The San Francisco call., 1908-07-14
BRYAN WRITES
HIS VIEWS ON
THE PRESIDENCY
Says Executives Power for
Good and Harm Is Often
Oyerestimated
Most Important Requisite Is
That Sympathy Be With
Whole People
Nebraskan Favors Admission OF
Vice President to Cabinet as
EX OficiO Member


Bryan has written an article entitled
my Conception of the Presidency"
for the July Is issue of Golfers
Weekly. The democratic candidate
says:
"The presidents power for good or
for harm is often overestimated. This
government is a government of checks
and balances; power is distributed
among different departments and each
of them works in cooperation with
others. In the making of laws, for
instance, the president joins the SEN
ate and house; he may recommend, but
he is powerless to legislate, except as
a majority of the senate and the house
concur with him. The senate and the
house are also independent of each
other, each having a veto over the
other, and the president has veto
over both except that the senate and
house can by two-thirds vote over
ride the presidents veto. The intiu-
ence of the president over legislation
is therefore limited; he shares response
bility with large number of the
people representatives,
RESPONSIBILITY DIVIDED
Even in the enforcement of law he
is hedged about by restrictions. he
acts through an attorney general
(whose appointment must be approved
by the senate) and Offenders against
the law must be prosecuted in the
courts, so that here again the RESPONSE
bility is divided. In the making OF
important appointments, too. he must
consult the senate, and is of necessity
compelled to exercise care and diScre-
tion. The most important requisite IN
a president, as in other officials. is that
sympathy shall be with the Whole
people rather than with any fraction
of the population. He is constantly
called upon to act IN the capacity OF
a judge-deciding between the lmpor-
tunities of those who seek favors and
the rights and interests of the public
Unless his sympathies are right the
few are sure to have an advantage
over the many, for the masses have no
one to present their claims. They act
only at elections and must trust to
their representatives to protect them
from all their foes.
MORAL COURAGE REQUIRED
Second, the president must have a
knowledge of public questions and the
ability to discern between the true and
the false; he must be able to analyZe
the conditions and to detect the sophis
tries that are always employed by those
who seek unfair advantages.
HE must possess the moral courage
to stand against the influences that are
brought to bear in favor of special in
terest. In fact, the quality of moral
courage is as essential in a public ofti-
ciaI as either right sympathies or a
trained mind.
"The president must have coun-
selors, and to make wise use or coun-
selors he must be open to conviction.
The president is committed by his plat
form to certain policies, and the plat
form is binding; he is also committed
to certain principles Of government and
these he is in duty bound to apply In all
matters that come before him.
VICE PRESIDENT AND CABINET
"But there is wide zone in which he
must act upon his own judgment, and
| here he ought to have the aid of intelli-
gent. conscientious and faithful
advisers. The law provides these
to certain extent in giving
him a cabinet, and the vice pres
ident ought to be made a member of
the cabinet ex officio in order, first, that
the president may have the benefit OF
his wisdom and knowledge of affairs
| and, second, that the vice president
may be better prepared to take up the
work of the president in case of va
cancy in the presidential Office. There
ought to be cordial relations also be-
tween the president and those who oc-
cupy positions of trust in the co-ordi-
nate branches of the government, for
our government is not a one man gov
ernment, but government in which
the chosen representatives of the people
labor together to give expression to the
will of the voters.
But the presidency is the highest po-
| sition in the world and it's occupant is
an important factor in all national af-
fairs. If he is devout believer in our
theory of government recognizes the
constitutional distribution of powers
| trusts thoroughly in the people and
fully sympathizes with them in their
aspirations and hopes, he has an oppor-
tunity to do splendid work He occu-
pies a vantage ground from which he
can exert wholesome influence in
favor of each forward movement.
RESPONSIBILITIES GREAT
"The responsibilities of the office are
so great that the occupant ought to he
relieved of every personal ambition
save the ambition to prove worthv II
the confidence of his countrymen: foy
this reason he ought to enter the posi-
ton without thought or prospect OF .
| second term.
while the burdens of such an of7ce
are heavy, and while the labors of tbe
office are exacting and exhaustins. Nthe
/ field of service Is large, and, measur;n .
its greatness by service, presidenf
by consecrating himself to the pubIic
veal can make himself secure in tbs
affections of his fellow citizens wbiie
he lives and create for himself a ner-
manent place in the nations history
BISHOP POTTER IMPROVES
COOPERSTOWN, N. Y, July Ia