Peshawar Lancers Redux: North America

The Former President had a disagreement with President Woods over the delay in construction of the Battleships> Teddy was a proponet of building a big navy and any delay in the project caused problems. The former President's son however attempted to prevent a breech between the two men warning his father that a split might divide the National-Republican Party and thus allow the Democrats a chance to win the Presidency and perhaps gain control of either the House or Senate for at least 2 years.
 
The President after consulting with Congress announced that the second Colorado class Battleship would not begin construction until 1916 and the third one would start in 1920. The New Mexico class would be started at a different shipyard and would start in 1917 with the second ship the USS Idaho to begin in 1931..
 
In an interview with the Chicago Sun President Woods explained that he had given improvements to the nations transportation system a higher priority because of a need to be ready for any emergency.. He explained that he was not cancelling the naval expansion but just delaying it and it would take longer to complete. There was a limit to the amount of money that the national government could spend and he was unconvinced that supporting a National Income tax would improve things. The Social Security Act of 1914 was sitting on his desk and he was leaning in the direction of signing it. He wanted to insure that there would be a retirement savings for every worker in the nation.
 
1915 President Woods had informed his vice President that next year he would not seek another term as President and he wanted to see if he would seek the nomination. Chris Houston replied that he had not really given the matter much thought and had considered returning to Texas at the end of the term and planning a run for governor of Texas. He had heard that former President Roosevelt was sounding out the party about his running again for President.
 
President Woods in 1915 looked at the nation that he had been the leader of for the past 6 years and came to the conclusion that he had made a difference. He was not Theodore and was not driven in the same way. Put he saw that the policies that he had supported had improved the nation. Florida was much better off than it had been and the electrification of the nation was well on its way. He would be leaving a nation with more rail line and the beginnings of a major highway system. As for healthcare he had built more hospitals and helped to train more doctors and nurses. He had set aside the land continuing TR's idea creating buffer zones around areas such as Mount St Helens
and area that had potential for problems in the future. He had no regret about deciding not to run for another term but felt that 8 years would be enough.
He would support some Nationalist candidates who he thought would be good for the nation even if they clashed with TR>
He would Travel to Hawaii and later meet with the British and Canadian Prime Ministers.
 
In late 1915 former President Theodore Roosevelt announced that he would seek the Nationalist/Republican Nomination for President. There were some in the party that thought that the former President had had his time as President and it was time for a younger man to be President. In New York Alfred E Smith was running for Governor of the state as a Popularist Democrat. The Democrat party had now split into to two factions and depending upon which won the party would either be reborn or be crushed.
 
In 1916 Teddy was nominated by the Nationalist/Republican Party on the first ballot. A motion was made to make it unanimous and it passed. Teddy was not quite the fire eater that he had been last time he had run. He was older and time had started to wear him out. Still he delivered a rousing speech and went on to campaign. There were 46 states in the union and Teddy carried 40 of them.
 
Teddy's Vice President was J.E.B.Walker grandson of the former confederate cavalry commander who had died 52 years earlier. His mother had passed away but his father and Grandmother were present at the swearing in. JEB Walker had served in the US Army and as a member of the House .
 
Three Months into the term in office the Vice President was shot in an assissination attempt and he was rushed to Walter Reed medical Center in the Capital. The Secret Service Agent shot and killed the man who had attempted to kill the Vice President. Doctor's removed the bullet and were sure that he would recover but instead he slipped into unconscious .
 
President Roosevelt was quite concern about his Vice President and he spoke to the Congressional leadership about amending the Constitution concerning the situation. This would allow the President to Nominate a replacement and to have either the people or the Congress vote on it. The President also submitted a proposal to grant woman the right to vote by amending the constitution.
 
The President saw two amendments to the Constitution pass the Congress and be radified by the required number of States. The President nominated Charles Evans Hughes to be the replacement for the Vice President. It was submitted to the people and the American people confirmed the election of Charles Evans Hughes to the office of Vice President. Mr Hughes was confirmed with an approval of 78% of the voters.. Women were also given the vote forfilling a promise by both Presidents Woods and Roosevelt and the Nationalist party.
 
The Former Vice President left the Capital aboard a hospital train bound for the state of Virginia. His Grandmother and father as well as his wife were aboard. President Theodore Roosevelt had gone to the station to see them off. The whole experience had left a bitter taste in the Presidents thoughts. He told them that he expected to be in the area latter in the year and would stop to see how things were going. There was a limited restoration of the old Capital in the District of Columbia.
 
President Roosevelt knew that this was probably the last time that he would run for political office. He spoke with his too oldest sons and they were concern about their father's health. The President would in 1920 appoint his Vice President to a seat on the Supreme Court. He would remain an associated Justice untill 1930 when another President would nominate him to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
 
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In 1918 Teddy was informed by the Army Corp of Engineers that the Florida restoration project would be completed before he completed his term in office. There would still be some minor projects that would go on but Florida would be restored to just about what it had been. The entire project had cost an unbelievable amount of money but it had proved that what was once thought impossible to complete could be done. The mini Washington DC reconstruction project had also been completed. The zone looked entirely different but it was no longer an ugly tear in the land scape.
 
By 1919 Teddy was well aware that he would have to retire from Politics. His doctors had informed him that the strains that he had gone through over the years were catching up with him. They believed that he might live long enough to see his son run for Governor of New York.
 
Teddy was sounding out party leaders to see who might run to succeed him as President. Former Congressman Mosby had just won election as governor of California but he was too young to run for President. There was Governor Calvin Coolidge of Massachusetts but no one else came to mind. He had thought about another friend from his days in the Army Major General Jack Pershing but he was happy in the army and currently commanded the Border region with Mexico.
 
Ben Cartwright, son of Adam Cartwright had just returned to the Cartwright Ranch in Nevada. His family owned a 45,000 acre ranch in the state and together with his two cousin's and his Uncle's widow they ran it. He was considering running for political office as he felt there should be changes made in Federal Policy.
 
While a Cartwright was considering running for Federal Office he was not someone who had national identity. William G Hart was the Nationalist Senator from Georgia. He served on the Armed Services Committee and was Chairman of the Naval Subcommittee. As such he was well known to the President. He had decided to run for President and in 1920 won the nomination with Governor Calvin Coolidge as Vice President. The Nationalist went on to win the Presidency although Democrats took 5 states.
 
President Hart was sworn in as President. He had always wanted to be President but as Vice President Calvin Coolidge found out he was in way out of his capabilities.
The President submitted his budget but he quickly found out that the Committee Chairman in the House and Senate had other ideas. It was a battle of wills and the President's health suffered from the nasty political battle. The Vice President received a phone call informing him that the President had suffered a major heart attack and had been rushed to the hospital. two days latter he suffered a second attack and passed away Calvin Coolidge was sworn in as President of the United States.
 
Bth former President Woods and Roosevelt were on the phone speaking to the new President. They offered advice and encouragement. President Hart had died in September 1921 so Calvin Coolidge was not quite prepared to be President but at least he had run a state and he knew how to deal with politicans in the legislature.. He would have to look for a new Vice President and then consider whether to run for election in 1924.
 
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