The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-07-14
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE WRITES
ON HIS CONCEPTIONS OF
THE oFFIcE.
NO SCI, , C,0|lgD| ] TERM
Responsibilities q ~ Position .
Great Says the connoner That
Candidate should End u once with.
out Thinking of Rslsst says Ia.
fiuence 10 Limited.

ruence 70 Limited.
New York, July 1s-William J.
Bryan has written an article entitled
my Conception Of the presidency
for the July 1s issue ot Golfers
Weekley.
"The Presidents power for good or
for harm Is often over estimated. This
government is government Of checks
and balances; power II distributed
among different departments and each
of them works il 60 operation with
others. n the maltips pf laws, for
instance. the president Joins with the
senate and house; he may recommend
but he Is powerless to legislate ex-
cept when a majority of the senate
and house concur with him.
The senate and the house are also
independent Of each other each hav-
ing veto over the other side and the
president has a veto Or both except
that the senate and house can by q
two thirds vote, override the presi-
dents veto. The influence Of the pre-
sident over legislation is therefore
limited; he shares responsibility with
a large number Of the peoples re-
presentatives.
Hedged by Restrictions.
Given IN the. enforcement Of the
Law he is hedged about BY restrictions.
III the making Of independent appro-
priations, too, he must consult the
senate and Is Of necessity compelled
to exercise care and decision. The
most important requisite in presi-
dent, as IN other officials, Is that his
sympathy shall be with the whole peo-
pie, rather than with any fraction OF
the population. He Is constantly call
ed upon to act In the capacity Of q
judge deciding between the impor-
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 one 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.
second. the president must have
q knowledge Of public questions and
the ability to discern between the true
and the false: he must be able to
.analyze the conditions and tc detect
the sophistries thai are a]wsys EN-.
ployed BY those who seek uAsair ads
vaEtages.
''He must posses the moral courage
to succeed against the influences that
are brought to bear in favor OF spe-
cial interests. In fact. the quality OF
moral courage Is as essential in .
public officials as either right sympa-
thies on trained mind.
Nesds Good counseliors.
"a president must have counsellora
and also make wise use Of COUNSEL
lors; he must be open to conviction
The president is committed by his
platform to certain policies. and plat
form Is binding: he is also commit tad
to certain principles Of government
and these he ID In duty bound to apply
in all mstters that come before him.
''Bu: there is a wide zone IN which
he must act upon his own Judgment.
and here he ought to have the aid OF
conscientious and faithful advisors.
The law provides these to q certain
extent In giving him . cabinet and
the vice president ought to be made
. member Of the cabinet, excfacio.
in order. first, that the president may
have the benefit Of his wisdom and
knowledge Of AFFAIRS, and. second. that
the vice president may b better Pre-
pared TO take up the work Of the pro.
sidnt IN case Of . vacancy n the pre-
sidential once. There ought TO bs
cordial relations also between the pre-.
sident IN case Of vacancy IN the pre-
siaent and those who occupy positions
Of influence IN the coordinate
branches Of the government for GU
government ID not one man guya
msnt, but . government n whieh II
chosen representatives Of the psorle
labor together 10 give ezpresainn e
the win 81 the voters.
Hlsheee Posltlen n Werid.
~But the presidency 4 the hishss'
position "a the world. md IN. oesu
pant n an important factor d an n
tional matters. If hs is . dsvuut b
liever IN our theory of eovsenmsnf
necognisee &Ae oonstitutional distfl