The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-07-22
TALKS OF PRESIDENCY
WHAT WHITE HOUSE OCCUPANT
MUST BE AND HAVE.

Nominee for President {
Contributes an Article to Golfers
Discussing the Office.
VIM. J. Bryan, the Democratic no.
ninee for President, has written an
article entitled my Conception of
,he Presidency" for the July 18th
ssue of Golfers Weekly. Mr.. Bry-
an says:
The Presidents power for good
or for harm is often overestimated.
Our Government is a Government
of checks and balances; power is
distributed among different depart
ments, and each official works in CO.
operation with others. In the max
ing of laws, for instance, the Presi-
dent joins with the Senate and House.
He may recommend, but he is power
less to legislate except as a majority
of the Senate and House concur with
him. The Senate and the House are
also independent of each other, each
having veto over the other, and
the President has a veto over both:
except that the Senate and House
can, by two-thirds vote. override
the Presidents veto. The influence
of the President over legislation is.
therefore. limited. He shares re-
sponsibility with a large number Of
he peoples representatives. Even in
the enforcement of the law he Is
hedged about by restrictions. He
acts through an Attorney General
(whose appointment must be approx
ed by the Senate) and offenders
against the law must be prosecuted
in the Courts, so that here again
the responsibility is divided. In the
making of important appointments
he must consult the Senate and again
of necessity be compelled to exercise
care and discrimination.
.'The most important requisite IN
President, as in other officials, ls
that his 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 Judge-deciding be-
tween the opportunities of those who
seek favors and the rights and In
;erests of the public. Unless his
sympathies are right the few are sure
to have an advantage over the many
or the masses have none to present
their claims. They act only at cleo
ton and must trust to their repre-
sentatives to protect them from all
their foes.
Second, the president must have
knowledge of public questions and
the ability to discern between be
true and the false; he must be able
to analyze the conditions and to de-
tect the sophstries that are always
employed by those who seek unfair
advantages. He must possess the
moral courage to stand against the
influence that are brought to bear
in favor of special interests. In fact
the quality of moral courage is as
Essential in public official as tc
either right synpathies or a trained
mind.
"a President must have counsel
Iors and to make use OF counsellors
he must be open to convictions. The
President is committed by his plat,
form to certain policies and the plat,
form is binding; he is also commit
ed TO certain principles of Govern
ment and these he IS in duty bounc
to apply in all matters that come be,
fore him. But there is a wide zone
in which he must act upon his Judg-
ment and here he ought to have the
aid of intelligent, Conscientious and
faithful advisers. The laws provides
these. to certain extent. in givlns
him a Cabinet and the Vice Presl-
dent ought to be made member OF
the Cabinet exoficio, in order, mrs:
that the President may have the bene-
LIT of his W. . and knowledge Oh
affairs; and :ond, that the Vict
President may oe better prepared tt
take I'D the work of the President
| in case of a vacancy in the Presiden-
tial Office. There ought to be cordial
relations between the President and
those who occupy positions OF lnt1u'
ence in the coordinate branches OF
the Government, for our Government
lis not a one-man Government, but
Government in which he chosen re-
representatives. of the people labor to-
gether to give expression to the Will
| of the voters.
But the Presidency is the highest
position in the world, and its occu-
pant is a factor in all national mat
| tiers. II he is devout believer ID
our theory of Government, recoglDz-
es the constitutional distribution OF
powers, trusts thoroughly in the
people and fully sympathlzes Wltf
them in their aspirations and hopes
he has an opportunity to do a splen-
did work. He occupies a vantage
ground from which he can exert
wholesome influence for each for
ward movement.
tThe responsibilities of the othce
are so great that the occupant ought
10 be relieved Of every personal am
bition, save the ambition to prove
worthy of the confidence of his coun-
trvmen; for this reason he ought to
enter the position without thought
or prospect of a second term; while
burdens of such an Office are heavy.
and while the labors OF the office are
exacting and exhausting, the field OF
service is large, and, measuring lts
greatness by service, a President, by
consecrating himself to the public
!,