The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-25
TIE VICE PRESIDENCY.

-
When the Vice President who will be
buried to-day received the nomination at
the hands OF the Republican national con-
vention he was comparatively a stranger
TO the American people. and, because they
had never heard of him. those who as
sumo that they know everybody worth
knowing set Mr.. Hobart down as a man of
no consequence. AND yet he had been a
prominent lawyer in New Jersey for years
and had proved himself to be a man of
unusual ability in such public affairs as
came to him. without experience he at
once became an able presiding officer. but,
beyond this, he was found to be a wise
counselor for his party. The President
appreciated his worth and made him
friend and adviser. In many ways he was
a part of the administration. as the Vice
President should be.
The most conspicuous service Mr.. Ho-
bart rendered the government was his in
s~istence that the dignity of the office of
Vice President should be recognized and
respected. He did not do this because In a
small and fussy manner he desired the
recognition, but because it was due the Of
fee which the Constitution gives the Sec
ond place. The Vice President is the Of
fetal upon whom will devolve the duties
of the President I'm the event of his death.
The Vice President Is the man whom the
country selects to be President in the
event Of the death of the executive. 1t is
a position which should be filled by men
who are fit to be President. In the early
days of the Republic, and several times in
later years, the office was filled by able
men. Adams was Vice President when
Washington was President; Jefferson held
the position while Adams was President,
and Burr was Vice President during JEFF
ferson's first term. AT other times the
Vice President has been of the presiden-
tial rank, but often the men selected for
the position were men who had not been
conspicuous in the public service. Often
the second place has been turned over to
the minority of a convention by the ma
jority as a sort of peace offering. Thus
Governor Hendricks was given the second
place with Mr.. Tilden and Mr.. Cleveland,
after he had been. in the first instance, an
aspirant for the first place. General Gar
fields nomination was a victory of a fac
ton of the party. and General Arthur was
given the second place rather as an at
tempt to conciliate than because he was
deemed a fit man to be President. That he
was an able executive and gave the coun-
try a wise administrator was a surprise.
often the nomination of Vice President is
made to win votes beyond the lines of the
party making the nomination. Tyler was
a Wing only because he was in antag-
onism with the party with which he had
acted. Andrew Johnson was put upon the
ticket with Lincoln to repel the charge of
narrow partisanship and ~sectionalism.
The wretched administrations which they
gave the country showed that both had
been chosen without any regard to fitness.
If Mr.. Cleveland had had the sagacity to
call Governor Hendricks into his ~counsels
when he was Vice President his large ex-
p~erience would nave been of value to the
President. Instead he treated him with
scant courtesy. thus degrading the office
which is next to his own.
Now that the dead Vice President, by
his high character. his capacity for af-
fairs and his useful cooperation with the
President. has called attention to the
great Importance of the office of Vice
President. ii would be well for both par
ties TO see that the men named for second
place on the national ticket shall be of the
presidential rank, and that if elected they
shall be expected to be the helpers rather
than the leaders of the faction of the par
ty winch opposes the President Least of
all should a man be nominated because
his one recommendation is that his for
tune is expressed bv seven figures and his
promised contribution to the campaign
fund by six.