Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-28
Beverage on the Vice Presidency.

Beverage on the Vice Presidency.
Senator Beveridge's article in the
Century denominating the vice presi-
dency as the fifth wheel Of the govern
ment is less significant for the facts
brought out as 1t Is for the remedies
suggested. The senator reviews the
history Of the constitutional convention
to show that the creation. of the office
Of vice president was an after-thought,
without any sponsor claiming credit
for it. He shows, further, tina the
original intention Of the founders of
the republic to make the heir-apparent
possess the same qualities as those de-
manded in the president had been null
lifted by the amendment adopted after
the Aaron Burr episode providing for
separate votes in the electoral college
for president and vice president and
the unofficial system Of party nomi-
mating conventions since developed
into an integral factor in our govern
ment.
Few will take issue with the asser-
ton that the vice presidency now, and
for many years, has been simply trad
ing stock for president-makers and
used as a h~armonizing sop for the de-
feated faction in the nominating o n
vention. When once elected the vice
president simply fills a gap, waiting for
the president to die or become inca
pacitated, and incidentally performing
the harmless function Of presiding over
the senate with no vote except when
that body is equally divided. Senator
Beveridge evidently thinks that a pub
lie man might as well be exiled to St.
Helena or Devils island as to be SEN
fenced to a term in the vice presiden-
tial chair.
Whether this picture is %overdrawn
or not, It is coupled with a dual propo-
sition to restore the Office to it's right
full position of power n usefulness
in one or both of two ways First, by
investing the vice president with pow
ers equal to those possessed by the
/ bpCdhOI III INC appointment VI all bGu-
ate committees, and second, by giving
him a seat at the cabinet table. The
admission of the vice president to the
cabinet has been urged before, but has
never obtained favor with the only
power which could make 1t effective.
So far as we recall, the proposed in
vestiture of the vice president with
plenary authority over the makeup of
senate committees is the first sugges
ton of this kind, and the strange thing
about it is that it should come from
Senator Beveridge, who is usually
classed with the insurgents, voicing
the demand for divesting the speaker
of these very same powers in the
house. If there is any merit in the
protest against the speakers all
powerful control of committee assign
ments it would certainly have equal
force against making a second speaker
out of the vice president.
The Office of vice president may be
the fifth wheel of the government, but
it will not be easily discarded or modi-
fed. In nearly every state in the
union we have in the office Of lieuten-
ant governor an almost exact counter
part of the vice presidency which ena-
bles some forty distinguished gentle
men to hold a waiting number as con-
tingent executives. The vice president
and the lieutenant governors will con-
tinue on doing business at the old
stand. Notwithstanding the convincing
proof offered by Senator Beveridge
that they are absolutely useless.