The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-15
wednesdya, July 15, i0os.
THE PRESIDENCY.

William J. Bryan. the Democratic nominee for President, writes in the current issue of Golfers Weekly of his conception of the office to which he aspires and It's responsibilities, His views are necessarily interesting though he writes from the theoretical point of view. He views the office as those do who have not seen It's stage machinery from behind the footlghts, and therefore attaches to the consti- tutional limitations which are set upon the office an importance which PresI- dent Roosevelt might feel inclined to question. He knows the subject from its practical end.
 Mir. Bryan says that "the Presidents power for good or for harm Is often overestimated. Ths is because of the checks and balances which the consti- tuition provides in the organization of the three branches of the government. Mir. Bryan would appear here to elim- inate the significance which the mass es Of the people attach to the office and what It's incumbent says It is this popular conception of the dignity of the office and It's incumbent that makes his slightest word more fraught with good or evil than the word of any oth- CT citizen. One has but to dwell upon the personal aspects of President Roosevelt's administration to keenly realize the tremendous power of the of- flee. But says MT. Bryan: "The intlu- ence of the President over legislation is, therefore, limited; he shares reepon- sibility with large number of the peo- ple's representatives" This is as 1t should be and as the founders intended 1t to be, but too many illustrations have been given of the power of presi- dential patronage to dominate legisla- tive conduct to permit one to accept 1t as a reinsurance.
 At the conference of governors in the White House, Governor Folk of Mis- sourl protested against the passage of the proposed declaration of purpose. on the ground that 1t gave the Presi- dent the power to call the governors together at the request of one-third of them. T fear" said Governor Folk, that some day young, strenuous and interruptions man may sit in the White House. who will call the govern ors together for the express purpose of intimidating congress-" Said Gov fernor Neal of Tennessee: Has it not occurred to Governor Folk that already there sits in the White House young, ernors together for the express pur- pose of intimidating congress?" No man laughed louder at this retort than President Roosevelt, who shook his head in approval. This experience would suggest that the power of the President Is enormous in dominating the halls of legislation.
 Says MT. Bryan "A President must have counsellors, and, to make wise use of counsellors, he must be open to conviction" It was General Haw- ley with his wide experience, who once declared in public speech that the loneliest man in the United States was the President. Of all the citizens he was the one most deprived of honest counsel and most often victlmized by selfish advice. Better we should saS than wise councillors, though admittine their value when they can be found, is the preparation in practical exper- ence of the man who aspires to the of flee for the duties to be required of him. We find ourselves more in agree ment with this statement of a Presi- dents qualifications from the same pen. 'If he Is devout believer in our theory of government, recognizes tn, constitutional distribution of powers trusts thoroughly the people and fully sympathizes with them In their aspira. tions and hopes, he has an opportun- ity to do a splendid work" With MT Bryans idea of increasing the dignity of the vice presidential office and 0 limiting the occupancy of the presl- dental office to one term we find our selves in hearty accord,