Life — September 21, 1928 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

For Vice-President Five years ago this summer it was demon- strated that Presidents of the United States occasionally prove mortal during their term of office. The demise of Mr. Hard- ing caused much solemn cogitation on the need for care in choosing nominees for Vice-President. The Republicans in 1924 selected Mr. Charles G. Dawes, whose Capacities were not in question; the Demo- crats picked Mr. Charles Bryan. In the resent campaign the nominees for Vice- resident were agreed upon for reasons of geography. It is a simple method of choice, but naturally a man whose chief availability is that he lives in Topeka, Kansas, or Little Rock, Arkansas, is apt to want something in other directions. The delegates who ducked behind palms at Kansas City and Houston in their search for a candidate for Vice-President did not worry much whether the nominee was fit to become President of the United States in an eventuality. Their immediate concern was to find a man who would “balance” the ticket. ee e Tue nominets for Vice-President are} |} members of the United States Senate. Both will remain members, one as Vice- Younc Hussanp (overjoyed) : 1 just received a message that my wife gave birth to twins. I'm so happy I scarcely know whet to do! Ovp Timer (dryly): You'll learn. President, the other as Senator. One of them will get an increase in salary from $10,000 to $15,000 and a Government. owned limousine with a gilt crest. The other will get prestige. Nobody has ever paid much attention to either of these men, and both are having the time of their lives, what with movies, interviews and other paraphernalia of notoriety. The Republican nominee, Mr. Charles Curtis of Kansas, is sixty-cight years of age. He has spent forty-four years in poli- tics, nineteen of them having been passed in the Senate, during which time Mr, Curtis has never had an origina] idea, Session after session he has sat in the back row on the Re. publican side, attired in his dark coat and tweed pants, swing. ing a semicircular blotter on the end of a string. He was the principal of this leg- islative school, knew all its small secrets, ignored infractions of discipline and said nothing. Amiable and gregarious, he enjoyed his position, was satisfied with his fate and exhibited no delusions of grandeur. Mr. Curtis became convinced in the spring of this year that he would be nomi- nated for President. He complained that summaries of prospective delegates pub- lished in Associated Press tables cing mized his strength, although he refused to specify his pledges. He attacked Mr. Hoover and then accepted the nomination for Vice-President on the same ticket. He rushed to Convention Hall in a taxi- cab, delivered some indifferent observa- tions and returned to Washington con- vinced that he had been done out of the nomination for President. He still feels that our newspapers are ignoring him; he cannot comprehend Mr. Hoover's appeat- ance on the front page and his own ob scurity on the inside. He has accepted Mr. Hoover's somewhat precipitate invi- tation to participate in Cabinet meetings and stands ready for an avalanche of Embassy cards to breakfast, dine and dance. Mr. Curtis has progressed far in a few short months, with an aggressive conviction that these delights are but a minor part of his just due. His metamor- phosis 1s complete. eee Tue Democratic candidate, Mr. Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas, is fifty-six years of age, served as Governor of his State for a short time in 1913 and then came to the United States Senate, where he has since remained. He shares with Mr. Cur comicbooks.com ts. inte Th sn isn out