The age-herald., 1900-06-25
VICE>PRESIDENTS
 ARE TOO NUMEROUS

From the New York Press
 The trouble is we are suffering from an Indigestion of Vice-Presdential timber.
 The candidate for Vce-President has not always been a help to his running mate no matter which party he may have repre- scented. Sewall certainly added no strength to Bryan. If anything, he was handicap. But to begin at the beginning. The im- portance of the Vice-Presdent began to d. minish early in our constitutional history. John Adams had a national reputation, but his candidacy of no consequence to Washington, who received 100 per cent. of the electoral vote cast in i7S9 and 1792 Then, as now, the office was regarded as an empty honor, it's only attraction being a valuable estate in expectancy Yet Ad- ans refused United States Senatorship to accept it-refused because he had sneaking notion that he migh get more votes than Washington and be chosen President
 In the first four elections for President and Vice President the electors in the sev- eral States balloted for two persons, with out distinguishing which should be Pres1- dent and which Vice-President. He who received the highest number of votes, if majority, became President, while the sec ond was Vice-President, as a matter of course. It was the possibility-extremely remote-of being elected President that in- duced such men as Adams Jefferson and Burr to stand for the Vice-Presidency. In the campaign of 1S00 you will recolect, the vote for Jefferson and Burr tie, which carried the election into the House of Representatives, where thirty-six bal lots were required to settle it in Jeffer- sons favor. And in 1796, do not forget Adams had very close call, receiving only a bare majority. change of two votes would have made Jefferson Presi- dent. The leader of one great party was brought in as President and that of the other as Vice-President.
 The adoption of the twelfth amendment was the beginning of machine politics, and in 1894 electors for the first time dis tinguished President from Vice President in their ballots. Jefferson believed that Burr would be detrimental to his canvass for second term, therefore Burr was re- tired in favor of George Clinton. Long Toms election proved to be a walkover, only fourteen votes being cast for his op- ponent, c. c. Pinckney. Jefferson needed no help from running mate, and could have had the office of President twelve years had he not positively refused to be- come candidate third time. Nearly all the State Legislatures, including Massa- chusetts, had urged him to run again.
 Until the retirement of Jefferson the Vice-Presdent commonly regarded as the heir apparent to the Presidency and the friends of Clinton pushed him forward for the chief office; but Jefferson said the honor should go to Madison, and party fac tions in New York and Pennsylvania made Clinton impossible. He reluctantly accept ed the second office and ran behind the ticket. Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts proved strong candidate on the ticket with Madison in 1912, receiving three more votes than the President. But Madison would have been just easily elected without him. Nor was Tompkns essential to the success of Monroe in 1916 and 1920. In the latter year Monroe got all except one vote.
 In 1924 there were four Democratic-Re- publican candidates for the Presidency and for the Vice Presidency-John C. Cal houn. Calhoun was overwhelmingly elect ed, while there was no choice for President in the Electoral College the decision rest ing with the House of Representatives, which elected John Quincy Adams. Jack son received the largest number of electoral votes and the largest popular vote. In 1S2S Jackson was "vndicated," running ahead of Calhoun himself and again in 1S32 he diStanced all competitors, with Van Buren trailing along for the Vice Presi- dency. In 1888 Vice President received majority of votes cast, and the House of Representatives elected R. M. Johnson to serve with President Van Buren. William Henry Harrson's war record swept him into office in 1S40 with tremendous ma ority; to which John Tyler added nothing except a Tyler too."
 Polk did not need the assistance of Dal- las, and Taylor would have been elected without Fillmore, fact proved by the lat ter's candidacy in 1856. King brought no strength to the canvass of Pierce, and il may be doubted ii Breckenridge did much to save the day for Buchanan. The first of the Vice-Presidental candidates whose name and prestige were essentiol to the success the ticket Hannibal Ham, lin. Without him it is doubtful if Lincoln would have been elected in 1S60 In 1861 Old Abe would have been elected if val Ter dog had been the tail of the ticket And in fact, a yaller dog was-Andrew Johnson. Nothing in the shape of Vice Presidential candidate could have helped or hurt Grant in 1888. The country wanted him and meant to have him. His success four years later was even more pro- nounced. Colfax and Wilson were mere passengers.
 There can be no question that General Arthur was an immense help to Garfield in 1880, and hardly man old enough to vote believes that Cleveland could have been elected in 1884 without the assistance of the wide popularity of Thomas A Hendricks for the Man of Destiny was entirely un- known west of Buffalo. The nomination of Morton as Harrison's running mate in 1888 introduced the banker and successful business man into campaign that might have accomplished less without him and his barrel, although Harrison got in with healthy margin. Reid carried no votes to Harrison in 1892 while Adlai Stevenson's s ax was grease on the wheels for Cleveland the office-seekers liking his style. Hobart's influence in 1896 was entirely local. It was McKinley's personal strength, based on his tariff bill, and splendid campaign manage ment that elected our President in that