The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-07-22
Is II ROOSEVELT FIMSH2
THE PRACTICE IN. VOGUE SINCE
VAN BUREN's TIME MAY
AFFEGV- HIM
HIGHEST OFFICE OUT OF REACH
New YOrk's Governor VIII Have to
Break the Long-standing Prece-
dent tot Secure n Presfden-
tia1.. Nomination.
st. Louis Globe-Demoorat.

| st. Louis Democrat.
The most remarkable phase of the
Roosevelt nomination is its comprising
the possibility. Of sweeping away es-
| tabhshed and unauthorized precedent and
restoring thesorigfna1 order of executive
succession. And we will probably see in
! his case conflict Of the power of his
| tory and that Of reason and right. This
is called a free country, with only that
degree of individual restriction COM
mensurate with good government, and
| naturally the people prefer to consider
the chances of all for promotion equal
| 1t may be said that this intelligent
| preference is. responsible for the develop
ment Of American resources and has
| given the United States its international
| standing. 1t has brought hither the for
| eign element, a large factor in the speedy
| population Of the country. The prest-
| dency, of course, is exclusive, but that is
! open alike TO Americans. And there is
| no reason, no shadow of reason, why a
vice president should be denied accession
! to the first Office. Yet it is seen very
plainly that he is precluded by practice
! But that is unjust and may be detri-
mental. The first national convention,
| after twenty-eight years, restored the
! original order of succession, and the
question is whether or not Roosevelts
nomination can break the habitual
method of almost seventy years and
| make again operative the purpose of the
| first convention. That was to put man
! in the way Of promotion by nominating
! him for vice president. And this idea
! Simon Cameron got from the old way in
! augurated with the government.
| But the convention of 1882, which was
| the first One,, had a still more extensive
purpose, and that was to perpetuate the
POWER OF JACKSON
! through the administration Of Van Buren,
| and make as nearly practicable as pos
| sible the inauguration of the third term.
| Jackson, it 4yilI be observed, died hard.
| He went in. with the promise of four
| years but at the taste of authority his
| greed became boupdless. There is, to be
| sure, nothing in RooseVelt's nomination.
| that suggests perpetuation. He is no.
! faVorite, or4do we know of any attached,
! to this administration. The rough rider
| candidate is31s above all things, indie
| pendent, and,) Should his eXaltation ex-:
| coed that of, the Vice presidency, it will
be through no petty personal instru-
mentalities. Heiis among the best of the
nominees for. second place, and 1t re-
mains to be Seen if he is more potential
than they. Excepting Van Buren,, not
one of them was made president. SO,
If history is accepted as conclusive, it
must be admitted that there is no ad-
vancement for a vice president If his is
the highest honor but one. The way
this matter has been treated is singular .
and unprecedented Weslook in .yair- for
comparisons. The singularity consists in
the precedent being totally at Variance
with what wasg introduced and intended
as an example. Washington was. fol-
lowed by kdatns, and adams by. Jeffer-
son, but. the constitutional amendment
of 1904 counteracted this order absolutely.
And it remained obsolete until the action
of the second national convention, which
nOminated5 VAN BHreII3 for the presidency.
But the restoration in Van Buren, died
with his tenure of office. No man who
came after him, however high his quail
fications, was capable. of duplicating his
experience, " We gEaspedj the
UTILITY 1oF NOMINATING
by a general convention and the custom
has remained, While the spirit of it has
been permitted to depart. The manner in
Which Van BuTen was brought forward
was certainly not of a character to rec
ommend itself to an upright and level
judgment, and that, no doubt, has had
it's weight in relegating the vice president,
instead of advancing him. And it was one
of the trickiest pieces of business that
Simon Cameron ever INDUCED In But
later on, w1th@new associations, he speed
lily attained aGgfeputation for the most I'M
questioned methods of management
Cameron was all right in good company
Indeed, he is a very brilliant specimen of
a good man Reclaimed from bad compan-
ionship. 1t isn't so much what he did in
the first convention as the "nawsty way
he did 1t. This it was that helped to bring
the vice presidential succession into dis
repute and blind the people to its virtues
Calhoun, an old and. mighty friend, while
under a cloud, WAS slaughtered In the
interest Of jackson. There seems to
have been a general understanding then
that the candidate for second place would.
after four years, be given the first honor,
and this was the way devised to meet
Jackson's preference
The two things of special prominence to
be consideredlin connection with the first
general convention. which assembled al
Baltimore, are the purpose in View and its
logical and just effect. Animated by the
first example of succession, the origi-
majors of the new scheme proposed to
demonstrate. the-fallacy of a practice in
| augurated by a constitutional amendment
and effectually choose q candidate for
president by first making him what is
called a running mate. That was the pur-
pose. And the legitimate effect of this
would have been to establish rather than
deny the right Of man to the head of
the ticket whose qualifications in an as
| sociate capacity passed unquestioned.
But precisely the reverse Of this. we see
has resulted. The
RUNNING MATE IS OSTRA CTZED
whether the president has one term or
two. There is more or lass prejudice
about this, and it, is one of the most DO
tent of illustrations that people easily
| submit to and are overpoWered by the
force Of custom. They are inclined to
Drift frequently contrary to their intelf-
| gence. The INSCRIPTIONS and relentless
way that prevails Of dealing with the vice
president has hiteherto made his duty a
| somewhat mournful and sacriaciaI one.
cameron instituted, or, rather, re-estab
hshed an equable precedent, but the
tr1ckery and malice of it seem to have
precluded its popularity It was specific
| and exclusive In character
And now GENES Roosevelt. the REFORM
er, the hero, the. most conspicuous of the
| governors and an ideal candidate for anv
| Office that represents the people. OF such
Importance is the goyernorship of New
York in the,seye of its occupant and the
| general estimation that it has long been
! looked upon as a door to the presidency
| Van Buren,, Seward Seymour, TiIden and
| cleveland all considered that their stand
| Ing as executives qualified them for the
| chief position of ths government in that
| department. And not one of them was
able TO command a larger following than