty of making the selection, to take
care that in following out the principle
o. availability. they do not lose sight of
the gualificat ons without which our
success in the election would be q VIC