New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-08-04
WILL NOT VOTE FOR DAVIS
p;.k Too Great in Making So Aged
n Man Vice-PreSident.
-. rdltor OF The Tribune

al
- tba+ those candidates Il elected win not
- - fer Judge Parker 70 be President. but
"-. , ,s, ,.ore for ex-senator Davis to be Vice
W NJ re United States Every such
-. ought therefore. carefully TO consider the
-, of the expediercy Of making ex-senator
49,. President along with the question
-. c-nedtencv Of making Judge Parker Pres
- Assuming that q particular voter has de-
- - his own r,i2d that il Is ec;pedlent 70
- Tpsze Parker President Of the Inlted
80 mere viii remain one very important
-, vvbv II is inexpedIent 10 make ex-senator
&c toe-Presidsut. which reason arises our OF
=. foI,cuiag facts and considerations:
-, presidential elections have occurred II the
---,-s5 states during the last forty years IN
=. ,sses Of three Ct those ten Presidential cleo
- -bA nan elected tc be President was muir
ssraa within 2 Few months after he took me
oath OF Office
.,a-;ons Of Presidents OF the United states VIII
sas+1Aasr as frequent n The next forty years as
!, rbs lasr forty wears and there Is no reason
= hs,,sz4ng thar such murders viii diminish IN
s-..-,ercv a- any tine ii he lives OF men now
- There are. therefore three chances cut
,4+,r and a Consequent risk Of 80 per cent that
/. lodge Parker is elected and lnausurated
T,-ssize7r Of The United States he VIII be nur-
as-ss before The expiration OF his term Of office
o,5 there IS Il small but agreeable danger 1h.i-
he NAV die from disease during that time
Now. the only real US OF a Vice President IS
n guard against these two contingencies. Tor
numerous ana long experiences have proved
thai his function OF presiding over the senate
can be performed fully as well and even better
bv some Senator than by the Vice President
Paragraph > Of section az Article II Of The
United States Constitution provides that ~
case Of the removal Of the President from ofhca
Of his death resignation. OF lnaoi--i-f 70 as
charge the powers and duties q me SAID OF
fee. The same shah devolve on The Nlce-FFes-
Gent. declaring what officer shall then set IS
President and such officer shall act accordingly
,,rrl me disability be removed or a President
shall he elected
Vow. II judge Parker ana ex-senator Davis
were 10 be inaugurated as President ard wee
President OF the United States on March 1
1905. and II President Parker were 70 be 1lur-
dered OF were 10 die otherwise. at any time
before March ! 1903. the Presidency would
devolve upon vice-Fresl6ent Davis. ~ the time
Il such devolution President Davis would
be more than eigh---one years old. and might
be more than eighrv-dve years old The dan
ger Of MS natural death before The expiration
Of his term Of Office on March /. 1903. would he
many times greater than would exist IN the case
Of a man nearly thirty Years younger than
himself ike Senator Fairbanks. Il that con
ringencv the Office Of President would devolve,
under the statute OF January 10, 1856. upon the
Secretary Of state. We cannot know who the
Secretary OF State would be at that tine. but i
is probable that his name would be David 3.
Fill Now NJ Hill is twenty years younger
than Mr.. Davis. and is incomparahly better in
---rfF. and
laws Of the United States. The substitution OF
suca a man as Mr.. Hill for such a man as Mr.
Davis in the Presidential Office might or might
not be a public misfortune. but il is a contin-
gency thar ought 10 BE- taken into account by
every man who eonternplates voting next No
venber for the Democratic candidates for Presl-
Dental electors IN his State
But there IS another contingency 70 be consid-
cred by every such voter. and which when
properly considered, cannot be contemplated
without considerable alarm. That contingency
is The succession Of AIr Davis 70 The Presidency
by reason OF The death Of Nr. Parker and the
subsequent inability Of AIr- Davis The Con
stituroa and laws provide that. in the case Of
such inability" the Presidential Office would
have 10 be transferred from Mr. Davis to the
Secretary Of state. but neither The Constitution
nor the laws provide how the question Of the
70 be determined
Now. every man who Is more than seventy
years old is liable soon 10 encounter frreparable
inability 70 perform judIciously heavy and com
picated Intellectual work That irreparabie ina
hility IS likely 10 arise from seniIe decay Of in
teiiectgal power and the risk thereof is so great
mat The constitutions Of many OF the States.
including the State Of New-York. provide that
me JUDGES Of the courts must vacate their
ofaees upon attaining the age Of seventy years.
Or Al least within one year thereafter Our
recent history furnishes al least one instance OF
an American statesman whose intellectual pow
ess were originally much greater than those Of
a.. Davis, but whose powers so far declined
curing the iacumbency Of his last Office that
everybody except himself recognized his inabili-
y 70 perform the functions Of that Office,
though he was stu five years younger than ex-
Senator Davis is now. And other instances Of
American statesmen and judges who were
recognized as being men Of great ability till
they reached ages even above seventy years.
Dut VINO suffered senile decay within few years
hereafter. VIII undoubtedly occur 10 well in
FORMED readers without being specifically men
toned
II seems 10 be q common incident 10 senile
1e1ay that the subject thereof remains Uncon-
s'ioas OF Its reality long after its reality is
recognized by those who are in contact with
mr. ana / believe. such has been the case in
e7lecl OF al. or nearly all OF the distinguished
-A4'iekledn statesmen and judges who have dur
20 recent nnes met that misfortune in old age.
Now. i Mr. Davis were 10 become President
ie ~i+Ilso states as soon after his inaugu-
ration as President ne df5 ei.ber p-eeidz,,+
$50 80 -, LSsleeit Arthur or President RoOse-
OF ses s @ou4a remain more than three years
eschfyi 49,. 49,. l.safly elghty-tWo 10 more than
NH
eFertaEe and incapaci-a+s -. us.dy i-lls .-.
1lties Of the Presidenae "a a. toI lil5 hl-Ny
ee'ocsness OF he facf 6efr- ~-l4Iout my CO..
S-ch an event as thaf 49, 19s iil1eo py mn
ee-tec disaster 10 the roz a-s- p an unprers
states, becauoe there Tvo,1..i - ~ 81 me LhlLeu