Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-12-31

Since the beginning OF the Govern.
ment the Vice President has had the
least 70 do with the sdmiuistrstion tu
which he belongs- Many OF our
vice Presidents hare been able men.
but few OF them have made any stIr
while In Office, while Q nunber
nave been diametrically opposed 70
their chiefs. Thomas Jefferson. A
Vice President under Adams. was the
leader Of the opposition, and after
the first few dsys OF bis term, Adams
counseled with him In nothing. Aaron
Burr and jefferson during the next
term were At loggerhesds, and Il was
due TO Jefferson that Burr was finally
prosecuted for treason. Il Is hsrdly
possible. that John Quincy Adams
and Calhoun had much 10 common.
and We all know how the latter fell
oat with Andrew Jackson as Vice
President during the Eext administra-
tien. Van Buren and jackson got
along very welk bat IL was only be.
cause President Jackson was King
&Bd kan Buren merely factotum. II
was another case Of "me, too" only
more 30, and Van Buren,, as reward
for his snbmission. was made Jack.
sons successor. Van Buren's Vice
President was Richard NJ. johnson of
Kentucky, the first Viee RrssiAsu1
selected west Of the AIleghenies, and,
though he was the man who killed
Tecumseh. bis name is now almost
forgotten. John Tyler the next Vice
President. was a cipher as long ss
Harrison lived, and Hafrison's Cabi-
net tried TO control him after Harri-
sons death. Fillmore had little In
fiuence while Zach Taylor was alive.
and the troubles Of Andrew johnson
after the desth OF Lincoln show that
bis influence was very small during
the life Of Old Abe. So far as can
learn we have never had Vice Pres
ident who has ruled the President or
directed the administration Even
the ablest Of them have made mo- rep
utstion while filing the Office. and
John c. Breckenridge. Buchsnan's
second, George NJ. Dallas, who reign.
ed with Polk, and VIM. r. King,
Vice Presi ent with Pierce. 20 down
20 history through other acts rather
than those done during their Vice
Presidency. Mr.. King, by the way,
died in Office. lie was the third Vice
President who did So The first was
George Clinton who had been Vice
President under Jefferson aud was
then serving under Madison. The
second who died was EIdridge Gerry,
u asighner ofthe Declaration Of fIndepcn-
dence, and the author of the chang
ing Legislative districts for Congress
ional purposes. called after his name.
"Garrymsndering." The sixth Vice
President was Daniel ID. Tompkins
OF New York. He Is one of the four
Vice Presidents who were twice elect.
ed, and held the place through the
whole Of Monroe's administration
Now every ons remembers Monroe,
but how many can tell anything
about Tompkinss still In the decade
between 1910 and 1920 he was far
more of man than Tom Hendricks
Is now. He made great reputation
as q war Governor Of New York. asd
at one time when the State put osit
$500, 600 OF bonds and there were no
takers. he personally indorsed them
and thus made them good. for he was
wealthy. The other Vice Presidents
who have had two elections are John
Adams. George Clinton aud John G
Calhoun. or the last Vice Presidents
Colfax, Wilson and Wheeler. the
world knows how little prominence
they had while Grant was President,
and under the pacific reignof Ruther-
ford B. Hayes. Chester A. Arthur
was little talked Of until Garfield's
death. and his relations with
the great Ohian were not more
friendly than those q, present said to
exist between Hendricks aud Clsve-
land. There have been altogether
twenty-one Vice Presidents elected
by the people. OF these. four have
died In Office, three have risen TO the
Presidency by election, four have
become Presidents by the death OF
the President, and none Of them have
made regulations which will eutlast
their century. Washington Letter
tu Cleveland Leader