The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-07-16

shown a disposition to include vice
presidents among their advisors.
The country should take a keen In
terest in the selection of its vice presi-
dents because the mantle of the presi-
dent has so often fallen on his run
ming mate
During the brief history OF this re-
| public-brief as compared with the life
of nations, five presidents have died in
office and Ave times have vice presi-
dents been called to fill out unexpired
terms.
In four of these instances the men
thus promoted proved to be disap-
pointments.
William Henry Harrison was the
| first president to die in Office and the
administration of John Tyler, a thor
the presidency, was 50 unsatisfactory
to his party as to almost disrupt it.
But after years of reverses, the
Wings again elected a president, Gen.
Zachary Taylor and he too died while
! occupying the White House. Willard
Fillmore was called TO the chair and
his rule was weak and vasciilating and
after this the Wing party never again
carried the country in presidential
election.
1t is noticeable that no Democratic
| president has ever died in office.
| Andrew Johnson was the next vice
president to I'LL an unexpired term.
The history Of his troubles with his
/ party is too we'll known to bear repe-
tition. However right his policies Of
government may have been, they were
| so bunglingly administered that he
missed conviction on impeachment by
only one vote in the senate, and had
not the general conditions in the coun-
| try made a Democratic victory at that
time impossible, the Republican party
would have been swept from power at
the close of Johnson's term of Office.
Chester A. Arthur filled the unex
pired term of the murdered Garfield
and while his administration was dig
nifed and upright, it was SO unpopular
that the opposition party carried the
next election and gained the presi-
| dency.
One other instance remains that Of
! Theodore Roosevelt, who took the
place of the martyred Mckinley.
! 1t was a grim joke that Boss Platt
played on the dauntless Theodore, to
remove him from the arena of New
York state politics by making him
vice president. Even during the in
cumbency of the vice presidential Of
| fee, he refused to remain hidden and
was a more commanding genius than
| his chief. After his promotion, ne
proved himself, in some respects, to be
the most notable figure of his day.
The whole history of vice presidents
/ and of their succession to office shows
the Importance from a party as well
as from a patriotic standpoint of using
wisdom and prudence in selecting can
didates for the vice presidency.
The Journal has no desire to make
personal remarks that are uncompli-
mentary. but suppose Mr.. Taft should
die or be removed from Office, what
sort of chief magistrate would Sunny
Jim" Sherman of Utica, n. Y, prove
to be?
Other potentialities even more ride
uTous may be pointed out Would
Uncle" Henry Gassaway Davis of
West Virginia have cut very digni-
fed figure as the titular head of ninety
millions of American people?
The recent Baltimore convention has
acted wisely and should the mantle of
president fall on Governor Marshall
he will no doubt be a wise and able
chief magistrate.