The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-08
CANDIDATES FOR VICE PRESIDENT.

C@N-N 10 OAN v ANH4
There are several candidates for the
second place on the Democratic ticket.
and the indications now are that the
contest for the place will be more pro-
longed than that for the first place.
Former United States Senator Turner
of Washington seems to have the
greater following though it is by no
means certain that he will be the
choice of the convention.
Mr.. Turner has the enthusiastic sup
coast. and there are delegates from
other sections of the country who
seem to regard him as candidate who
would add strength to the ticket. He
has had a varied political career. Ac-
cording to the sketches of him which
have appeared in public prints, he is
a native of Missouri, the state from
which former Gov. Warmoth of
Louisiana migrated when he started
out in quest of fame and fortune and
landed in the South. 1t seems that
Mr.. Turner was A United States mar
shall in Alabama from 1875 to 1880. and
Of course was a Republican. If he
was classed as a carpet-bagger the
fact will no doubt be brought out by
the Alabama delegation.
There is no doubt of course that he
is a man of much more than ordinary
ability or else he wouldn't have been
able to make so good an impression
in Washington as he appears to have
done. In that state he has been elect
ed to the Supreme Court bench and
to the United States Senate. He was
a Republican until 1896. He went out
Of the national convention of that
party that year with other Silver Re-
publicans. Evidently he must have
been a sincere silverite or else he
thought his political prospects would
be improved in his state by keeping
in close touch with those who made
silver the corner stone of their political
faith. He naturally drifted into the
Populist party, and now that that
party has about petered out he is in the
Democratic party.
The question which presents itself
is this: Does the Democratic party
want as it's candidate for Vice Presi-
dent a man who has had such a varied
political experience? Is his Democ-
racy of the kind that the Democratic
party is hunting for at this time? It
has been only eight years since he was
a Republican and less than four years
since he was a Populist, or as he cali
ed himself in the Congressional di-
rectory, a Fusionist. Wouldn't 1t be
well to let him wait awhile and get
attached to Democratic doctrines be-
fore putting him in so prominent a
place as candidate for the second Office
in the gift of the people?
One reason why he is favored is that
he is a friend of Mr.. Bryan. Mr..
Turner has been a strong supporter
of that back-number statesman, and
doubtless would be in this convention
if Mr.. Bryan were in position to
demand anything, and was in need of
assistance.
In selecting a candidate for Vice
President as much care ought to be
exercised almost as is exercised in
choosing a candidate for President, be-
cause it is among the probabilities
that the Vice President will have to
take the place of President before the
end of his term. The Democratic
party has a very good chance of elect
ing its ticket, and it would be a great
mistake if it were to nominate for
Vice President a man not in full SYM
pathy with tia man who might do
1t incalculable harm If its ticket
should be elected, and he should be-
come President. No one should be
named for Vice President except on
the ground of fitness.