Evening star., 1924-09-21

The President of the United States
has more responsibilities and greater
power than any individual in this or
any other land. He is the foremost
ruler of the world. And yet he can
not be a tyrant, nor even benovo-
lent despot, for the exalted office he
holds is not his by birth nor by con-
quest, but by virtue of the votes of
his fellow citizens. Under our form
reality the servant of the people and
the burden he must bear is proper
tionate to the authority he wields.
The outstanding phenomenon OF
American political life is that the
old ruler steps down and the new
one is inducted into Office without a
ripple of popular unrest Upon ms
inauguration a new President rides to
the Capitol in the same carriage with
the outgoing chief. This is typical
of the peaceable acquiescence of the
American people in the victory of the
ballot box, the worlds greatest polit-
ical battle, which takes place every
four years.
When the American republic first
was set up, European students OF
public affairs declared that no such
system could succeed. 1t was freely
predicted that strong President
would not, upon expiration of his
term, step down for his elected sue
cessor There have been 80 Presi-
dents of the United States and not
once has there been even a. sugges-
ton of resistance by any President
or by any political party to the YER
dict of the people.
Prior to the World War, the United
States stood in almost complete isola-
tion from international affairs. To-
day, it is looked to for worldwide
leadership. Washington has become
in many respects the capital of the
world, for what the United states
does and says has profound inf1u-
ence in every land and on every sea.
This increase in influence and power
of the President has not taken from
the transfer of the office any of its
peaceful, tranquil and orderly char
acter; indeed, the very ceremony of
succession has become more simple
as the office has enlarged in scope.
A Simple Ceremony.
The simplest induction into office
any President ever has known was
that of Calvin Coolidge, following the
untimely death of Warren G. Hard
ing In little farmhouse, deep in
the Vermont hills where once the
Green Mountain Boys defended their
liberties, under the beams of an oil
lamp, the greatest ruler of the world
was sworn into Office by his father,
a mere notary public, and in the
presence of only a handful of people.
Yet not a single American challenged
the right of Calvin Coolidge to occupy
the exalted office of President.
The successful candidate for tho
presidency faces four years of ad-
ministering the laws of the greatest
Nation on earth. Congress makes
the Nations laws. the courts inter-
pret them, and the President exc
cutes them. Congress may .appro-
pirate billions of dollars year, but
the President must execute the laws
by which these vast sums are raised
as we'll as those under which they
are spent.
The Presidents mail is the largest
received by the head Of any govern
nent, but it Is so handled as to be
least burdensome to the President
himself. The daily grist Of letters
and kilograms frequently runs as
high as 1000 or 5000, but only about
100 of these ever reach the Presi-
dent.
Writing to the President has be-
come much more general in recent
years than formerly. 1t is said that
during tho Grant administration
business was so dull that the execu-
tive office stan used to play cro-
ouet, on the White House lawn dur
ing the hours between the mail de-
liveries-
The President is the only Govern