Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1902-11-08
The Presidency.

Welt gives his idea uf the duties and
csponsibilitic, of the President Of
the United States. Mr.. Roosevelt
wrote the article in 1900 while lac was
Governor Of New York and previous
10 the Republican National conven-
lion which nominated him for Vice
President. In il Mr. Roosevelt said:
The President of the United States
occupies n position of peculiar impor-
tancc. In the whole world there Is
no other ruler, certainly no other
under free institutions. whose power
compares with his. OF course, there
is the enormous personal factor of
the incumbent to be considered en-
tirely apart from the power of the
office itself, This is merely another
way of stating that in any Office the
personal question is always of vital
consequence.
''The Senators are the constitu-
tional advisers of the President The
Secretaries, who form the Cabinet,
advise him on matters of general pol
icy when he so desires it. With the
Senate the advice is obligatory under
the constitution. The Senators have
no right to dictate to the President
who shall be appointed, but they
have an entire right to say who shall
not be appointed, for under the con
stitution this has oecn made their
duty. Although many men must
share with the President the respon-
sibility, there is upon him always a
heavy burden of responsibility. 1t is
easy enough to give Il bad admins
tration, but to give a good admins
tration demands the most anxious
thought, no less than very unusual
powers of mind.
"There is every reason why the
President should be held to sharp
accountability alike for what he does
and what he leaves undone. But we
injure ourselves and the nation il we
fail to treat with proper respect the
man who, in the highest Office in the
land, is striving to do his duty. We
have had Presidents who have acted
weakly or uEwisely in II particular
crisis, but we have never had one
concerning whose personal integrity
there was so much as shadow Of
suspicion. Appointments aud poll
cies which are normally routine and
unimportant may suddenly become of
absolutely vital consequence.
THE War department was utterly
neglected for over thirty years after
the civil war. Neither the regular
officer nor the regular soldier takes
any part IN politics as rule, so that
the demagogue and bread and-but
ter politicians have no fear of his
vote, and to both of them, and also
to the cheap sensational newspaper
the army offers favorite subject for
attack. So it often happens that
some amiable people really get a lit
tie afraid Of the army and have some
idea that it may be used some time
or other against our liberties
"The army never has been, and |
am sure it never will be or can be a
menace to anybody save Americas
foes, or aught but source of pride
to every good and far-sighted Amer
lean. When an emergency like that
caused by the Spanish war arises,
the Secretary of War becomes the
most important officer in the Cabinet
Altogether there are few harder
tasks than that of filling well and
ably the office of the President
of the United States. But if
the man at the close of his term is
able to feel that he has done his duty
well, he has the satisfaction of feel
ing that he has performed one of the
great world tasks and that the mere
performance is in itself the greatest
of all possible reward. -