Evening star., 1948-07-09
Little Trouble Is Seen
In Democratic Choice
For Vice President
Nominee Is Bound to Be
porty Leader in 1852;
Deorth Of Big Names
Rv David Laurence


Bv Dauid Laurence
Unlike what happened at the Re-
publican convention. the Demo-
cratic leaders will have no trouble
persuading any one of number of
senators and Representatives to
accept the vice presidential NOM
nation.
Gov. Dewey had to assure Gov
Warren that he should try to make
the vice presidency amount to much
more than 1t does today and that
he salary question would be taken
care Of, too.
The aspirants for the Democratic
vice presidential nomination are
eager to get the second place on the
ticket. There Is bound to be a
contest for leadership in 1852. The
Democrats have a dearth of prom
inent names. The Roosevelt lead
ership did not permit the develop
ment of any of the younger men
and managed to squelch ambition
whenever 1t showed signs of emerg-
ing.
Could Be '52 Candidate.
II Mr.. Truman should win the
election, he certainly wouldn't go
after third term, so in 1852 there
would have to be another candidate.
If Mr.. Truman is eliminated from
public life next November, the
Democratic Party's vice presidential
candidate might we'll become the
leader in reorganizing the party.
AS for the vice presidential job
itself, there is lot of misunder-
standing about what can be done TO
make it important. The idea that
1t can be made sort OF assistant
President" or deputy President
Job is based on a misunderstanding
of the CONSTITUTIONS limitations
and on the method by which the
executive branch of the Govern
ment is conducted.
A Vice President is. under the
Constitution. a member OF the leg
islative branch of the Government.
He presides over the Senate and
must apply It's rules in everyday
proceedings. He appoints commit
tees of the Senate. He must also
cast the deciding ballot IN case OF
a tie vote. Only because many Vice
Presidents have failed to stay on
the job every day and do the work
prescribed for them has the post
itself seemed to be an insignificant
one. 1t is because the Senate pro-
vides a substitute In the form OF a
president pro tenn" to do the
presiding in the absence of the Vice
President that the popular impress
sion has arisen that the Vice PreSl-
dent really has lots of time on
his hands.
II the Vice President were by
statute made deputy President"
It would conflict with the duties
given him under the Constitution. If
he we're not operating under stat
utory law but in an informal way.
he would be giving orders and IN
structions to cabinet officers whose
posts are created by law with speci-
fic duties to perform. That would be
unlawful.
Cannot Be Executive.
Hence Vice President cannot be
a general manager or executive OF
the Government. The late Presi-
dent Roosevelt tried 1t in a sense by
putting Henry Wallace at the head OF
an important wartime board. The
Vice President tangled with Jesse
Jones, the head of an executive
agency, and Mr.. Roosevelt had to
remove Mr.. Wallace from the posi-
tion to which he had informally ap-
pointed him.
About the only thing that can be
done with the Vice President-and
the one that would do the most good
would be to make him the con-
fidant of the President, attending all
cabinet meetings and all private
conferences where national or inter-
national policies are made. If the
President works with the Vice Presl-
dent Intimately and commands alb
solute loyalty. the country can de-
rive in an informal way and py
mere custom more than could pos
sibly be achieved by formal piece
of legislation setting forth specinc
duties for the Vice President.
As for salary, 1t ought to be raised
from $4,000 to s37 500 year at
least, because there are other ofhclalS
of the Government, including Su-
preme Court justices. who receive
salaries of the same amount as or
more than the Vice President. Gov.
Warren gets 5000 a year and a
home as CALIFORNIA; chief executive.
If the oflce of President OF the
United States is worth $4,000 to the
American people, Vice President in
training to be President, and with a
Job of presiding over the Senate
besides, is certainly worth s37 800.
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