Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1862-02-12

Speaker, and that his term would soon expire and
if Gov. Burke resigned there would be no executive
left.
In this state of affairs, Gov Burke continued to
administer the government from the 18th of April,
(the time he wrote to Gen. Green,) until the Legis-
lature assembled and Martin was elected Governor.
Again in 1899, the latter part of the month Of
September, Gov. Dave accepted the appointment of
Minister to France. Mr. Benjamin Smith, the then
Speaker OF the Senate exercised the powers of the
Governor until the next election. He signed public
documents as Speaker of the Senate &c. At the
meeting Of the General Assembly Mr.. Benjamin
Williams was elected Governor Mr. Smith was not
member of the Legislature when the election of
Mr. Williams took place-beng the acting Governor
by virtue of his Office of Speaker of the preceding
session.
A case still more in point occurred in 1905. The
General Assembly met on the 18th November. Al
exander Martin was elected Speaker of the Senate.
On the Esd of November, Gov. Turner, the incum-
bent of the Gubernaoral chair, elected Senator
i'll Congress. On the 25th, Nathaniel Alexander, of
Mecklenburg county, was elected Governor; not be-
ing present, o messenger was dispatched to inform
him thereof 1t seems that Mr.. Alexader reached
Raleigh about the 18th of December following-for
on the 10th the Speaker of the Senate laid before
the House the following letter:
To the Hon. Alexander Martin,
Speaker Of the Senate:
DEAR SIR: Feeling myself unable to do the Exec
utive duties of my office and the Constitution hav-
ing in this provided that those duties shall de-
volve upon you, it is therefore my requestthat you
p'''''D' ''S'' NATHlNIEL ALEXANDER.
December Is, 1906.
In looking over the Journals of the Senate of that
time, we find the following:
1911 Dec, Thursday afternoon. The House met
Qrp tO oIIp fhn Hon ndo1
Martin being engaged in the discharge of duties in.
cident to the Executive department, the Hon. JOS
Riddck was appointed Speaker pro tenn.
Friday, Dec 20. The House met-Mr. Speaker
Martin in the chair.
Saturday, Dec. 81. The House met-Mr Speak.
er Martin adjourning the House sine die, &c.
Mr.. Martin continuing to exercise the powers of
Governor until the recovery of Ar. Alexander.
The Hon. David S. Reid, who was then Governor,
was elected to the Senate of the United States on
the 25th November 1854 and on the 9th of De-
cember, 1854 he resigned. The Hon. Warren
Winslow, who was then the Speaker of the Senate,
acted as Governor and also Speaker until the LIST
day of January 1856, when the Hon. Thomas Bragg
who had been elected by the people, was qualified
as Governor, when Mr.. Winslow ceased to act as
Governor but continued to be Speaker. Resolu-
tions offered in the Senate declaring "that the pow
ers of the said office of Governor having according
to the constitutional provision in such devolved
on the Hon. Warren Winslow, the Speaker of the
Senate for the time being, to be exercised by him.
the said Warren Winslow is, to all intents and pur-
poses Governor Of the State, and will so continue
until the qualification of the Governor chosen by
the people for the constitutional term commencing
on the first day of January next" and also declar
ing "that the Office Of Speaker of the Senate is
thereby vacated "-were after an animated and able
debate, rejected by that body This decision of the
Senate was in accordance with all the precedents on
this subject, as given in the foregoing communica.
ton.
In May, 1852, it being necessary that the Districts
for Electors for President and Vice President should
be laid off according to the census of 1885, and the
day of the election coming on before the period ap-
pointed for the regular meeting of the Legislature,
Gov. Reid, by and with the advice and consent
Of the Council of State convened the Legislature to
meet on the first Monday of October of that year, to
attend to this business The Governor, in his COM
munication to the Council advised that the Legis-
lature should not be convened until after the August
election; and the question then arose whether the
term Of service Of the members chosen 1885, ter.
minated at the August election referred to, or in
November, when those chosen in August, 1862,
should be qualified. Gov. Reid held the opinion,
and the Council unanimously concurred with him,
that tho term of the members of the Legislature
commences at the regular biennial election in Au'
gust and the Legislature elected in August, 1852.
was therefore convened. In closing his oommunica,
ton to the Council Gov Reid said:
"This communication, you will observe, is pred
icated upon the fact that the term of the members
of the Legislature commences at the regular bien