The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-30
ROOSEVELT ON his OFFICE,
,RTICLE on THE PRESIDENCY
WRITTEN WHILE GOVERNOR.
writes NJ tho Great Power OF the Presi.
dent and His Tremendous Innuence
Compares Him WITH Heads Of Other
Nations - Mistakes lie May Make.

o.
urre Roosevelt The editor in note says
'uat The article was written by Mr.. Roose-
tri' IN 1870 while he was Governor of New
Work. and previous to the Republican
National Convention which nominated him
for President
The views expressed In the article are,
,g,refore." saws the editor. -those of an
inside observer. and are not tn he regarded
,- those of an incumbent of the office It
sill be clear 10 all readers that the writer
of the article could not have foreseen the
place he was destined TO occupy before
H. publication"
VIZ. Roosevelt says in part:
Inc President OF the United States
orupies a position Of peculiar importance.
In he uhole world there is no other ruler,
t.r'sinly no other ruler under free in
.''I-ions, whose power compares wit his
~ course. despotic King mas even more.
r.' NJ Constitutional monarch has as
much In the republics of France and
-Titzerland the President is not very
important officer. A. least. compared with
M President of the United Statee.
In England the Sovereign has much
Ios- control in shaping the policy of the
nation, tho Prime Minister occupying a
POSITION moro nearly analogous TO that Of
.rr President The Prime Minister how
ever. can al any time be thrown out of
uf'ic. by an adverse vote, while the President
can only he removed before his term is out
ior some extraordinary crime or misde-
i1ednoi against the nation.
OF course, in the case of each there is
the enormous personal factor Of the In
runben' himself TO be considered entirely
apar, from The power Of the Office itself.
The power welded by Andrew jackson was
olr Of all proportion 10 that welded by
buchanan, although in theory each was
alike SO a strong President may exert
infinitely more influence than a weak Prime
Minister. or vice versa. But this is merely
another way OF stating thst in any Office
.No personal equation IL always of vital
,.nsaGusuCo.
The President and Congress arc mutually
rooo>ssry to one another in matters Of
iagislation, and the President and the
SenaI. are mutually necessary in matters
# appointment Every now aud then
men who understand our Constitution
hu' imperfectly raise an outcry against
tho President for consulting the Senators
ia matters Of appointment and oven talk
about the Senators 'usurping' his functions.
Tics" men labor under a Tisapprehenson.
The Senate has no right TO dictate to
The President who shall be- appointed but
tho Senators have an entire right to say
who shall not be appointed, for under
the Constitution this has been made
their duty In practice. under our party
system, it has come to he recognized that
zach Senator has a special right 10 be con-
suited about the appointments in his own
STATE, if be is Of the Presidents political
party.
often the opponents of the Senator in
his state do not sre., wit him in the matter
of appointments, and sonnet ines the Presi-
dent in the exercise Of his Judgment finds
II right and desirable TO disregard the Sena-
tor But the President ard the s majors
must work together if they desire "a secure
the best results.
But, although many men must share
with tho President the responsibility for
different individual act ions, and although
Congress. must, of course, also very largely
i.o a factor in his usefulness. yet the fact
remains that in his hands is infinitely more
power thar in the hands OF any other man
la our country during the time hat he holds
the u.fce, that there Is upon him always
IN certain crises this burden may become
80 grea; aet to bear down any but the strong.
,'-t aud hrave-t man.
u i, easy enough 10 give bad admin
r.'rarinn but to give good administration
demands the most anxious thought. the
most wearing cndeavor. no less than very
unusual powers OF mind The chances for
error are limtles-, and in minor matters.
vhorc from the nature of the case it Is alb
.ou,ely inevitable that the President should
rely upon the ju igment of others, it is GER
tain that under the best Presidents some
error, will he committed.
The Sevcrest critics of a Presidents
policy are apt to he, not those who know
most about what IL to he done and the
atoms under which it must be done,
but those who know least. In the aggre-
gate quite as much wrong is committed by
improper denuncation OF public servants
who do we'll as 10y failure TO attack those
who do i'll.
There is every reason why the President.
Whoever he may be and to whatever party
he NAV belong, should be held TO a sharp
accountability alike for what he does and
for what he leaves undcne. But We injure
ourselves and the nation If we fail to treat
with proper respect the man, whether ne
i. politically opposed to us or not, who, in
tho highest Office in our land. Is striving
TO do his duty according to the strength
that is in him"
I'VE have had Presidents who have acted
very weakly or unwisely in particular crises.
We have bad President-, the sum of whose
work has not been to the advantage of the
Republic Bu' We have never had one con-
corning whose personal dignity there was
50 much az shadow of "A suspicion. or who
has not been animated by an earnest desire
Ia do tho best possible work that he could
for the people AT large.
OF course infirmity ofpurpose or wrong
headednees may mar this integrity and sin
certy OF intention, but the integrity and
tho good intentions have always existed
We have never hitherto had in the Prc-i-
den, ial chair any man who did not sincerely
desire to benefit the people and whose own
personal ambitions were not entirely
honorable, although as much cantot be
said for certain aspirants for the place,
such as Aaron Burr
Corrupt ion, IN tho gross sense in which
81 l., u,rI 1. usnI in ordinary o1p,nrGa.