Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-08-06
THE MISREPRESENTATION AND THE
CABINET,
(From the New York Sunl

| general consultation. That is to saw. he
/ will ask the president to plav the
part which In some European countries
Ia delegated to n minister without MORT
folio" The cxpedency of making such
an innovation is doubtful and somehow
We do not feed apprehensive that a
similar declaration OF intention will be
made by MIR. Taft. Meanwhile. the in
cident is OF some interest as recalling
the curious vicisstudes through which
the conception and Importance of the
vice presidency has passed since our
federal constitution became operative.
| The trainers Of our federal organic law
did not expressly forbid the Vice Presi-
dent to take part in executive business,
and thus left the President at liberty to
| consult him II he chose while himself
| shoulderng the whole responsibility for
his acts. There Ia no doubt that during
WashinRton's two terms, and especially
during the second. John Adams had a
good deal OF influence. and would have
had more but for the ascendency Of
Alexander Hamilton in fcderalist coup-
ellis and over the mind OF the chief mag
strate. The division between federal
lists and republicans had already been
OF 1872, but by 1896 the two parties had
become bitterly antagonlstic, and 1t was
out of the question that the federalist,
John Adams. then chosen president.
should seek the advice of the vice presi-
dent, Thomas Jefferson. the republicans
chief spokesman In 1900 although the
President and Vice President were
both republicans, Burr's attempt
to supersede, through an intrigue
wit. the federalists Jefferson, the ac-
knowledged leader of the Republican
party. rendered anything like friendly
intercourse between the two officials out
of the question.
The election of 1904 was held after the
constitution of the United States had
been amended to the effect that the
president and vice-president must be of
the same party Nevertheless, the rela-
tons between Jefferson and George Gin
ton were not particularly cordial for In
l7e2 and again in 1896 they had been
rivals for the headshlp of the republi-
cans. a similar state of things was in.
Dictated In 1905 between Madison and
George Clinton, six republican preslden-
tial electors Withholding their votes
from the former for the presidency and
10 declining to vote for George Clinton
as vice president. The relations be-
tween Madison and Elbridge Gerry. who
were respectively elected in 1872 presi-
dent and vice president. were friendly
enough. but the latter lived only short
time In both OF Monroc's admnistra-
tons Daniel o. Tompkins of New York
was vtceprcsdent, but had little infiu-
ence a the White House, in 1920. indeed,
he fell short by II of receiving as many
votes as were given to Monroe In the
administration of John Quincy Adams
the advice of Vice President John c.
Calhoun was not sought by the chief
magistrate or by Henry Clay, secretary
of state, for Calhoun at that time was
regarded a s coadjutor of Andrew Jack
son. and indeed was nominated and
chosen vice-pre sidcnt on the jackson
ticket In 1928. There is reason to think
that Calhoun might have acquired great
influence over Jackson and have become
his successor instead OF Van Buren, had
be not upheld his wife in refusing with
other cabinet ladies' to recognize social
ly Mrs Eaton. position which Van
Buren,. being unmarried was not con-
strained to take"
In Jacksons second term the vice
presidency, occupied by yam Buren,, DO
came what 1T had ceased TO be since
Washington's ADMINISTRATIONS, the post
of the recognized heir apparent From
1888 to 1887 icePresident Van Buren,
had more influence with Jackson than
all the members of the latter's cabinet
put together. Such Il state Of things was
not to recur for 60 years Thenceforth
hcCa
ventions to select candidates for the
vice presidency without much reference
to their fitness for high executive func-
| tons and with no heed to their per-
sonal relations to the nominees for tn,.
presidency, but for the most part with
no other purpose than to conclliate a
particular geogra phical section or to al
lay local or fractional disaffection In
1910, for instance John Tyler. who had
never professed to be a whig, was put
on the whig ticket with the hone that
Virginia might thus be carried, Four
years later George NJ. Dallas was nom
mated for vice-president in order that
the democrats might have a better pros
pect of carrying protectionist Pennsyl-
vania. In ls4S the nomination of Willard
Fillmore was made with a view OF i'm
proving zachary Taylor's chance Of
carrying New York Analogous motives
prompted the selection for the vice
presidency of w. r. King. j. c. Brock
enridge, Hannibal Hamin. Andrew John
son. Schuyler Colfax. Henry Wilson,
Chester A. Arthur and Adlai +. Steven
son, Not one Of these men, with the ex-
ception Of Dallas, had any influence at
the White House during their respective
tenures OF the presidency. The
same thing Is true OF Thomas A. Hen
bricks. although in 1885, when he be-
came vice-president, he was a far more
distinguished statesman than was Mr..
Cleveland.
A decided change took place when VIII
liam Mckinley became president on
March l. 1897 For the first time since
1887 a vice -president was admitted in
formally to the councils of the chief
magistrate. There Ia no doubt that up
to the time Of his premature death the
opinions of Carrot A. Hobart had more
weight with his official chief than had
any OF the members OF the latter's cab
met, with the possible exception of the
| secretary of state, John Hay. II Mr.
Hobart had lived he would assuredly
have been renominated for the vice
presidency In 1850 and would himself
have become chief magistrate In 1901
Whether Mr. Roosevelt possessed any
influence at the White House during the
very short period in which he remained
vice president is, to say the least, very
doubtful.