The Daily Missoulian., 1912-08-14
s~PRECEnHNTS

TIT ~ y w hN, Il
This Is bad year for precedens which, after ALL have
little place in the progression OF great country such as
this. Political precedents have been broken at every
people and of Roosevelt and Johnson In its very inception
the Chicago convention threw tradition to the winds In It's
high purposes in its grim determinations in its open-eyed
defiance to the powers that be- in its declaration for the
people, in its very arusm the assembly OF last week was
unlike any other convention that has been held within the
ken Of the Of the present day 1t shocked the usual
rules OF convention etiquette BY inviting its chosen cand-
dates address the delegates chosen candidates having
heretofore been supposed be nnOcenty obvous OF the
honors that were coming to them.
Many other precedents broken by the convention
1t was therefore, not out Of keeping with its general pro-
cedure that it dsregarded traditional usage in nominating
Ia candidate for vice president 1t may be said that moth
ling the convention did wider departure than the
lectng OF Hiram Johnson of California the partys
ddae for the second place its national ticket For the
first time in the history OF the modern national convention
has vicepresidenal candidate been chosen account
Of the fact that he in eveyway qualified for the pres
dency that he is big enough to be president if emergency
should call him to the White House.
Political parties have occasions selected men for
second place whom they considered of presidential caber
but in such instances the motive that of political ex-
pedency In one instance man fast growing to pres-
dental size was nominated for vice president bury
him and get him Of the road Of the political Bosses who
had learned to fear him while he served great state as
governor That man Roosevelt. His nomination as
vice president was purely miscalculaon Even the pre-
science OF the bosses could not count upon the foul work
Of the assassin.
-Four men have become president through the death Of
the incumbent. Three of these found themselves unex
pectedly in the lands highest office within the span of
generation Of seven elected presidents beginning with
Lincoln three died in office Nevertheless the old parties
continue pick candidates for vice president as their ony
function were peruncoy Of three vice presidents who
succeeded to the presidency refused renomna
ton and one was impeached. Tyler and Johnson were
bundeng ncapabes the best that can be said of Arthur
is that he was respectable and dgnified All three had
been been nominated on the ground Of party policy
Now let us consider recent vce-presdenta nominees
the Sewa the Stevensons and the Gassaway Davises the
Wheelers, and the Hobars and the Farbankses What
political system it that such men up to Be possible
presidents with recent history showing that they had three
chances out of seven to be vested actually with the power
OF the president? , @ I
And today. We have James Schoocraft Sherman,
Sunny m the pet of the powers that prey really part
OF the invisible government" He is candidate for re-
election. The democrats have selected Thomas Mar
SHALL parocha person. whose record shows him absolutely
spneess in the face of exigency
Now, it would have been logical" according to prece
dent for the progressive party to have nominated Sher
man or Marshall. But, the progressive party chose
Hiram Johnson, fighting from the Pacific 1t Sc
ected as Rooseves running mate nearly as big as
Roosevelt The progressive party laughed at precedent
and defed tradition Yet gave the people two strong
men, Surely, this is bad year for precedents- bad
precedents. ~