The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-11

broad culture and always had been
blessed with q marvellous ability In bis
relations with men. making him pre-emi-
nsntiy successful in business and politics.
He was never weak or undecided aud in
strength OF character. he was ono Of the
greatest Of men. yet his perfect geniaiity
rendered him the choicest Of comrades
and one of the sweetcst and dearest
friends
Mr.. Lodge spoke strongly and effective
ly Of his relations with Mr.. Hobart he
said in part:
MR.. LODGES SPEECH.
The death Of Mr.. Hobart was both
u loss to the country and . deep
personal sorrow to his friends, OF whom
no mSn ever had more. OF the quail
tiles OF mind and heart which make 1t
possible to say this without going
beyond the limits OF simple truth,
there Is much to bs said, but there was
one conspicuous public seryios rendered
by MIR. Hobart which, think. has not
been understood, and certainly has not
been adequately appreciated. He restored
buG c5iucuuy W At8 Ppot-
ton. and lifted It up before the people to
the dignity and Importance which 1t mer-
Its. This decline Of the v Ice Presidency In
political weight and popular IS timation
has been an unfortunate development OF
the last fifty years. In our regsrd for that
office and In our treatment Of IL we have
departs utterly from the wise conception
of the founders of our government This
- fuQ of the fifnftou tntandph THAT
the cs-President should bs in all re-
speots-inabiiity, In reputation, In weight
Of character and In his standing before
the peope on q plane of absolute equality
with the President. We have but 70 turn
to the original clause OF the constitution
amended so long ago that IL Is we'll nigh
forgotten and there find the proof Of this
statement. In that clause IL was provid-
cd that the electors In each state should
vote for two persons from different states
without naming the office voted fer, and
that the man receiving the highest vote
In all the electoral colleges should be
President. and the one receiving the next
highest should be Vice-Proside.it. In
other words, the electors were to vote for
two men who were equally fit to be Pres
ident, and one was 20 have the first and
tbs other the second place. This system
led to the tie between Jefferson and Burr
In 1901, the dangerous intrigue In the
Houss 20 suppiant the former By the lat
ter, and the consequent amendment of
the constitutionoompsllin the electors to
indicate the office voted for. The amend
ment was undoubtedly necessary, but Il
does not touch In any way the original
conception Of the makers Of the constitu-
ton; nor should 1t ever have been al
lowed to affect it. According 60
that conception the Vics-President
was to BIO q man not on.
Iy fit to sucoe ed to the Presidency in case
Of death or disability, but was marked
out by his position a. the natural success
or when the four or the eight years term
Of his associate had expired In this way
"A 1ams succeeded Washington. and jeff
erson Adams; then again after long In
terval Van buren, went from the Vice.
Presidency to the white House. Since
that time the occupation Of the trainers
Presidency has been treated too often
by party convention, either as oonven
ient or honorable shield upon which an
eminent man might quietly close his ca.
reer, or as a consolation prize to be
awarded TO the faction In the party which
failed TO In ths high place. 10 the
first case the country ran the risk of hav-
ing a President inoapable from age
or perhaps other causes OF carrying the re-
sponsibilitiss Of the Presidency II they
were forced upon him, and In the sec
ond they had a Vice President who lived
In strained and distant relation with tho
White House, and II suddenly called te
occupy IL brought u chance of men and
OF measures when the people had voted
for policies and executors Of policies, who
should be continuous In action for four
years. So far has this anisconception and
this false treatment OF the ce-Presiden-
oy gone that 1t Is almost universally
looked upon as certain political sxtluc-
ton for any man with n career before
him, still more with hopes Of the Presi-
denoy, to accept the second place 10 the
government to which he Is chosen by the
votes of the entire American people. Suoh
ideas and such practice ara hard for the
government. oomplete peryersions OF the
Intentions Of the farmers. and breed con-
ditions which are potentially dangerous.
Out of this neglect and misconcsption
MIR. Hobart silently lifted his great office
merely by the manner In whioh he filled
ID and performed Its duties. Quietly,
firmly and with perfect tsot he asserted
the dignity Of his high position, never 60
ing too far and always far enough. With
out knowing exastly what, people sud-
denly came to realize that there was Q
Vics-P President OF the United States, that
he held the second position In the gov
eminent. and that, with the exception OF
the President, he was the only man In
the country holding ofiios BY the vote OF
the entire people. In the same way the
old and true conception OF thu vioe-Pras-
idency In relation TO the administration
rsappearsd. Instead Of holding aloof or
remaining Indifferent to the conduct OF
the government MIR. Hobart regarded
himself as part..of the administration
had been chosen TO carry into effect. As
one Of the Presidents friencs. advisers
aud supporters equally Interested with
him In the suooess OF the measures to
which they were alike committed.
As presiding officer of the Senate he
fulfilled carefully and thoroughly every
duty of the place. He abandoned once
for all the bad habit which had grown
Of ordsr TO the Ssnats. and ruled prompt
" and well ON all these points as every
presiding oaiioer ought TO do. In these
ways he steadily slsvated the vios-Preai-
dency In the estimation OF the people and
made that ofiiee what the trainers OF the