Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-04-26
The Succession the Presidency and vice.

The Succession the Presidency and Vice
Presidency.
i Wenoticed, short time since, what vas the
law in relation to the Succession TO the office Of
President and Vice President, where vacancies
were caused by death, or otherwise. The nielan-
cholY event then feared, has since come 10 pass
inthe death of Vice President King. II we res
member Alright, it is the third time that the Vice
President, elected by the people, has died while
in Office. Death has also aimed at the higher
post and taken away the President in the
case of President Harrison and President Taylor,
who were the two, and the only Presidents, who
died wilhelm office.
In regard TO the F6lling The vacancies that may
occur in these Offices. the second section of the
sixth article ,oflthe Constitution of the United
States has the following provision;
.In caseof the removal of the President from
Office, or of his DEATH resignation, or inability 10
discharge the powers and duties OF the said Office
the same shall devolve upon the Vice President;
and the Congress may by law provide forthe case
of removal, death, designations or inability both Of
the President and Vice resident declaring what
officer shall then act as President, and such Off
Ger shall act accordingly until the disability be re-
moved OF, a President be elected. - e, VI
Here provision is made for a vacancy, by death
or otherwise, in the Office of President, and de-
wolves on Congress the duty Of making a provis-;
ion for vacancy in the Vice Presidency. They
accordingly, in March, 1892, passed an act en,i-
tied can act relative to The election of President
and Vice President Of the United States, and de-
claring the officer who shall act as President
in case otyacancies in the Offices both OF Prest!
dent and Vice PRESIDENT The ninth section of
this act is as follows:
'tSEc. 9. dad be It further enacted, That, in
case OF removal by death, resignation, or inability
both of the President and Vice President of the
United States, the President of the Senate pro tenn
pore, and in case there shall he no President of
the Senate, then the Speaker of the Honse Re ~
resentatives forthe time being shall act as Presi
dent the United Suites, until the disability be
| removed or a.President shall be elected.n &
This makes provision TO fill the office of Presi.
dent in case fvacancy there, butdoes not include
the Vice Presidency. Itrecognizes, however, the
right OF the Senate to elect presiding officer,
who is to preside over its proceedings, as President
pro tempsre in the absence OF the Vice President
This president pro tempore is, inthe event of the
death of both the President and Vice President,
10 succeed the former. and act as President until
an election is held, provided for by the 10th sec
ton of the act of 1892, as follows: 49,
''SEc. 10. And be it further enacted, That when
ever the Office of President and Vice President
shall both become vacant, the Secretary of the
State shall forthwith cause notification thereof
to be made to the executive of every State, and
shall also cause the same 10 be published in ut
least one OF the newspapers published in each
State within thirty-four DAYS preceding the Fl rst
Wednesday in December then next ensuing: Pro-
Dided there shall be the space of Two months e.
tween the date of such aotifcation and the said
first Wednesday in December; but il there shall
not be the space of two months between the date
of such notification and the first w edne>day in
december, and If the term for which the PTesi-
dent and Vice President last in Office were elected
shall not expire on the third daygof March next
ensuing, then the Secretar of State shall specify
in the notification that the electors shall be an.
pointedor chosen within thirty -lour days preced-
ing the first Wednesday in December in the next
year ensuing and the elections shall meet and give
their votes on the said first day in December and
the proceedings and duties OF the said electors
aud others shall be pursuant to the directions pre-
sctibed in this act.i 5' Fa.s
This law is defective in this, that it does not
provide forthe choice of Vice President except
by the people; and that no provision is made to
choose Vice Presid ent even in this mode, except
in the case of vacancy occurring in both the of!
fees OF President and Vice President.
There, is another important defect in this law
and that is in its not providing for filling the va
cancies in the offices of President and Vice Pres.
ident with more certainty. This law lIoks to the
Speaker OF the House of Representatives acting as
President, in certain contingency But now we
have no Speaker, the term for which Mr.. Boyd was
elected having expired with the close OF the last
session-so that if the contingency contemplated
should occur, there would be no one TO act as
President-and thus the administration of The gov
eminent would virtually be suspended till an cleo.
ton should be held by the people to fill the Office
of President. W E
The matter calls for the attention OF Congress,
and at the next session, the defects and omissions
of the law, on the subject, should beremedied by
new law.-Baltimore Patriot. I'd
SINGULAR AFsAlR.-on w ednesday o last week
the dead body of a young man was found iii the
Potomac river near the Big Tunnel on the Chesa-
lpeake and Ohio Canal. From fracture of the
skull, aud other injuries, he supposed 10 have
dealt foully with Various surtnises as to the
identity of the corpse were entertained, when
Capt Henry Trout nan, of the Cumberland Night
Watch, became convinced that twas the bodyiof
his sonJ ames, who had been at work in the yicin-
was summoned from Cumberland, and the BODY
was fully identified by Capt. Il. and others as that
OF his son.. Embellishments were pointed out by
the distressed father, and there seemed not TO be
the slightest doubto the subject. The Jury re-
turned an unanimous verdict based upon the incts
as thus set forth. The body was consequently.
cecenty inferred by Capt IT,, Tho forthwith array.
| ed hlmslf in the garb of mourning, and engaged
the services OF minister of the Gospel to preach
funeral discourse on the sad occasion. It turned
| out, however, that on Sunday morning last the
dead son of Capt. Troutman Deliberately walked
upto his astonished father and informed him that