The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-30
VICE PRESIDENT HOBART.
HE HAS ASTONIsHED THE POLITI-
CLANS WITH HIS ACTIVITY.

in Politics-RealizeS That He Is the
Second Man of the Land-First
Vice President to Influence the
President-HOw He Calmly Took
Precedence Over the British Am
bassadOr and the Resulting DipIO-
matte StIr-As He Appears in the
senate-A Day With Mr. Hobart.
Busiest Man In Washington.
Washington, April 2S.-As Vice President
of the United States Garrett A Hobart
differs vastly from any of his recent prede-
cessors, he is a surprise TO the politicians,
for he has made himself distinct political
force.
He evidently realized, when he accepted
the nomination, that the position was one
of great possibilities; that it might be and
should be one of primary Importance. He
believed the fathers of the republic had
no notion that the Vice President should
be figurehead and nothing more, and he
determined. when elected, to proceed upon
that line His course was surprise to
Washington from the day of his Inaugural
ton The Vice Presidency had long been
considered sinecure in the capital city, no
matter who The incumbent and no one
could understand how it could be made
anything else.
Since then all Washington has learned
that the Vice President is a force to be
| reckoned with in many ways. All Wash
ington likes the change, and it is hardly
probable that the vice pres idency after
Hobart will every drop back to its old
level of relative insignihcance 1t is only
right to say that the present importance of
the vice presidency is in some degree due
to the agreement of the President with
| MIR. Iiobarts idas.
MIR. Hobart and the President,
The relations between Mr. Mckinley and
| Mr.. Hobart are more as such relations
were planned by the founders of the repub-
| lie than they have been since Lincoln's
| first term. There was little sympathy be-
| tween Mr. Cleveland and Mr.. Stevenson;
Mr.. Harrison and Mr. Morton rarely saw
each other; decided fros. sprang up dur
| ing Mr.. Garfelds brief actual service
whenever he and Gen. Arthur approached
and frigid relations between the President
| and Vice President have been the rule for
more than thirty years
| But Mr.. Mckinley and Mr. Hobart are
more than merely on good terms; they are
close friends in every sense Thus it is not
at all unusual for Mr. Mckinley to drop in
at the famous Cameron mansion on La
| fayette place. which the Hobarts have
| chosen for their home, once or twice a
| week, between whiles, so to speak, for a
| smoke and han-hour of neighborly talk
and relaxation. Neither is it exceptional
for the tall figure of the Vice President
| to be seen entering the door of the White
| House, and the conferences between the
| nations chief executive and his next man
| are by no means devoted solely to socia-
bilitv.
As many readers no doubt remember,
| Great Britaiu's representative has hereto
fore taken precedence over every one save
the President at all social and state func-
| functions in Washington. Sir Julian
| Pauncefote now British ambassador, sup
! posed that there would be no change when
the present administration came in, but
in this he was mistaken In behalf OF his
| office and himself, Mr.. Hobart assumed
| precedence of all save his chief, and the
| President supported the Vice Presidents
position. Sir Julian is a gentleman, and
eventually he accepted the situa ton,
| though not without some detailed consul
tation with the home Office which he deem
| ed might be more vitality interested in the
| question Of social precedence at the re-
| publican court of the West than any in
| dividual could be. His theory was I'M
| doubleday in effect, that, being the per-
| sonal representative in Washington of
| Queen Victoria, he was entitled to all the
| Difference that would be accorded to her
| in person. and ihe matter was not settled
| for good and all until after the apnbassa
| doris return from visit to the other side
| of the ocean, in the course of which 1t is
| understood he inquired minutely into the
| in Toar no only OF
publican capital
Feeling as he did before he went abroad,
| Sir Julian had refraineS from attending
various functions at which he might meet
the Vice President. but immediately after
| reaching Washington again he fastened to
| pay his respects to that official in a for
NAL call, which was duly and properly re-
| turned within the conventional three days
| limit 1t was automatically conveyed TO
| Sir Julian soon afterward that Mr.. Nc
Kinley thought no one of any station what
| ever ought to come between him and the
| Vice President, and since that time the
precedence question has crystalized itself
| quite satisfactorily.
Hobart as Presiding officer.
There Is no doubt that the trainers of
| the United States government believed
| they were providing duties of the most
important sort for the Vice President when
| they assigned to him the task of presiding
| over the Senate. The speaker of the
House of Representatives is held to be
next to the President in real potential i'm
portance. There is no reason why the
presiding officer of the Senate should not
be a power to be reclxoned with, If he so
wills it. II has been as the Senate's Off
ciaI head that Mr. Hobart has most sur
prised the capital city.
He had long been prominent in the pub
lie affairs of New Jersey his native state
when advanced to his present high position
and for years had been an influential
member of his party's national executive
committee He had never been a figure
in official Washington, however nor had
he ever served in Washington, as had
nearly every one of his predecessors, and
no one looked for any stronger work from
him in the Vice Presidents chair than had
been shown by them. But Garrett A. Ho-
bart resolved, when little more than a boy,
to do whatever he had to do as well as he
could and as rapidly as possible and to
make every move count to the fullest ex-
tent. He, therefore, took up his duties in
the Senate chamber in his own virile, eff