Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-08-05

yearly. The mayor of the city of Boston also holds
Office only for a twelVemonth. Massachusetts and Bos-
ton are no weddings commercially. There has been,
however, a tendency in the states of the Union to length.
en- the terms of the chief executives. That which seems
wise to-day would have been deemed folly half a cen.
fury ago. The people have found that they can trust
themselves to keep away from the pit of apathy for
three or four years and that all men are not possessed
of dangerous ambitions.
The recurring talk of a term of six years for the
president and the talk of senators for life terms is prob
ably but talk for talks sake. Anything that has politics
for a basis is of interest to the live American and in the
and each can back the name given with reasons that
for which the advancer couldn't get a vote-not even
mis- own.
American politics deal largely in futures. The nam.
ing of presidents is done so many thousands of times
before the convention days that figures cannot keep the
count. The question of the multitude that witnesses the
oath taking of a president on the platform east of the
capitol is: "Who will take the oath four years from
today" There are some thousands of individual men,
bers of the multitude who will be quick to give answer
and each can back the given name with reasons that
NE believes all convincing. 1t is a great game and it
makes for safety.
There never has been a time since Washington was
6inaugurated in the city of New York that the concerns
of legislation, no matter how vital to the country, have
been strong enough to keep politics and the matter of
the presidential succession out of the peoples minds.
The American thrives on politics-proof enough, per-
ilaps, that it Is a healthy food.
There has been the everready sheer at American
methods of naming a president. Men who think none
too well of popular government have said, until by re-
kuCFuIlUu lHcy nav Gull W enc Ln6lT own WOTuS,
that the politicians and the office holders (also poll
ticians) do the presidentnaming for the people. 1t is
"a statement that bears no test. When Mr.. Roosevelt
began the outlining of his policies there was hardly a
politician in the land who approved. The members of
congress who were friendly to the presidents course
could be counted with no knowledge of counting. Meas
lures went through congress that the congressman who
vvoted aye loathed in their souls.
What was the reason of it all? The people them
selves were voting, using unwilling but finally politically
wise agents to do the voting for them. The man who
wants to succeed himself in Office has an eye and ear
for his constituents. If he wants to commit political
suicide he becomes temporarily blind and deaf. The
force of public opinion was never more sharply shown
than in 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, because they might disturb business inter-
~esfs, business interests being the interests of corpora
lions which some people say SOW little and reap plente-
.Cusly.
AS for the house Of representatives, the men who
stood against the presidential policies, still clnging to
the belief that the majority of the people was not in
sympathy with the administration, found out their mis-.
take at the convention or later at the polls.
All this was a part and parcel Of the plan OF presi-
a~dentnaming by the people. 1t is as certain as mundane
things can be certain that If the politicians of either
party and their allies succeed in thwarting the will OF
the voters at a national convention there is always the