Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-03-27
Roosevelt'S Burden.

failures on the part of the four pre-
ceeding vice-presidents, who have at
tanned the higher office by the death
of the presidents. The task to which
Roosevelt must address himself, VIZ,
administering the affairs of the gov
eminent satisfactorily while retaining
the confidence of his political party,
has never been performed with entire
success, and if Roosevelt should sue
coed, to him will belong the honor of
breaking a tradition which has come
to be regarded as an almost inevitable
fate.
The case of John Tyler, the first
vice-president to become president
through the death of the chief magis-
trate, was the most remarkable of all.
President William Henry Harrison
had occupied the office only about a
month when he died, and Taylor be-
came possessed of the full confidence
of the Wing party which had elected
him. The first important act of con-
gress was the passing of a law estab-
fishing a national bank, and although
this was carrying out the time-hon-
ored policy of the Wings, the presi-
dent Immediately vetoed it, to the
great surprise and disgust of con-
gress. Then the Wing leaders pre-
pared another bill, which they pri-
vately submitted to Tyler and the
members of his cabinet who declared
it was free from the objections raised
against it's predecessor; this was
passed by both Houses but when it
too was cut down by the scythe of a
presidential veto, the rage of the
| Wings knew no bounds: the cabinet
resigned, and before congress ad-
journed the Wing members passed a
resolution declaring that all relations
between them and the president had
ceased.
The record of Willard Fillmore, the
next vice-president who became pres
ident, was a different one, but owing
to a single fatal mistake it also was a
failure. Fillmore was not a Taylor
and did not desire to break with his
party, but he committed the unpar-
donable error of signing the fugitive
slave law, and this offended the con-
sciences of the better part of the
Wing party in the northern states so
that, although he was an able and i'm
partial man, Mr.. Fillmore's political
career ended with his term in the
presidency, and the nation never had
any further use for the signer of the
famous slave catching law.
The history of Andrew Johnson,
who succeeded President Lincoln, is
so well known that it need not be re-
counted further than to say that he
was the exact opposite of everything
which the Republican party believed
him to be when it elected him. At
the time of Lincoln's death the only
fear concerning Johnson was that he
would 90 too far in his efforts to pun
ish the rebeilious states of the South,
but instead of this he adopted a plan
of reconstruction which suited none
of the leaders. and the break between
himself and the party was as COM
plete as that between Fillmore and
the Wings. Andrew Johnson's only
political support came from the dem
ocrats.
In the case of Chester A. Arthur
the traditions OF non-snccess were
partially, but only partially, broken;
he commanded the respect of the
country at the end of his term, but
his party was not enthusiastically 10y
al to him and his Oldest personal
friends were estranged. He had been
put on the presidential ticket to please
the friends of Conkling who had been
bitterly angered by the nomination of
Garfield, and when he succeeded the
latter the country vas prepared to
see him commit the mistake of con-
| ducing a fractional administration;
he avoided this pitfall with a tact
which showed that his character had
not been entirely understood. But
while this gave satisfaction to the
country it offended Conkling and his
immediate friends, who never after
ward forgave the president for break
ing away from his old associates.
President Chester A. Arthur failed of
denomination, and, all in all, cannot
be said that his experience was a fort
innate one.
Such is the peculiar history which
President Roosevelt c%onfronts, but he
will not be intimidated for a moment;
he is the last man in the world to let
traditions Cypress him; he, if anyone,
can be trusted to break away from
the past and establish a new record.