The Washington herald., 1909-03-06
OUR EX-VICE PRESIDENTS.
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.
By FREDERIC ]. HASKIN.

Asf Il we're not enough that \ globe
trotter should come into the Presidency
as another one goes out. Mr. Fairbanks
has added to the situation by his decision
10 become traveller. Altogether, It con-
ssltutes such travel record as the nation
never saw before. and may not see again
in q hundred years. Air. Fairbanks can
well afford TO take his trip Born q POOR
boy. he has kept everlastingIy at II IN
the way thst brings success, and he finds
himself a comparatively rich man. His
children are all grown and married. and
he has seen them safely established be-
fore he has come within hailing distance
Of sixty. Mr. Fairbanks viii probably
retsrn TO Indianapolis after his trip
abroad. and there settle down 70 the man
agement OF his estates and 70 the life Of
an affiuent lawyer. Whether he VIII re-
turn 10 politics is rot known, but many
Of his friends believe that he viii.
There Is, perhaps, no other man In the
United States as different from the popu-
lar conception as Fairbanks. Represented
y
IN truth one of the most kindly and
warm-hearted OF men. Even to the per
sen he meets casually he returns ss warm
greeting as any one could wish. His
devotion TO duty Is not known TO the
country at large as II Is TO those who
know him well Last spring. when the
campaign for the Presidential nomination
was on. Mr. Fairbanks might naturally
have desired 10 go into the field and pro-
mote his candidacy for the Presidential
nomination. II he had gone. no one could
have suffered thereby. as there Is always
President pro tempore OF the Senate,
but he felt that presiding over that body
was more his duty than drumming up
delegates for himself So he stayed at his
post from start 70 finish He did not win
the nomination for President, but he
proved his faithfulness to his constitu-
tional task.
There are now four living ex-Vice
Presidents-Charles " Fairbanks. Theo-
dore Roosevelt, AdIai Stevenson, and
Levi P. Morton The story Of how a
half dozen men deliberately turned down
the nomination for Vice President on the
Mckinley ticket in 1900. and thereby
lost the Presidency that feH 10 Theodore
Roosevelt. Is still familiar to al, as is
the story Of Nj Roosevelt's having the
place forced upon him in an effort &c get
him out OF the New York political stu
alton. Mr.. Roosevelt is the only Vice
President ever elected President. II We
except few in the early days Of the
republic.
Perhaps no other American citizen who
-ea1 =
more remarkable career thereafter than
Adlai Stevenson. recent Democratic candi-
date for governor Of Illinois Since the
civil war he has been the only Vice
President who was later nominated for
the same position. Thomas A Hendricks
was nominated for the place in 1876. and
again IN Isl He was defeated. along
with Tilden. IN the former year. but
was elected in the latter campaign. In
this he reversed the experience Of Stev-
enScn entirely. Stevenson was first elect
ed, then retired 20 private life. and. after
fouT years. was again called out as the
party candidate, this time 10 lose.
Stevenson is still strong factor IN the
Democrscy, one who has kept cut OF
factioHal entang!ements 10 such q degree
as TO make it net entirely improbable that
oiser things may come his way before
his eventtul life IS a. en- end As the
Ak ElsH Of the second Cleveland admins
tration, he made a lasting record as an
Official declpitstor- To him is due large
i the start which landed Cortelyou in
the sacond place in the Presidents Cab
inet-Cortelyou was his stenographer
while he was Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral.
The Vice Presidency has been vacant
much Of the tine since the civil war.
The assassination Of Lincoln brought
Vice President Johnson into the Presf-
Dental chair, and left a vacancy in the
lower position The assassination OF Gar
field called Mr. Arthur 10 the higher sta
ton. aud the second place was again
vacant through nearly the whole Of the
term for which Garfield was elected Il
was again filed when CleveIand's first
Nice President Thomas A Hendricks.
qualified BIt he was soon stricken and
died al tie very OGtset OF his term. Thus,
except for Two brief intervals. the second
Office Of the land was vacant for eight
years together. II was the first time in
the history Of the Vice Presidency that
such a thing had happened. but it was
not to be the last
With conditions but slightly reversed,
toe same thing occurred later. Garret
A Hobart. Vice President under the first
Mckinley administration, died before
half the term had passed. leaving q va
cancy during the remaining years OF that
administration. The second Mckinley
administration was also doomed to lose
its Vice President The assassination OF
the President al Buffalo elevated Mr
Roosevelt TO the Presidential ONCE. and
again there was vacancy for nearly
four years From this il viii be seen
that for thirteen years out Of the twenty
eight since Garheld's administration be-
gan, the nation has been without a Vice
President.
There was stiIl sixth time that the
Vice Presidency has been vacant since
the civil war Henry Wilson. Vice Presi-
dent on the second Grant ticket. was A
shoemaker in his early days. and was
known as the ''Nstick Cobbier." He died,
after having served one-half Of his term,
IN the Vice Presidents room at the Capt.
tel John Quincy Adams a former Pres
ident, died IN the Office Of the clerk of
the House while serving as a member Of
that body. Thus a President and q Vice
President have died in that historic build
ing William A. Wheeler and Schuyler
COlfax retired 70 private life after their
terms Colfax became vice president or
a large Indiana manufacturing concern.
The honor Of serving Two terms as Vice
President has fallen to but few men.
John Adams was the first of these. hav-
ing served through both Washington ad-
rninistrations. Jefferson served but one
term. as did Aaron Burr Burr :ried TO