Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-12-17

The Republic ans and the ~ elIgOus
= - M@ Question.

u COMMITTEE have determined to folio,
e the Presidents leadership upon til
- religious and sectarian questions. Tw
:. or three weeks ago the Rev. John T
l. Newman, the pastor of the Metropol
n tan Methodist Episcopal church In thi
i city, which the President and his fam
lily attended, preached sermon on tn
t Inquisitlon. Cranmer. Queen Mary
!. AID kindred topice This sermon wit
e the late message of the President, ha
been printed in pamphlet form by tn
1 above named committee, and five hun
Q dred thousand copies of it will be dis
tributed all over the Union.
WHO SHALL LEAD TIE DEMOCRATS
The Democrats are at sea. True
! they bring to their support many oit
: and experienced members. But the,
carry also load of driftw ood In til,
aew ones. 1t Is of this latter elemen
of which their leaders fear. While the
; majority of them may be willing to ac
1 as automatons at the behest of thei
elders III Legislative experience. it i.
. not safe to assume that they can muz
z'e the mouths of ALL Such men as
Hill. of Georges, John Young Brown
of Kentu cky, and others of that school
have long been awaiting tho very
opportunity now. prosecuted to gave
vent to feelings for years petit ~ with
In them. They eau hardly be control ed.
1t will take more than tht4 good off. r-
ings of Lamar. of Mississippi, to neu-
tralze the damaging utteranc s expec-
ted from the Hotspurs.
The Democrats, too, have no real
leader. Randai! can extsicate them
when one to assume the aggressive is
required. He can make an attack with
damaging force. He can hardly be
the Que to rely on to repel it. Wood
displayed his weakness as tacticiaa
on tie first day of the session in the
louisiana business. Even his party
decided against him, and hence ne
must stand aside. Holdmau is too
slow, too captious, ana withai cbroni-
cally a growler. COX Is given to too
much levity to do the heavy business.
Swami has neither the voice nor the
inclination % lead. Among the one
hundred and seventy-six Democrats
there is really no one to take the first
place. Washington letter in Battj-
more american.
B. n. Hill of Georgia, is the ablest
man in the House. If he shall prove
| to be as prudent as he is pow rful he
| will be more than match for Blaine
'.or aay other man. "-Richnaond Dis
patch. .r
PROSPECTING FOR DEAD MEMS SHOES.
'pecial disp 4tch to the Baltimore SUM-
WASHINGTON, December 12.-There
| is possible contingency in which a
very serious national com plicaton
mig mt result from the death of Vice.
Pre- ,ident Wilson in the fac that in
the event of the death of President
| CIR mt the Democrats would claim that
Speaker Kerr would be the President
of the United States. This subject
has recently been made tie text of a
private senatorial discussion. from
| which it appears that the leading
! -emocrats have given the matter
/ much thought. and have arrived at the
conclusion above stated. This con-
! clusion is REACHED by an examination OF
| the constitutional pro visions relative to
| vice presidential succession and from
the rules and precedents laid down in
Jeffarson's Manual. The Democratic
Interpretation OF these provisions Is
not generally known, and cannot fail
to excite extended comment. The
| Con stituton, article l, section l, de-
ciares that Congress may by Law pro-
resignation, OF inability both of the
President and Vice President; declares
| what officer shall act as President, and
such officer shall act accordingly until
the disability be removed Or Presi-
dent shall be elected. Congress IN
| 1892 passed a law to carry out tins
provision OK the Constitution, and that
law is contained in section 146 OF the
Revised Statutes, which says: I'm case
| of removal, death, resignation, or ma
| biiity Of both the President an! V ce
President OF the United States, the
| President of the Senate, or II there Is
| none, then the Speaker of the House
of Representatives., for the time being
| shall act as President until the dlsa-
bilItyis removed or a President Erected
The claim of the Democrats Il the
| Presidency in the event of the posi-
BILE death of President Grant turuS of
course upon possibis' vacancy liz the
| Presidency of the Senate. This raises
the disputed point as 10 the necessity
for the election OF a presiding officer
10 the Senate. The Constitution is 81
lent upon the subject. There are 10
defiuite provisions which are cCnciu-
slve in the premises. In the absence
Of affirm alive constitutional PROVISIONS
the Democrats insist that the intefpce-
tation which prevailed IL the early his
tory OF the Govern neut should cOntr0.
the succession now. Tucy cam,
therefore, that there Is vacl;.cy III
the Presidency oi the oaua'e, and base
their claim upon this passage IN .)cfter-
sons Manual OF the Constitution: an
the Senate, a President pro 'entp0Te,
in the absence of the Vice-fres de Ut,
j. proposed and chosen by ballot. Ills
off e IL understood to DO determined
on the Vice Presidents arpe caring aud
taking the chair, or at the meeting of
the Senate sfter the rs cess" The
Vice President being dead, and the
Senate having met after the recess
without e!ectIng President pro tenn
pore. the Democrats claim that III the
event of the d 4ath of President Grant
Speaker Kerr would become President
of tae Uuited States.
THE CHAMPIONSHIPS.
The following may be SET down rs
good que sses as to the heads OF ieadlng
committees:
s. s. Coz, of New York. Ways and
Means
Samuel J. Randall. of Pennsylvania,
Appropriations.
reihanuo ""oHs W gov AL NJ
eign a fairs.
Proctor Knott, of Kentucky, Judi
ciary.
: Erastus Wells, Missouri, Postoffices.
William Morrison, of Illinois, Roads
and Canals.
There is a movement TO restore Gen.
Banks to the head of the Committee
on Foreign Affairs; but as he not only
refused to go into the Democratic eau
Gus, but voted against Mr.. Kerr for
the speakersnip.- it is thought that he
, stands no chance for the place: More
, over, there is an Impression that Gen
There is strong probability that
,, Messrs. Stephens. Lamar and Hill will