Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-02-27
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSORS
What President Polk Said to
Buchanan.
Unemployed and the Chicago Conven-
tion-Real Hughes Sentiment In
New York.

President Roosevelt would eventually be !
Judged more like President Polk than An /
drew jackson or any other of his prcdc- |
ccssors, says the Springfield Republican. (
The trend of events has hardly supported /
the predictions. That MIR. Roosevelt has |
been far greater president than Polk [,
is obvious. But comparison between /
President Roosevelt and President POLK !
has a peculiar interest at this time in |,
view OF Folks attitude toward the prcsi |
dental candidacy of Buchanan, his ScCrc- |
tary of state. Whatever may have been |
his own ambitions it is worth recalling
that POLK Informed Buchanan that as he
should take no part himself between |
gentlemen Of the democratic party who
might become aspirants to the prcs-
dcncy.' he desired that mo member OF
the cabinet should do So" Polk went
farther and fatty announced to Buchanan
should any member Of my cabinet be
come a candidate for the presidency or
vice-prosdcncy of the United States, it
will be expected on the happening Of
such an event that he will retire from
the cabinet" Comparison between this
attitude and that seen in the White
House to-day speaks for itself.
BLAINE on POLK.
In the Introductory of his Twenty
Years of Congress- from which these
quotations are taken, James G. Blar
also noted that Polk informed Buchanan
that he disapproved the practice which
has sometimes prevailed of cabinet
officers abscnting themselves for long
periods from the seat OF government" and
that in offering Buchanan the position Of
| DO L
handed a pledge that Buchanan would
remain ut his post, and be punctual in
the discharge of his official duties. Here
again the similarity between President
Polk and President Roosevelt does not
seem striking. So far as is known. Prcsi-
dent Roosevelt, instead of entering any
objection to Secretary Taft's absentng
himself from the war department to
speak through the country. has encOur-
aged that course Some Of Mr.. Taft's
most sincere friends, in doploring what
they term his "hippodrome" performance
Of rushing from place to place, are in
clined to charge it to the advice influence
and example of Mr.. Roosevelt. Mr.. Taft
is a tremendous worker. While he is in
Washington he dispatches business at an
astounding pace and works long hours
/
seems difficult to support the claim that
his chief attention is now devoted to the
war department.
ROOSEVELT AND CONGRESS-.
When President Roosevelt recently sent
that startling message to Congress. which
SO upset that body, one of the immediate
side comments made was rs to the effect
| which the increasing army of the unem-
! ploycd might have upon the Chicago con-
venton. The question was raised by an
| Illinois member of Congress what the re-
suit would be if the present G,CO un-
employed of Chicago, possibly swollen in
June to still larger figures, should sur
! round the convention hall and endeaVor
to STAMPEDE it. Such questions appear
due TO an overdisturbed state of mind.
| Yet in connection with them a reference
which Blaine made to the Chicago con-
vcntion which nominated Lincoln will
bear REPETITION. In a final analysis Of
/ the causes and forces which nominated
! MIR. Lincoln" wrote Mr.. Blaine, great
weight must be given to the influence
which came from tie place where the
convention was held and from the sym
pathy and pressure of the surrounding
crowd. Illinois republicans, from Cairo
to the Wisconsin line, were present in
amounted thousands, The power OF the
mob in controlling public opinion is i'm
measurable. The monarchical govern
monts it has dcthroncd kings, and in re-
publcs it dictates candidates. Had
the conditions been changed and the ma
tional convention of the republicans as
sembcd in Albany. it is scarcely to be
doubted that Mr.. Seward would have