The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1908-07-22
THE FUNCTIONS
OF A PRESIDENT
AS Defined byDemocracy's
Candidate.
MOST REPOSNSIBLE POSITION
And Yet Chief Executive is
POwerleSS Under Certain
Circumstances.

New York, July 15.-William Jen-
nings Bryan, Presidential nominee of
The Democratic party. has expressed
his opinion of the duty and power of a
! President in an article prepared by
MIN for a weekly magazine. Mr..
Bryan says:
The Presidents power for good or
harm is often over-estimated. Our
Government is government of checl
and balances; power Is distributed
among different departments, and eaci
official works in cooperation with
others. In the making of laws, for in
stance, the President joins with the
Senate and the House.
He. may recommend, but he is pow
erless to legislate, except as a ma
iority of the Senate and the 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, excep. that the SEN
ate and the House CANDY two-thirds
vote, override the Presidents veto.
THE influence of fhe President
over legislation is, therefore, limited;
he shares responsibility with a large
number of the peoples representa-
tives. 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 re-
sponsibility is divided.
"In the making of important APP
pointments, too, he must consult the
Static, and is, of necessity, compelled
to exercise care and discretion.
1.-The most important requisite in
a President, as in other officials, is
that his sympathy shall be with the
whole people, rather than with any
faction of the population.
He is constantly called upon to
act in the capacity of a Judge, de-
Gliding between the opportunities Of
those who seek favOrs and the rights
and interests of the public.
UNLESS his sympa,hies are right,
IL a. lio aHt DO
over the many, for the masses have
no one 10 present their cl@ims. They
act only at elections; and must trust
to their Representatives TO protect
them from all their foes.
Second, the President must have
knowledge of public questions and the
ability TO discern between the true
and the false. He mus. be able to
analyze the conditions, and to detect
the sophistries that are always EN-
ployed by those who seek unfair adj
vantages.
HE must possess the moral courage
10 stand against the influences that
are brought to bear in favor OF. spec
ial interests. In fact, the qualify of
moral courage is as essential in a pub
lie officials as are right eympathies
or a trained mind.
"A President must have counselors,
and to make wise use OF counselors
he must be open to conviction. The
President is committed by his platform
to certain policies, and the platform
is binding; he is also committed to GER
tain principles of government, and
these he is in duty bound to apply in
all matters that cone before him.
But The Presidency is the highest
position in the world, and It's occu-
pant is an important faoaor in national
matters. If he is devout believer in
our theory of government, recognizes
the constitutional distribution of pow
ers, trusts thoroughly in the people
and fully sympathizes with them In
their aspirations and hopes, he has
ali OppOl LuliNg AZ W. a SphShbiu WI NJ
he occupies a vantage ground from
whlch he can exert a wholesome influ-
ence in favor of such. forward move
ment.
"The responsibilities of the office
are so great that the occupant ough:
to be relieved of every PERSONAL am
bitton save the ambition to prove wor-
thy the confidence of his countrymen.
For this reason he ought TO enter the
position without thought or prospect
of a second term.
While the burdens Of such an of
flee are heavy, and while the labors
of the office are exacting and exhaust