St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-08-21


effect OF the traditional habit of thought the people
might be expected to look with favor on long tenure
OF public Office, the governor of the state is elected
yearly Ihe mayor Of the city of Boston also holds
office only for twelvemonth Massachusetts and Bos
ton are no weakngs commercially There has been
however tendency in the states of Union to length
en- the terms of the chief executives That which seems
wise to-day would have been deemed folly half cen.
fury The people have found that they can trust
themselves to keep away from the pit of apathy for
three or four and that are not possessed
of dangerous ambitions.
The recurring talk of term of six years for the
president and the talk of senators life terms is prob
ably but talk for talks sake Anything that has politics
for basis is of interest the American and in the
and each can back the name given with reasons that
for which the advancer couldn't get vote-not even
his
American politics deal largely in futures The NAM
ing of presidents is done many thousands of times
before the convention days that figures keep the
count The question of the multitude witnesses the
cath taking of president the platform east of the
capitol is: who will take the oath four years from
today? There are some thousands of individual mem
DeFs OF the multitude who will be quick to give
and each can back the given with reasons that
he believes all convincing. 1t is great game and it
makes for safety.
There never has been a time since Washington was
mauguraed In the city of New York the concerns
of legislation matter how vital the country have
been strong enough to keep politics and the matter Of
the presidential succession out of the peoples
The American thrives poitics-proof enough per-
haps, that it is healthy food.
There has been the ever-ready sheer at American
methods of naming president Men who think none
too well of popular government have said until by
iteration they have come to believe their own words
that the politicians and the office holders also poll
tcians) do the presidentnaming for the people It is
O statement that bears test. When Mr. Roosevelt
began the outlining of his policies there was hardly
politician in the land who approved. The members of
congress who friendly to the presidents course
could be counted with knowledge of counting Meas
through congress that the congressman who
voted aye loathed in their souls.
What the of it all? The people them
selves voting, using unwilling finally politically
wise agents to do the voting for them The man who
wants to succeed himself in office has an eve and ear
for his constituents. If he commit political
suicide he becomes temporarily blind and deaf The
force of public opinion sharply shown
than the United States senate winter before last
when senator after senator voted for measures that
three years ago they would openly have declared to be
Ubiquitous they might disturb business inter-
ess business interests being the interests Of corpora
lions which people little and reap pene-
Ously
AS for the house of representatives, the men who
stood against presidential policies still cngng to
the belief that the majority of the people in
sympathy with the administration found their
take at the convention later at the polls
All this part and parcel of the plan of presi-
dentnaming by the people 1t is certain mundane
things can be certain that if the politicians of either
marty and their allies succeed in hwartng the will of
the voters at national convention there is always