New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-12
TIE IICE-PRESTDENCY.

A
nr,o ohas interest deepens I'm the selection OF Il
candidate for Vice President. and there Is IN
,,,,istok.hlv growing sentiment that party
roIicv and National welfare would be admlrabiv
consulted by the nomination of Thomas D.
Dood Al cverv suggestion of this some news
n,pers which have no intention of supporting
the ticket and every wish to weaken IT, an" Il
few Republican politicians. whose principal op'
iect IN life is to take revenge for their own us
onno,nted ambition by disturbing party har'
monr unite In declaring that Mr.. Reed is too
Great for the office and that having aspircd to
the Presidency he could not with self-respcc'
take second place. Meanwhile Mr.. Reed him
self Is wisely silent and It would probably ne
os wei, if some of those processing TO speak for
him would initiate his example. While sun
seeking first place in an honorable contest. 1t Is
not TO be expected that he or his lrich"s VIII
consider his taking second. any more than II
was TO be expected that any leader "f MS forces
would concede In advance his defeat ana 'heh
contlnne the campaign. general should not
surrender if he is not through fighting. When
Mr. Reed is no longer candidate Tor the Ires'
idcncy It will be time enough for an authorized
statement Of his views about the Nice-fres'-
dency.
As n patriotic citizen and loyal Rcpubllcan n"
doubtless realizes what his sclf-appolnted
spokcsmen do not. that he Is not too Dig lor
any office in which he can serve his country
and that II Is not beneath his dignity To RESPOND
to any call of his party. II has honorcd nm III
the past and he asks it now to give him the
highest honor il has to bcstow. II II cannot
give him what he most wants. but offers him
the next highest Office in the country. 1t Is not
for him 10 decline. A candidate Tor Once Is
like a soldier When he goes into service ne
obligatcs himself 10 take the command given
to him Nor Is the Nicc-Prcsidency an ms'E-
nincanr Office which great man nay thlhk
beneath him. Its occupant Is the second officer
in the country No great man was ever b'litfled
by il. and when il has seemed 10 be place oil
insignifcance il has been when insignihrnh'
men filed it, who would have made the Ir'sl
dcncy seem petty place.
Three Vice-Presidents have succeeded to the
Presidency by election and four to fill vacah-
cies. John Adams and Thomas Jefferson pre-
sided over the Senate under the old conditions
when the candidate having the second highest
vote for President took the other office. Nhil'
Adams was deliberately chosen for second
place jefferson was accidentally elected
through The failure of the F"dernlistS TO con
ccntrate on Pinckncy. their candidat" FOR wee
President Yet he found the Office no hlleh'
on his ambition. Martin Van Buren,. after h
ng Secretary Of State. became Vice President
and then President. John &. Calhoun was twice
Vice President after having bccl in the 'ahinci.
and though he never reached the higher office.
he had ununcstoned rank among ia" great men
| of his time John &. Breckenridge was th,
| candidate OF his party for President after H.
| had presided over the Senate for four years
| and at the Republican Convention of ~"
Abraham Lincoln was the second choice on the
| delegates for Vicc-lrcsdent and his name was
| withdrawn to make Mr.. Daytons nomination
unanimous The nomination for second place
has before NOW been given 10 asplrans FOR
| higher honors in 1872 Hendricks received 4
majority OF the Democratic electoral votes, ana
| was second in the race for the Presidential
| nomination IN 1876 Yet after 1'ldcn was named
| Hendricks was chosen rs his companion III
| spite Of the protest of III" Indiana delegation
| that they did not know If hc would take second
place He did take II and. though he did not
then become Vice President. eight years later
though seeking the Presidency. he thought II
| proper TO run for the second office and he Wa
elected The Republicans in 1874 gave n sim
| liar example Logan was prominent candi
| date for President before the convention, re-
ceying almost the solid vote OF Illinois an,
votes from nine other States. He stayed In Tho
race through the final ballot and then accepted
the Vlcc-Prcsldcnta nomination.
| with all these prccedcnts in mind II Is i'm
| possible for any man 10 think his dignity or hi
| political future compromised by such n0in'na
| ton No man Is too great for the office In
fortunate experience teaches the danger of put
ting in succession 10 the Presidency men wh'
when In the higher chair were n disapponi
mcnt Tyler Fillmore and Johnson warn agalns
the repetition Of such mistakes. The Repub
| lcan Convention could do nothing wiser mex
week in dealing with this question than to nom
mate for Vce-Prcsident man who has beef
| favorably thought of for the other Office An'
1t may confidently do this. remembering tina
no man was ever yet candidate before a Ma
| tional Convention who declined to answer Il
| that conventions call.