Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-14

to the White House has not
proved much of a success in
the past. Undaunted by his
tory. however. there are dozen or
more members of the present Senate
who are hoping the lightning" may
strike them in 1920.
In search for presidential timber
where would one be more likely to go
than to the Senate of the United
States? And yet out of the twenty
seven men who have served as Presi-
Dent only nine had actually served
in the Senate prior to their election as
President, and only one of them. Ben
jamin Harrison. stepped practically
from the Senate to the presidency. leav-
ing the Senate in 1887 and being elected
President in 1888.
of the others had ceased their service
as senators years before their enter
ing the White House.
Garfield a Near-SenatOr.
n James A. Garfield. however. had a
unique experien.. He was elected
senator by the Ohio legislature Be-
fore he took his seat as senator he
was elected President on the repub-
lican ticket, and so he entered the
White House without having sat in
the Senate after all. He was a member
of the House when he was elected SEN
ator and did not resign from that body
until after he was elected President.
The Presidents who served in the
Senate before going to the Executive
Mansion were Monroe of Virginia.
John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts.
Andrew Jackson of Tennessee. Martin
Van Buren, of New York, William
Henry Harrison of Ohio. John Tyler
of Virginia. James Buchanan of Penn
,sylvania. Andrew Johnson of Tennes-
see and Benjamin Harrison of Indiana
Two Of these, Tyler and Johnson, were
not elected President. but Vice Pres;-
dent. and succeeded to the presidency
through the death of Presidents.
Four of the Presidents served in
both Senate and House before going
to the White House and seven of them
served in the House only prior to be-
coming President. No member of the
House except Garfield ever went di-
rect from the House to the White
House.
Never Sat In Congress.
The last three Presidents. including
President Wilson, covering a period of
more than eighteen years. never sat in
either the Senate or House before be-
coming chief executive. Two of them
had been governors of their states,
Roosevelt and Wilson. and Taft had
been Secretary of War. Mckinley be-
fore them, while he served with dis
tinction in the House, was Governor
OF Ohio when he was selected to carry
the republican standard in the presi-
Dental campaign.
And so the people have during a
long period of years been accustomed
to seeing their Presidents come from
the governors chair, or from cabinet
But that does not mean that there has
not been good presidential material in
the Senate, nor that there are not in
the Senate today men no would make
admirable chief executives of the
country.
Frankly In the Race.
Some of the senators who are frank
ly out for the nomination either re-
or whose friends are putting their
names forward, are johnson of Cali
fornia. Harding of Ohio. Watson of
Indiana. Sutherland of West Virginia.
Poindexter of Washington, all repub
icans; Pomerene of Ohio, Hitchcock
of Nebraska and Owen of Oklahoma
democrats. Then there are other SEN
ators who have been put forward as
favorite" sons in past national con-
ventions and who may again be placed
in nomination.. some with serious in
tent of obtaining the coveted honor
and others merely to hold the delepa-
ton in reserve to throw il to this or
that candidate as appears best
Among them are Cummins of Iowa.
Knox and Penrose of PENNSYLVANIA
Lodge of Massachusetts, Borah of
Idaho and Underwood of Alabama
At the last republican national con-
vention there were put in nomination
six United States senator's: Weeks of
Massachusetts, Sherman of Illinois.
Cummins of Iowa. La Toilette of Wis
consin. Knox of Pennsylvania and
Borah of Idaho. The convention Sc
lected member of the United States
Supreme Court.
The race for the republican nomi-
nation today is considered a ..free for
all'' even more than it was four wears
ago. 1t is a safe bet that at least
half-dozen republican senator's will
be put forward by their states as can
didates for nomination next June.
Democrats Listen to bee.
The democrats in national conven-
ton in 1916 put forward only one
name for President. Woodrow Will
son. But few persons if any today
E believe that Mr.. Wilson will be a
candidate to succeed himself So dem
ocratic senators are letting the presi
Dental bee buzz. There is one man.
however, who is closely connected
with the Senate, in fact President of
that body, who may bear away
the palm, Vice President Marshall.
Stranger things have happened in the
past, and there is a growing senti-
ment among democrats in Indiana TO
put forward the man who was gov
ernor of that state and then twice
Vice President of the United States
Martin Van Buren,, who was chosen
Vice President on the ticket with
Andrew jackson in Jackson's second
election as President. was himself
elected President to succeed Jackson
Andrew Jackson. though he was
not a senator when he was elected
President, was at one time nominal ed
for the presidency while he was a
senator-and he was defeated. Henry