The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-07-29

instrumental apd potential in deA-
troying the great object OF comforting
the choice OF these officers upon the
people. 1t may be conceded that par
ty organizations are inseparabIe from
Republican government, & that when
formed and managed in subOrdination
to the Constitution they may be val
liable safeguards of popular liberties,
but when they are perverted to pur-
poses of bad ambition, they are liable
to become the dangerous instruments
Of overthrowing the Constitution
itself. -.
Strongly impressed with these
views, feel called upon by an imper-
ative sense of duty to review sub
stantially the recommendation so Of
ten and earnestly made by President
jackson, and urge the amendment TO
the Constitution herewith presented;
or some similar proposition may be
submitted to the people Tor their rati-
ffcation or rejection. Recent events
have shown the necessity of an
amendment to the Constitution dis
tIActly defining the persons who shall
discharge the duties OF President OF
the United States in the event of
vacancy in that Office by death, res
ignation or removal of both Presi-
dent and Vice President. 1t is clear
that this should be fixed by the Cor.
stitution, and not left to a repealable
enactment Of doubtful constitution
atty. 1t occurs to me that in the
event OF vacancy in the office of
President by death, resignation dlsa-
bility or removal of both President
and Vice President, the duties of the
Office should devOlve upon an officer
Of the executive department of the
government, rather than upon one
connected with either of the legisla-
tive or the Judiciary departments
The objections to designating either
President pro tenn of the Senate or
the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court, especially in the event Of a
vacancy produced by removal, are as
obvious and so unreasonable, that
they mood not be stated in detail. 1t
is enough to state that they are both
interested in producing a vacancy ,and
according to the provisions of the
Constitution, are members Of a Uribu-
nal by whose decree a vacancy may
be produced under such circumstan-
ces. The impropriety of designating
either of these officers to succeed the
President so removed is palpable.-
The trainers of the Constitution, when
they referred to Bongress the settle-
ment of the succession to the Office of
both President and Vice President,
did not, in my opinion, contemplate
the degignation ofany other than the
officer of the executive department,
on whom, in such contingency, the
powers and duties of the President
should devolve. Until recently the
contingency has been remote, and
serious attention has not been called
to the manifest congruity between the
provision of the Constitution on this
subject and the act OF congress of 1892
to face with the question, it seems an
eminently proper time for us to make
the legislation conform TO the Ian
guage, intent and theory of the Con-
stitution, and thus place the Execu-
tive Department beyond the reach of
usurpation, and remove from the
Legislative and Judicial Departments
every temptation to combine for the
absorption OF all the power of gov
ernment.
1t has occurred to me that in an
event of such vacancy, the duties of
the President would devolve most ap-
propriately on some one of the heads
of the several Executive Departments,
and under this conviction present
to your consideration an amendment
to the Constitution on this subject,
with the recommendation that it be
submitted to the people for their &C
! tion. Experience seems to have es-
tablished the necessity of an amend
ment of that clause of the COnsti.
tuition which provides for the election
of Senators to Congress by the Legis'
Iatures of the several States. II
would be more consistent with the
genius of our form of Government, il
the Senators were chosen directly by
the people of the several States. The
objection to the election of Senator:
by the Legislature are so palpable thai
deem it unnecessary to do more than
submit the proposition for such an
amendment, with the recommended
ton that it be referred to the people
for their Judgment. ri. -.-
- is strongly impressed on my
mind that the tenure of Office by the
Judiciary of the United States during
good behavior or during life, is In
compatible with the spirit of Repub
Iican government. and in this opin
ion am fully sustained by tho evi
dences of popular Judgment on thi:
subject in the different States. I there
fore deem it my duty to recommend
an amendment to the Constitution by
which the terms of the Judicial Off
GERS would be limited to period o
years, and I hereby present it in tn
hope at,Congress will submit it tC
the people for their decision. ID
The foregoing views have long beel
entertained by me. In 1845, in tn
House of Representatives, and after
wards in 1860, in the Senate of tn
United States, submitted substanti
ally the same propositions as those t
which the attention of Congress j
. herein invited. Time, observation
and experience have confirmed thi
conviction, and as matter of publ
duty, and with a deep sense of m,
constitutional obligations to recon-
= mend to the consideration OF Con
gress such measures as 1 deem neces
/, sary and expedient, 1 submit the az
|, eompanying, propositions, and urg
, their adoption and submission to tn
4 ! : r. . . .