The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-04-16
A Grave Question.

The impending convulsiOn is to be
heightened, it seems, by question that
will further put in jeopardy the tranquility
of the country. Wade, 1t is clear, IS not
eligible to tho place of President j Johnson,
and, to get it, must resort TO sheer usur-
patton, to which the forms of impeachment
lend 10 color at all.
Who should succeed not only Presi-
dent, but also a Vice>President who had
been called to fill the higher office, has
been a question that seemed so remote
that it never has enlisted close attention.
The clique that governs in Congress select
ed Wade, and made him President of the
! Senate, with the intention that he should
supplant the President of the United States
/ by the machinery of an impeachment.
But his right is challenged from high
quarter. A paper of great ability recently
appeared in the National L1telLgeacer, at
! Washington it seemed traceable to a
high legal source; and Forney's Press
yesterday admitted that it was inspired by
/ the Chief Justice of the United States {:
"A!though it has been repeatedly and
persistentIy denied, it is now proven be-
yond cavil that the sensational article
which appeared some days ago in the
National LtteihgeIlceT was favored by Chief
Justice Chase, as was asserted by the
New York Ecehing POST
The article in question proves, incontes-
tably, that Congress cannot put one of It's
own members into the Presidents place.
Indeed, it seems SO clear, that it is singular
it should not have been ALWAYS obvious
:. Dat, as we have said, the conjuncture
never before seemed probable-the subject
never before enlisted very close attention.
In case Of removal OF DUt,. President and
Vice President, the Constitution allows
Congress ''to declare what officer shall
9. then act as President" Now, by more
authority than we have space here to cite
it is settled that members of Congress are
not ''ofiicers" Of the government. BY
section 4 of the second article of the Con
stltution ''al civil officers are impeacha
bic )" it has been decided that Senators
are not impeachable. The third section
Of the same article says ''the Presiden
shall commission all the officers of the
United States ;" now, the President doe.
not commission members of Congress. L
is also clear that by the Constitution ii /!
some ''oflicer'' who shall ''act'' as Presi-
dent without ceasing to be the ''officer'
he was. This excludes the bubble raised
for Wade that he is an officer of tn,
oenate-its presiding officer. But thi
does not make him an ''officer of tn,
United States" Moreover, if he was t,
assume the Presidency he could be n,
longer even presiding officer of the
Senate so he would be no officer at all
he could not be san officer" who coulc
.'act' as President.
This is a close condensation of Ions
argument. We may add that for Sen
ator to "act'' as President would lead t
| inconsistencies which the trainers of tht
Constitution could never have intended
He could nominate to the Senate, an
then vote on tue nominations. He coul
make treaties and vote for their ratifica
: ton. In short, it would create confu
sion between the Executive and Legislativ
branches. which it is leading object {
the Constitution to prevent.
We do not doubt that the article whic
is of such interest, and has enlisted sue
attention, will soon be published in som
convenient torm.-Plila. Age, 11h.