Imperial Valley press., 1944-06-05
THE VICE PRESIDENCY
(NeW York TimeS)


1t is widely accepted throughout the
country that Mr.. Roosevelt will once
more be the Presidential nominee of the
Democrats and, at this writing, that Mr.
Dewey will be the nominee of the Repub-
hcans In these circumstances political
speculation has recently been more con-
cerned over the respective nominees of
the two parties for the Vice Presidency.
Interest in this subject, IN fact, is perhaps
greater than at any time since the early
history of the Republic
Under a system of election which de-
parts radically from that actually intend
ed by the trainers of the Constitution, the
office of Vice President has become a
somewhat curious institution. 1t is signif
icant that even Central and South Ameri-
can countries which have followed our
Constitution closely in other respects
have made an exception in the case of the
Vice Presidency. The office is not needed
for its own sake The Vice President as
such, has only one duty: to preside over
the Senate But the Senate, like the
House, could select its own presiding Of
ficer, perhaps in the long run with hap
pier results. Apart from this perfume
tory duty. the American Vice President
has nothing to do but to sit around and
wait for something to happen to the Pres
ident-hardly pleasant position for
first-rate man to find himself in.
The general uselessness and insignifi-
cance of the Vice Presidency as such have
been satirized in the musical comedy fig
ure of Mr.. Throttlebottom. The major
parties ought, of course, to nominate for
the Vice Presidency only a man OF un-
questioned Presidential stature, because
of the real possibility that he may be-
come the President. (Nine OF our thirty
three Vice Presidents went on to be Pres
ident, six of them through the death OF
the preceding President.) But because
of the comparatively low repute IN which
the office of Vice President is held, aspir-
ants for the Presidency go around declar-
ing sometimes sincerely that under no
circumstances will they accept the nomi-
nation for the Vice Presidency.
Nor is the state of mind of the cOnven-
ton delegates themselves usually such
as to lead them to name the party's sec
ond ablest man for the Vice Presidency.
On the contrary, when the platform has
been adopted and the Presidential candi
date named the delegates are eager to go
home. The naming of the Vice Presiden-
tial nominee commonly becomes a per-
functory duty, to be got out of the way
in "a few hours. He is usually chosen to
balance the ticket" Sometimes this is
geographical balance Often the ticket
is balanced" by naming as Vice Presi-
Dental nominee man of pronouncadly
different views from those of the Presi-
Dental nominee.
In any case it is usually the nominees
qualifications as candidate rather than
as President that count most with the
party delegates. Yet it may be doubled
that except in very rare cases the Vice
Presidential candidate influences the
bulk of the voters. He may, indeed add
or ALLEVIATE a few votes that could change
the result in a very close election. But
the voters have no way of expressing their
separate choices as between Presidential
and Vice Presidential candidates.
1t is never good democratic practice to
force the voter to get what he does want.
The Vice Presidential candidates compli
cate a Presidential election. The system
can bring into Presidential office a man
who could not have got there by more
direct route, and who may have neither
the inherent qualifications nor the as
sured popular support necessary to car
ry on the functions Of the office.