, 1875-12-20
THE PRESIDENT or THE BENATE.

The PRESIDENT OF THE BENATE.
The sensation in The Urited Stntes sennto
nfser tho holidays is likely 10 co1no up In the
discussion Of the status Of It's temporary pre-
siding officer (sIr. Fennr, Of Alichigan), in.
clulng the question whether ho would be
the successor to tic Presidency Of tie Ciited
States in tue ercnt Of President GnAEr'a
deati, before tho expiration Of tho term, and
also the question whether tho Senate call, II
it seo fit, elect another senator to occupy the
rlaco now held by Senator Fsnnr. These
questions will come up on resolution offered
hy Scnntor EnMuNps just before the ad5ourn-
ment on Friday. which in ~ follows:
WHERras Since tho Inst session Of the Senate. tile
Vice President If tho Tinted sta.es ha4 deceased:
therefore.
it<o vel, Th.t on Tho 7th day Of I4nnsry next at
o'ciott. afternoon ths acnste Will proceed To tho
election Of President pro TEN.
Senator EDNuNDs explained that his pur.
pose in Offering tho resolution at TINT time
was to .,ive tho Senators an opportunity for
considering the subject during tho vacation,
and the object ho hl,d in view In recommend
ing it's passage wasto set at rest all question rs
to whether the present presiding officer il tho
President pro ten. within the meaning Of the
Constitution, aud therefore entitled to sue
coed to the Presidency Of tho United states
in caso Of vacancy iu the hitter Office.
Tbs only constitutional provisions boa
ing on tl.cso questions are the following:
Sec. 9 Of Art. I. provides, aftcr fixing
the status Of Vice-presillcnt rs President of
tho Senate, Tint "The Senate sl,aIl choose all
their other officers, mud also President pro
tt7npore in tho absanco Of the Fice-Prcsidont.
or whom Lo shall exercise tho Office of
President of the United States" Art. IT.,
Sec. l, provides that Congress shall dcclaro
what officer shnll net as President Of the
United States when there is n vncaney In tho
Offices of both President and vice-Prcs;dent.
Congress- lsns provided by law t!lat tho PrcRi-
| dent pro ts7n. of the Senate shall so net, OF
when thcro is no such officer, then the
Speaker Of lie House Of Representatives. Il
| Inns been inti,natod that, In cnso of President
GnAsrs death, tho Democrats would set up
that Senator FEnnr has not been elected
President pro ten. in conformity with the
previous practices of tho Senate, Tint the
| Office is therefore vacant, and that Speake,
KERR wonld he tho Legitimate successor tc
the vacancy in tho Presidential Office,
If there is tho slightest larkor of such +
! construction, it is certainly better that ths
Scnate act upon Mr. ED,,usps' suggestion,
There ia lttlo doubt Of their authority tc
elect presiding officer whenever they
choose, AZ they elect other officers OF ht
Senate. The constitutional provision citet
al,oye seems to be full warrant for this. The
i ;, - ri tntJsr n~r3 Tho o{ffco,1
are elected 10 servo until their success
sors shll be chosen. There is nothing
in tho Constitution or laws which prevont
the Senate from electing President pro t<1a
every day 'in the nbscnco Of tho Vice
President" if it desires, md the Sonato
holding that position at the tina the vacancy
in the Offices of both President mud Vice
President would become President Of Ii,
United States.
Probably the bost course to pursue, undo
tho circumstances. and in order to rclnos
every doubt Ms to tho succession to the Presi
dency, would be for Senator Frnnr, Of Mich
gan, to resign his position as President pr
knl., on the ground that. at the time he WI
chosen to TINT Plnce, there was no thought o
tho present contingency, and TINT tho Senat
ought to be FREQ to select one Ct Its numbe
with special reference to his possible s1cces
: sion to the Chief Magistracy Of the milton
II Senator FEnnY wero to adopt this course
oil questions would DO set at rest, and 1t
likely that the Senate would re-oleot him t
tho position as IN acknowledgment Of hi
: fairnesu and tho qualifications which induce
thou to select him in the hrst instance.