Evening star., 1948-07-11
FullPartner'
FOrDeWey?
Warren May Be First
Vice President
With a Job
By GEORGE H. Hall

dent, told Gov. Warren at the Phil
adelphia convention that he would
have cabinet status and that his
talents would be utilized fully. in so
far as possible under the Constitu-
ton.
This commitment, Gov. Warren
said, played a considerable part in
his decision to accept the pomina-
ton. Since he was Gov. Dewey's
first choice. not only last June but
in 1914, there seems little doubt
that the promise will be fulfilled.
This Is one of the two main reasons
why Gov. Warren may be the first
Vice President in American history
to have the prestige implied by the
title.
No Throttlebottom Role
The second reason is that Gov.
Warren, in the course of phenom-
enally successful public career in
California, has gained the reputa-
ton of being able to fit an Office
to his own stature. Having the
qualifications to be President, and
having had a good dark-horse
chance at the nomination, Gov.
Warren would be unlikely in any cir
cumstance to sink into the obscurity
of musical comedy Alexander
Throttlebottom.
Neither Gov. Dewey nor Gov.
Warren has said what the new
duties of the Vice President are to
be. Probably a plan has not yet
been worked out in detail, but many
schemes would be constitutionally
possible. The Constitution specifies
only that the Vice President shall
act for the President If the President
dies or is unable to perform his
functions and that he shall be Pres
ident of the Senate without vote
except to break a tie.
A great many people have talked
about the problems Of the vice
presidency, but few have tried to do
anything about them. The general
idea of putting the Office on a par
with, for example, the vice presi-
dency of a big corporation, Is ap-
pealing, but administrative and po-
litical difficulties have proved to be
barriers
There have been differing inter-
pretations as to whether the vice
presidency is essentially an execu-
tive or legislative post. There is
no tradition as to what sort of
assignments the Vice President
should undertake. There is the
political risk incurred by the Presi-
dent in delegating authority to an
officer elected in his own right and
who cannot be fired.
Wallace Got Executive Tasks
Some Presidents and Vice Pres
idents have been congenial and some
have not. Most Presidents have
invited their Vice Presidents to sit
in at cabinet meetings on occasion,
but few have done SO regularly.
Franklin D. Roosevelt always asked
John Nance Garner to attend cabi-
net sessions although the two fire.
quently differed on policy. Later
Mr.. Roosevelt gave executive assign
ments to Vice President Henry A.
Wallace, who was of little use In
maintaining Senate liaison. Mr..
Wallace was one of the few If not
the only Vice President to be 80
used.
The question Of vice presidential
duties is one Of a number OF prob
lens which have been under study
for several months by the Commis-
sion on Organization of the execu-
tive branch of the Government,
whose chairman is former President
Herbert Hoover. The commission
was set up by act of Congress and is
to report to the Eighty-first Con-
gress, convening in January. mas
much as it is headed by former
President and has as advisers a.
number of outstanding political
1t may contrive the ulti-
mate answer.
Meanwhile, there is good deal OF
speculation in Washington on the
nature of the solution. One plan
being discussed privately seems to
have particular merit and to fit ex-
sting circumstances. This involves
setting up permanent cabinet
somewhat after the
British plan.
Such a secretariat is discussed In
n recent book, American Govern
ment in Action" by Marshall E.
Dimock, professor of political science
at Northwestern University, and
Mrs. Dimock, although there is no
direct mention of the vice presi-
dency in connection with 1t. The
Dimocks reason like this:
Our Chief Weakness
The lack of adequate co-ordina-
ton at the top level is a chief
weakenss of American Government.
In Great Britain substantial
amount of coordination is secured
through the Prime Minister'S cabi-
net. 1t, meets frequently, takes up
general questions of concern to the
government as a whole, and has a
first-class stan which arranges the
agenda and helps with the follow
through.
In other words, the Prime Minis
ter uses his cabinet as business
man uses his weekly gathering OF
department heads or bureau chief
uses his staff meetings.
In this country We have never
developed a tradition of this kind
x,;tt, ~ornaot fo fba 10 ohioot hit VIC