Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-07-27
Vacancies in the Presidency and the
Vice Presidency.

MANY indttirss tire innde as to The pro.
visions in the constitution mud laws Of tho
United States for supplying vacancies in
| the offices Of President and Vice President
We can suni them IN ii few sentences,
The constitution hhkcs no specification
for amy vacancy except that which occurs
in the office Of President. It says briefly
Hrt. z. soc, i" In ease Of tue removal
of the President from office. his death,
resignation, Of inability to discharge the
powers and duties Of said office, the same
shall dsvove on The Vice President .
it was this contingency which made
John Tyler President oh the death Of Gen.
Harrison, in 1Bl ll--oild which now makes
Mlllard Fillmore President ou the death of
Gen. Taylor 1t haa been some times
conteuled that the Vice President should
not succeed to the name of President but
should be termed Acting President but it
has been generally conceded, mud Is no
longer disputed, that the Vice PreaiJent
becomes President IN harne Hs III powers
and duties, and serves out the term for
which the decen~d President was chosen.
But the Vice President might also die.
resign or be otherwise disqualified The
constitution does not in that case
designate n successor but empowers
Congress TO provide for such contingency
the constitution goes on to say: /" The
Congress may provide by law for the case
Of removed, death. resignation or inability
Of both The President aud Vice President
declaring what officer shall then net ~
President, and such officer shall net accord
ingIy until the disability shall be removed
or President be elected II
Immediately on the adoption Of the
constitution the Congress proceeded to
provide for the contingency. At the first
session of the First Congress Il law was
passed--Mhrch s, 17y2-deelaring that
when the office of President aud Vice
President shall both become vacant from
the causes stated, "the President Of the
Senate pyo feWpofe, and in cHse there
shah he no rsridnnt Of the S}eunte. the
Speaker Of the House Of Representative.
for the time being, ehal net ns President
of the United States until the disability
he removed, or President shal be
elect cd "
The acting term Of these officers is how.
ever, short II the vacancy occur in the
last year of the Presidential term, no cleo.
ton is held because the regular election
would oreur in the fall Of The same year.
and the acting officers, therefore, hold on
to the fourth Of next March n the
vacancies occur in any other year, " new
election for President and Vice President
takes place the succeeding fall, on the Gus
tonnry days of the mouth, rs at the regn.
lar elections, provided there is sufficient
time TO allow of n notice Of sixty days
previous to the first Wednesday Of Deceln-
Der, when the electors in the several
States ars required by lav(9o cast their
votes otherwise, if the time be too short
to give this notice, tho election il deferred |
to the succeeding year.
A President and Vice President chosen
circumstances. hold their offices for full
term of four years from the 1th Of March |
next succeeding the day Oh which the
votes Of the electors ars given.
Should Mr.. Fillmore die It any time
previous to the first "Wednesday in October
next oron that day, VIM, X. King, now
President of the Senate, would become
acting President of the United States, and
retnan so until the 4th of Mhreh next |
In the intermln, II special election would |
he held for President and Vice President |
on the 5th day Of next November and on
the 9TH ot March the successful candidates |
would be inauguraied fora term Of four
years. Should the death occur at my
time after the day mentioned, Col. King
would continue to act for another year,
the election would be deferred until |
November, 1851 and the new terms
commence in 1862.
This is the law in such contingency.
We trust the President may live long,
and the law be dead lctter.--PMaymae.