The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-04-11

an "execution of the laws of Congress"
to which the Admiral would limit it.
1t involves the headship of party, as
we'll as the Chief Magistracy of Re-
public; opinions and suggestions upon
the thousands of measures proposed
for laws in Congress as we'll as the ex-
ecution of such of them as may be
passed; the recommendation of fiscal,
economic, domestic, diplomatic, con-
sular, commercial, Indian, railroad,
postal, military, naval, legal, agricult-
ural and other great national policies
to the Congress and to the people; the
determination of the attitude of our
nation toward the world; the settle
ment of our relations with colonial
dependencies. In short, the President
of this republic is the most powerful
ruler in the world, has the control of
more questions and must be the foun-
tain of more suggestions, of more ap-
pointments and of more powers than
any other head Of any other state on
the earth. The simplicity of the Ad-
miral's estimate OF the presidency does
credit to his righteousness, but that
righteousness should not be made use
of by politicians, unless they could be
guaranteed to make it, through him, or
he could be guaranteed to make it,
through them, factor of honor and
not of injury to his fame and to his
country.
These are merely hints. Other mat
tiers which press on wonder for deci-
sion must await events. If either par
ty wishes to drop its chieftains of poll
tics for our one naval hero, it can do
30. But will it? If either party seeks
to bend that hero to it's ideas, it can
try. If either party stands ready to
drop all its principles, as well as to re-
tire all its political favorites, and to
make the ingenious willingness of that
hero to be President it's only platform
and his career and character, wrought
out in fields affected by no relation to
craftsmanship whatever, its sole in
vestmen in candidature, it can do 80.
If both parties desire to doth this, both
can do 30. Whether either will or neither
will must be left to time, though the time
is short. The Admiral, neither Repub-
lican nor Democrat, but simply a
Barkis among aspirants, is "willing."
1t only remains for either party or for
both or for neither to do or to omit to
do the rest.
II we are to have a break down of
party organizations, if we are to have
suspension by general consent of the
consideration of all public questions
and if we are all to go together into an
era of good feeling, in order to rally
around an attractive individuality, why
let US know it. Journalism would have
happy time under such circumstances,
for the asperities of politics would
cease, Republcanism would become a
receding "reminiscences, Democracy q
barren ideality, Populism an unremem-
bered myth, Socialism lost art, Parti-
sanship obsolete and Deweyism would
spell Destiny and Destiny would spell
Delight, while either heaven or chaos
would enwrap the nation as the all en-
casing air enwraps the globe.
We are living, we are moving in a
grand and awful time! But whether it
is comedy or catastrophe, whether it is
circus or tranfguration, whether it is
the paradise of patriotism or the
domain of delirium, whether it is gov
eminent by parties or whether parties
shall dissolve at the touch of personal
idolatry cannot be told. Let comment
wait, for comment can keep. Certain
ly, the Admiral is entitled to suspen-
sion of political opinion, for day OF
two, till the nation can replevin itE
breath and until the compasses of pol
itics can recover from the singular de-
rangement which his simple announce
ment has wrought among them.