The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-02-17

ktc8dTutnk tnS nO8Q IUI me TenaDllLd~
 tion of the vice-Presidency, there cam
 not be doubt in the mind of anyone
 conversaut with American history and
 institutions. The nations most precious
 rights and interests are seriously im-
 peralea every time q man Of as.a snysning
 and ability is elected to that office. It
 almost makes a patriot shudder to think
 what might have taken place if Jef.
 ferson had died and the traitor Burr haa
 Tyler and of Johnson caused great in-
 jury both to the parties that elected them
 and to the country. It is to be hoped that this year both the great parties
 will heed the lesson which the nations
 men of Presidential sise to an office from
 which they may step at any moment to
 6 place where Presidential character ana
 ability will be required to maintain the
 peace and augment the prosperity and
 greatness of the country.
 Reading between the lines of The Jour
 nal's editorial 1t is plain to be seen that
 1t thinks the party might have done much
 better in 1900 than by nominating Roose-
 welt, and that accounts for its decided
 stand in favor of selecting better men
 in future Whether that is its reason or not we are glad to see Republicans taking the position that their party should be more careful in the selection of men for second place. and giving good reasons for it.
 We are thoroughly in accord with The Journal in it's conviction of the real disaster to the entire country when Lin coin was killed and Johnson succeeded to the Presidency. There is little dif- ference of opinion on that subject now. and especially in the South. We are all pretty thoroughly satisfied that Lincoln would have shown himself real friend to this section. and that if he had lived most of the horrors of reconstruction would have been spared us. His death would have been deplorable, even if good man had succeeded him, but as it turned out 1t was a real calamity. It was impossible that a renegade like An drew Johnson. with his mental calibre and his moral nature. to have been any thing but an enemy of the section which had given him birth and which had spewed him out as something too foul for after he had shown himself in his true coiors. His elevation was an injury to the country at large and a black misfortune for the South.
 But we cannot at all agree with The Journal when 1t places John Tyler by the side of Andrew Johnson, and we sus- pect that it's main reason for doing so is because Tyler, as might have been &aA saR in her days of glory. as we believe he would have been true had he lived to witness the gloom and disaster which overlook his native land within a few years after his death. That his course when he became President was inimical to the whig Party which made him Eice-President. is true, but we think it should be admitted that the enmity of the Whig leaders, led by Henry Clay, was due to the fact that when he became President he ceased to be a partisan and became an American. By his opposi- tion to Henry Clay's pet scheme of a United States Bank, and his veto of CIay's bills, he greatly dispIeased that great leader. and through his influence all Tyler's Cabinet resigned except Daniel Webster, and he had more patriotism or was less influenced by Clay than were Ewing, Bell, Badger. Granger and the rest who followed Clay's instructions and resigned. It is to the credit of Mir. Tyler that he could oppose such a man as Henry Clay on a matter of principle, but he did it.
 And while we are speaking of Mir. Tyler 1t may not be uninteresting to call attention to two important occurrences of his administration. The first was the annexation of Texas to the American Union by which almost an empire was added to our country's domain. It is true that the formal annexation did not take place until December 2s lS45, in the early part of Folks administration, but that act was only the culmination of the negotiations which had been carried on under the Tyler administration.
 Another important act of this admin istration was the conclusion of the famous Ashburton Treaty with England. which ended differences and controversies which more than once threatened serl- ous consequences. That Daniel Webster on the conferences which culmi- mated in the acceptance and signing of the treaty in 1s42 does not alter the fact that he was Tyler's Secretary of State, and that the latter's administration is entitled to the credit of the treaty. The success of this treaty and of the neRo- tiations which led to our gaining Texas are two important acts of the adminis- tration of a man whom The Journal by implication places on the low level of Andrew Johnson.
 But leaving Tyler and Johnson out of the question-even ignoring the Roosevelt can thoroughly endorse The Journals argument that both the great political parties should look beyond the head of the ticket when they come to make nominations. for if either party nominates a weak and unfit man for Vice. President the country as well as the party may suffer. In short, we hold that no man who is not in every way qualified for President should be selected for Vice.
 The following item from The Albany (Ga.) Herald, is copied for the informa- tion 1t contains for other farmers: