Show mt The U. U S. S Vice Presidency I Coiled Called Unimportant Job JobBy By BAUKHAGE News A Analyst and arId Commentator Just what vice are the thoughts of a president of the United States between the time of his election election election elec elec- tion and the time he walks in and makes his opening address to the United States senate There can cnn be great judges great governors I great senators great representatives and great Presidents A vice president may move into the presidency and be n a great President A great man may be vice president but he cant can't be a great vice president b because cause the office in itself is unimportant In my judgment the four most potent offices Inthe Inthe in inthe the nation are The President the speaker of the house the majority leader of the senate and the chief justice of the United States Stales These were the remarks of former Vice President Garner as quoted by Bascom Timmons in his book Garner Garner Gar ner ncr of Texas the When Cactus Jack gave up of the house to accept the vice presidential nomination he called the office office of of- I fice flee a no-man's no I land somewhere between the legislative legislative legislative legis legis- and the executive executive ex ex- ex- ex G branch I dont don't know I whether Mr Garc Garner Garner Garner Gar Gar- ner was any more c reluctant to accept 1 the vice presidential president nomina nomination tion than was Alben S. S Barkley Or than Governor Warren BAUK BAUKHAGE AGE was in accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination for that matter Warren Warren War War- ren in particular put up a lot of sales resistance Dewey during the night after his own nomination conferred conferred con con- with party leaders and came up with Warrens Warren's name for the vice presidency Warren at first refused but accepted accepted ac ac- ac after Dewey promised to give him cabinet status and administrative administrative admin admin- duties if Li elected elected- As Dewey put it he wanted Wa Warren Vaen en to have a full partnership in helping to run the government Party loyalty was Alben Barkley's reason for tor acceptIng acceptIng accepting accept accept- ing the Job He has been a hard worker In politics for 43 years As senate Democratic leader for the past 11 years he has faithfully steered administration tion programs through the upper upper upper up up- per house Until the GOP captured captured captured cap cap- the senate in 1916 his power and prestige were Imin Im Im- Im- Im in mense ease He probably will be asked to attend attend at at- tend cabinet meetings as former Vice President Garner was asked by Roosevelt Before Garner accepted accepted ac ac- ac he made an nn agreement covering three things In the first place in order to serve the President and the country country country coun coun- try in that capacity I did not feel I should make a public statement I also suggested that we agree during during dur dur- ing lag my term in the vice presidency and association in the cabinet that I would not make any recommendation recommendation recommendation dation for public office unless I was asked for a recommendation The third part of the agreement was that I would not make any recommendation as to national policy unless I was asked President Harding had extended extended ex ex- tended a similar invitation to his vice president Calvin CoolIdge CoolIdge Coolidge Cool- Cool Idge who didn't have to worry about the first part of the Garner Garner Gar Gar- ner ncr agreement According to the record he was not heard at these meet and at many of ot them he was not even en seen Vice President Dawes respectfully respectfully respectfully respect respect- fully declined the Invitation to attend attend at at- tend cabinet meetings I Curtis attended very seldom Garner Didn't Get Far Out of Touch When Garner heard Mr Deweys Dewey's statement regarding his conception of his running mate if it he were elected elect elect- ed the sage of Uvalde said something something some some- thing to the effect that most of at the time when he was vice president he was so worried that the Republican Republican lican senators would put something over on him in case of ot a tie vote that he never dared to get more than tan a block away from rom the Capitol steps While it Is quite true that the vice president is a member of the executive executive executive exec exec- branch of ot the government his chief chiet function is presiding over the senate and casting a vote like any other member of ot the upper house in incase incase incase case of a tie tic If It he were too closely associated with the executive branch of ot the I government he might fail tail in his I really important role that of ot rallying rallying rally rally- ing support for or administration measures in his own pw party and doIng doing doing do- do Ing what he can to keep the majority majority majority ma ma- party as favorably fl inclined to the White House as possible Most 1 vice presidents with a sense of ot humor have been careful careful care care- ful ul not to take themselves too fOD seriously Vice President Marshall Mar Ma shall under Wilson made a a considerable contribution to the climate of Washington by In- In In wisecracks and offerIng offering offer offer- ing lag a sharp contrast to Wilsons Wilson's less frivolous utterances rances Mr Garner took a somewhat similar sim sim- liar ilar line when he said at the end endot of ot his first term The liThe Job is de de- de- de I like it But it is entirely entirely en en- I en-I unimportant tr S r However that was not entirely a 11 flippant observation Based on a along along along long and successful political experience experience experience he felt that although the four potent offices were the presidency the of ot the house the majority leadership of the senate and the chief a n vice president might at any time succeed succeed suc sue to the presidency and therefore therefore therefore there there- fore should be as carefully selected select select- ed as the President Many less experienced people in public life and out of it have urged that the number two man on the party ticket should be expected to carry out a real assistant presidents president's presidents president's presidents president's dents dent's job Heaven knows that the President needs assistance and e fact is generally accepted that a aleader aleader aleader leader who cannot delegate responsibility responsibility responsibility re re- re- re should not himself be entrusted with it itIn In recent years when it was realized that the man in the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House had a literally killing job efforts have been made to provide assistance The project was seriously seriously seriously seri seri- undertaken and perhaps if it the theory set forth in the Brownlow Brownlow Brownlow Brown- Brown low report of 1937 had been carried I out as intended the effort might I have been successful I Originally It was intended that the tIle presidential advisers shout be a group of highly paid experts with no political affiliations or passionate devotion to any cause or crusade The only passion they were supposed to possess was one for tor anonymity But congress cut out the appropriation appropriation appropriation f r their salaries and the result was the select selection on of brilliant and devoted young enthusiasts who whatever they may have done for forthe forthe forthe the New Deal never seemed to achieve the authority which would have made it possible for them to I take taice over the responsibility for presidential decisions even decisions even in their own respective fields Few could have been described as experts Political Following Might Cause Clash A real assistant president would have to develop a certain follow tollow- ing That following could not help but take on the color of a political entity and therefore by its very nature run run on head-on against the presidential authority itself Warren was generally considered a wise vise choice as a candidate and a strong one A leader in his own right Many Democrats thinking with the natural to be expected predicted that if he were elected vice president the tail might wag the dog dog or or at least might be inclined to register approval approval ap ape ap- ap I at its end of the avenue while the head was growling at the theother theother theother other end of the avenue avenue or or vice versa Garner broke with Roosevelt not merely because he disapproved disapproved proved of the third term but because he was fundamentally opposed to many of the Presidents President's Presidents President's dents dent's policies If II not to his basic basic basic ba ba- ba- ba sic political In the chamber of ot the upper I house Garner breathed a far tar more conservative air than that which I circulated through the study and I executive offices at 1600 Pennsylvania Pennsyl Pennsyl- vania avenue And it was more I congenial to him But when But when a vice presidents president's political po theories dont don't coincide with those of ot his boss in the White WhiteHouse WhiteHouse House dm administrative ti ve bills are not likely to become laws I However no such differences of opinion are likely to harass the Truman-Barkley Truman team The two men see pretty much eye to politically at least po And their respective respective respective re re- re- re Jobs will be made easier by the fact that they have such I tremendous cratic backing inhouse in m I house and senate for the policies both domestic and foreign that they wish to promote And although it may be hard for tor Barkley to accustom himself to the relative tranquility of the ice presIdential presidential presidential pres pres- job he doesn't have to worry about being bems' iO lot lt in the shuttle shuffle I Not many former vice presidents presidents dents are remembered for tor statesmanship Calhoun Is recalled re reo called mainly because he quit the job after afler quarreling will witt Pr President nt Jackson and Thornas Thom Thorn as It Marshall 1 a for his clevet crack that what wh this country needs is a good rent five ci cl gar Charles C G. G Dawes for his pipe and so on But Barkley has already made madl his mark He deserves a pleasant year four sojourn presiding over the upper which be he ha has served so long and welL I |