Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-09-28
Possibilities in the Republican
Convention
success Frequently Crowned National
IeGislatOrs-Several vlcc.Presidcnts
Have Decn PromOtcd-On1y One
Speaker Of House llas Reached
the Presidency.

ieve. 1t would not be difficult to pick
out either Vicc-Presidcnt Fairbanks or
Senator Foraker as the winner Of the
next presidential nomination of the Re-
publican party, and to rclegate Secrc-
taries Taft Shaw and Root to the list
Of the impossiblcs. And Speaker Cannon
can be said to have not much of a show
says the Washington correspondent of
the Boston Transcript. These gucsscs are
all borne out by presidential precedent
as can be seen by some of the facts
which follow First comes the important
circumstance that only three men have
ever become president who had not per-
sonally participated in national lcgisla-
llon, either in the continental Congress-
nit"d states Senate or House of Rep
rcscntativcs The three were Zachary
Taylor, Ulysses s. Grant and Grover
Cleveland. The great military fame of
the first two and the peculiar circum-
stances under which the third was elected
sufficiently account for these exceptions
among our Twenty-Five presidents.
Only one speaker Of the House was ever
elected president. THAT was James X
Folk, ana only at the close of long and
tedious deadlock did he get the nomina
ti"n. Several speakers have been candi-
dates. only to be beaten. Henry Clay
tried it on so many times that it still
greatly fatigues his surviving followers
ana admirers TO evcn try to remember
he number James G.. Blaine also made
long and wcarlsomc efforts before his
final failure of election in 1884, Samuel
j. Randall. Thomas Il. Reed and John c.
Carlisle In recent ycars, have had some
high horcs that were sadly shattered. AS
In" House has furnished more winners of
the presidency tlan any other of the
sources enumerated the precedents might
favor Uncle Joe except for the handi-
cap of III" spcakership. For he Is the
only man in the running who was ever
in the House. How many future presi-
dents will be sitting in the Congress which
is to convcn" in Washington in few
weeks, the rftT-ninth Congress in num-
| orcal designation? There have been very
few Congresses up to date in which future
presidents and vice presidents have not
participated, and all vice-presdents are
close 10 the presidency. as five episodes
in American history have shown. The
present President had short experience
as presiding officer of the Senate of the
Fifty-seventh Congress, and Chester a.
Arthur had a similar ono in the Forty
seventh. just twenty years before. The
other vice presidents who succeeded tn
tho place of poworTyler. Fillmore and
Johnson-had each seen long service in
Congress
| The following presidents had Legislative
! experience of national chara ctcr. and the
list looms large and darklv forbidding to
ambitious gentlemen who have only been
in the cabinet eovcrnorships and other
similar positions: Washington, Adams.
Jefferson. Madison and Monroe were all
in the Continental Congress Jefferson,
Madison. Monroe. Adams, Jackson, Van
Buren,, Harrison, Tyler. Pierce. Buchanan,
Johnson. Garfield and Harrison III. we're
senator's Fillmore, Arthur and Roose-
Welt had seats in the Senate as presiding
officers. So did Tyler and Johnson, but
each had also previously been senator,
Madison, John Quincy Adams, Andrew
| Jackson, William Henry Harrison. Polk.
Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Lincoln,
Johnson. Hayes, Garfield and Mckinley
all served in the House. Polk was speak
err and John Quincy Adamss service in
the House was after his incumbcncy of
the presidency.
The soldier presidents have been Wash
ington, Monroe. Jackson. William Henry
| Harrison. Pierce. buchanan. Grant. Gar
| field, Hayes. Arthur. benjamin Harrison
and Roosevelt the sitting President.
| The governors who reached the presi-
dcncy are ten in number: Jefferson Mon
roc, Jackson William Henry Harrison
Tyler. johnson. Hayes, Cleveland, Mckin'
ley and Roosevelt.
| Only four vice. presidents have ever been
elected president. and four have filled
vacancies caused by death.
The only presidents ever in the cabinet
were jefferson, Madison, Monroe. Quincy
Adams, Van Rurcn, buchanan and Grant
A sheet Of probabilities might he made
of relative chances in the nomination
handicap. Judged by presidential prece-
dents. Give each present candidate credit
according to these tignres !. vice-presi-
dents who have become president by cleo
ton, 4; .. vicc-prcsidents who succeeded
to vacancies. 1; 2. cabinet officers who
won out, :: l. governors who reached the
goal 10: r, presidents with war records
II; G. senator's who became presidents. IL
?. members of the House who got there
Hncluding Continental Congress). 10; \
speakers who reached the White House
IL: q, presidents who never sat in Con
| gross 2. The candidates may perhaps
he said to be running easy with the fol
lowing points" As to chances OF success
Cannon representative and speaker. IL
Fairbanks, vicc-president and senator, 81