The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-01-24

within its borders as residents two
former presidents of the United States
and one former vice president. Living
in Washington today are Woodrow
Wilson and William Howard Taft. one
time presidents of the republic. and
Thomas K. Marshall, oEe-time vice
president.
Add to the foregoing the statement
that living in this city are the pres
emf President and the present vice
president of the United States. and
one gets a resident record which no
other city than Washington can hope
to achieve, for the present President
and vice president perforce must live
ia the capital of the country.
The President and former presidents
get most of the limelight. The place
of a vice president is apt to be that
of the darkened corner, but il occa-
sionally happens that the man who
has been elected vice president of the
United States has much more light
shed upon him after he leaves the
office than was his part when hold
ing 1t.
Vice Presidents Dreary Duties.
Thomas X. Marshall, who for eight
years was vice president of the United
States, has his own jokes about his
obscurity while holding the office. Mr..
Marshall is now u%nshackled and can
say what he wants to, but the pro-
p~rieties keep Calvin Coolidge from
saying what doubtless he feels. Vice
President Fairbanks had his own
thoughts IN the subject of the doleful
work of vice president of the United
States, and James S. Sherman had his
thoughts on the same subject, and in
private he spoke them.
The vice president of the United
States sits in his elevated seat day by
day and confines his vocal, and in fact
his entire physical effort, TO a repeti-
ton of the word Calendar and to
the p%ronouncing of the name of some
senator coupled with the name Of the
state from which the legislator halls.
The vice president is bored stiff
every day of his legislative existence.
Occasionally he calls somebody TO the
chair and escapes to some place where
he can say a few things, perhaps to
relieve his mind of its immediate ennui.
No partisanship nor personal feel
ings are involved when one says that
Charles w. Fairbanks was more con
scientiously devoted to his duties as
presiding officer Of the senate than
,-- atIo- x;oo --a-fJ.-4 - ii IL
On two occasions only during his long
term of office was Mr.. Fairbanks abb
sent from the chair of doleful duty.
Once he went to Canada and once he
went to Alabama, both times while
the senate was in session. On both
occasions he made speeches, and on
the second occasion, the Alabama one,
he added much to the joy of the ma
ton by a slip of the tongue.
Fairbanks Hit In Alabama.
The assembly which Vice President
Fairbanks was asked to address in the
southern state was a combination of
eminent clergymen and laymen of the
Methodist Episcopal church, of which
Mr.. Fairbanks was a loyal adherent.
The vice president had been a Repub-
lican all of his life, and had addressed
some thousands of Repuh-An gather
ings@--gettiae-foF lolnenr in
Alabama that he was addressing Meth.
odist churchmen and a southern as
selmbly, which did not contain one mar
of his W political faith, he began his
speech thus: .Fellow Republicans"
There was a very unchurchly roar OF
laughter to greet this Introduction
The bull put everybody in good humor
and Mr.. Fairbanks made the hit OF
his life with the speech that followed
Vice President Coolidge sallies forth
one in a while to make an address
The other day he spoke in Charleston
S. c., another city in which Republic
ans are better known by their absence
than by their presence, but it does
not fall to the recorder to set it down
that Mr.. Coolidge had forgotten the
thing which befell Mr.. Fairbanks,
His Introductory words were straight
to the point and fitted to the ears OF
the assembled ones.