The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1904-07-26
Henry Davis. !

for Vice President is another bldndel
4 that gives evidence of incapacity tc
understand American sentiment when
Hits governed by good sense my
man who is in his SD year is proper
lly.linelisible to an office which inay
require him to assume the burden OF
the Presidency when he may be three
] :or four years older. Such a noHhna,
ton creates a peril for the nation, and,
other things being equal, would in
itself be good reason. for refusing to
vote the Democratic ticket Judge
Parker may in. his prime and a good
| risk for life insurance company for
four years to come.
But life is uncertain, as we have
abundant reason to know. Henry G.
Davis is. not a good. risk for life in
surance company for four years, or
strictly, four years and a half. Still
less is he good risk for the American
people; for, even if he lives, he may
become physically and mentally inca
pacitated for the. duties of the office
of Vice President to say nothing of
those OF President. 1t would seem as
If this country had had enough of
treating the office of Vice President as
of no importance. II cannot be taken
for granted because no Democratic
President has died in office that none
ever Will die while on the national pay
roll.
It is said that the leaders of the
convention in conference agreed on
Mr.. Davis for the reason that it was
thought that he and his relative, Cor
man, would be able to secure West
Virginia and Maryland to the Demo
Gratis. Perhaps they can, but it is
doubtful, and at any rate, this gain,
if it can be made, will not offset the
probable losses on account of this
Democrats need to carry The Dem
ocratic party will not stand much
chance of obtaining confidence until
it ceases to proceed on the assum ption
that the bulk OF voters in the North
are Grass fools, with no more generous
concern for the public interests and no
more independence of judgment than
the hut-dwellers of Georgia or the
in northern cities
The Republican convention had
sense enough to determine promptly
that Mr.. Hit, of Illinois, was too old
TO be nominated for Vice President,
even with SO robust candidate for |
President as Theodore Roosevelt |
whose life is as good a risk as Park I
ar's any day. But Mr.. Hit is only 30, |
and Davis was 81 last November
Age. however, is not the only objec-
ton to Mr.. Davis. He and his son-in-
law, Stephen B. Elllins, a Republican, I
are reputed owners of the West Vir-
1 majority of its members In other
words. he is a part of that condition
which the Democratic party processes
should be broken up and destroyed.
Always the party shows much keener
.eSt to have it destroyed in Republican
States than in Democratic States I'm
Mr.. Davis will make a mag
lificent contribution to the Democratic
fund, but he would have
made a generous one in any event.
Should Mr.. Davis become incapaci-
ated during his term, the next in sue
ession to the Presidency would be
|
Ter the circumstances, he ought to
ell the country in his letter of &C
eptance whom he will appoint secre-
airy of state in case he is chosen {
President.
We called the nomination of Mr. {
Davis a blunder. 1t is one of those
tupid, shortsighted blunders for which I
he party is notorious. 1t failed to
AXE into account the common sense t
f the American people, seeing only s
1r. Davis millions and the electoral i
otes of two small States, which, if I
II. Parker is successful at all are {
Unlikely to be necessary. Mr.. Davis {
ill not strengthen the Democratic [
cket in any other States, but on the /
ontrary, he will weaken it. To carry i
lese two States and lose New York c
+ Indiana, which, perhaps, might a
ave been won by an exhibition of 7
lrger craftsmanship, will be small S
onsolation to the Democratic party a
= to its leaders who dictated this a
omination.-Boston Herald. t
Dewey and Mis- Men Win.
WASHINGTON n q J,Iy 90 ,