The Savannah morning news., 1900-11-15

what Has necn Done ~ Those
who Held the once Of Vice Prcsi-
dent.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
Burke hints that the industry OF che
circulation may make amends Tor the alb
surdiy OF the report To- other words lct
a falschood be repeated $40 or three hun
dred times and many VI. believe 90. Per
h1ps the narrator via come 20 believe IL
himself our eountrymeu have fallen Soc
90 tho habit OF saying that the Vice Prcsi-
dent has nothing TO do. tnat bee cannot
make himself felt, thar be is uoneuuN
unless death clevates u.m TO higher
place This has been said So often chat
many look on u as a fast. but. like many
other current statements. 30 -. not bear
investigation. A writer with Ttev,lyuu.s
skill could prepare a volume OF our Vice
Presidents. fully as interesting a. the
brightest pages In The Early History OF
Charles James Fox"
The Vice President is confined 60 duh
routine 10 common saying bu, it
comes from those who have never fct
the drill Of presiding over an oyEanizh-
Nou. The most superficial scauolooy who
provides over literary society finds him
self growing less ntppant ana NOR, man
By. IN country villages We hnd men VINO
are zoo young 20 have worn tHe blue Boa
the sixties. but who have earned dignity.
self-conirol persuasion and nrmness in
the school Of "a lodge room or board of
ireeholdets. No thinking man ever pre-
sided over any organization. commercial.
penehcial, religious or political without
learning lessons OF value IL is not lo-l-
cal 90 say that there Is one exception. aud
mat u Is nothing 20 preside over the high
eel deiioerative body iu the land The
referee at prize tight Is i higher type
of man than the mere louuger aud the
experience OF presiding over the United
states senate when Webster opened FIRE
on Hayne when Benton pressed the eN-
puHging resolution. when Sumner drove
the Shareholders TO frenzy or when In
gals banded words with Voorhees,. was
noe Go De- despiscd The day when CoGk-
I ing ieit the Senate. IN which he had long
been thc foremost orator. was not % daN
OF small things. Il Is not profound. but
superncia. 20 fail into rapturcs over some
one who heard a great speech and forget
me men who have presided ln great
crises Of legislative history
Our First Vice President
Perhaps the slight cast upon tho vice
presidency II partly due 20 the nrgf man
who hlled the Office John Adams spoke
OF the vice presidency as "a respectable
situation. which was surely faint praise
We will not say that he damned the of
I nee with FAINT praise for when John
I Adams damned anything or anybody he
| was not faint, but furious The routin.
seemed dun 10 Adams after his stirring
years IN the Revolution. but he made n
record. Time after time important meas
ures seemed IN doubt and the casting
vote OF the presiding officers meant a
I great deal 10 the Fcderansfs In fact.
/ Mr. Adams ala 80 much for his party that
. even Hamilton saw that John Adams
I was the necessary successor of George
/ Washington IL b. true thar the old dis
/ Ike between Adams and Hamilton broke
[ out again. but for a time there was
[ peace. and one Of she leading causes Of
/ that peace was the fact that tho whole
/ Federalist party admired the Vice Pres
/ idents services
The InsIeepinE Jefferson
man Of tact may do good deal with.
/ out making any noise about a. ard our
I second Vice President. Thomas Jefferson
was the most tastful. the most adroit.
7 the most patient politician the Union has
I known As the last century decaycd. JEFF
I ferson could see thar the Fodcralisfa sur
passed the Democrats IN wealth ana cul-
/ ture, but ne could also see that FEEDER
/ ahsm was splitting into two factions. one
+ Ted hy President Adams aud one by Alex
/ audcr Hamilton Federalism had formed
/ q government. established credit. raised
/ an army and given hope n a navy on
/ iis merits. Federalism deserved ~ win.
but the death Of Washington removed q
| mighty name the flctiouat quarrets
! grow worse and Tho uhrr.sl frer.-.....
4 rarely Numbered. His political letters.
I even to-day raised wonder and envy 10
/ know how 90 cheer the deeuondcnf and
1 % check the forward jefferson entered
Office when the great Federal party rulsI
/ the land. sud be saw IL FAN into the
/ ruins from which 81 never rose. Bovine
/ 90 the men whom he used as puppets.
/ ana kncellng 20 the mob he ruled. JoTer-
I son pleaded his dlstaste for office and
/ his wish 20 lay aside the cares Of power
/ lie played bis part so admirably that most
I OF his count ymcn believed him 90 be- sine
/ cere Whether sincere or not. hc secured
4 eight years Of thc presidency FOR himself.
/ eight years for his friend Madison. eight
/ years FOR his protege Monroe ana was
| chagriued because he could not keen down
the rising fame Of jackson. Nothing IN
our later history can parallel tho influence
/ Of Jefferson. and bis four years as Vice
| President were not spent IN idleuess
while Adams was cursing Hamilton. and
1 Hamilton writing vltr.ol against Adam.
| Jefferson was preparing she way FOR
twenty-four years Of Virginia admins
i trations
John &. Calhoun.
Burr was not a nonentity Dlslkcd hy
jefferson. suspected hy his parry, baked
Ia his ambition, the days Of Burr were
/