The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1881-09-20
Tuesday, Sept. 20. 1881.
PRESIDENTIAL QUESTIONS.

The ConstlsuriOn pfoFiues, ocSeioo
1 of Article III, that no person except
a patursl-born citizen. or o citizen OF
the United States 81 the time OF the
adoption Of this Consultation. shall be
eligible TO the Office OF President;
neither shall any person be eligible to
that Office who shall not have attained
TO the age of thirty FIVE years, and beeI.
fourteen years resident within the
United States" And again: "In
case Of the removal Of the President
from Office. or OF bis death, resignation
or inebility to discharge the powers
ana duties OF thu said Office. the same
shall devolve on the Vice President.
The sssassin's shot has. In all human
probability. forced upon the American
people the solution Of two great consti-
tutionsl questions not expressly covered
by constitutional or Congressional
susctmcnt. II 10 an asserted fact that
Arthur is not q native born citizen of
the United States. This Is no disqusli
Hcation to his holding the Office Of Vice
President bat, - We have ssen above.
in case of the " death, resignation or
inability Of the President, the powers
and duties Of the Presidential ofiiee de-
volys on the Vice President. Can
Arthur, not q native born citizen, dis
charge these dutisss We think he can,
and for the following reasons The
powers and duties Of President devolve
upon hin, by virtue OF the fact that be
10 Vice President. II he is legally Vice
President, then TO that position or office.
in case Of death, resignation or inability
Of the President. 10 dscrsed the powers
and duties Of the Presidential Office.
He succeeds 10 the Office as Vice Presi-
dent, and from that fact alone. Nor il
this an anomalous principle In law.
The same principle has been asserted
and applied by the Courts to tbs w'!e's
tenure under the donat,sa law. II
will be remembered that said law
"granted to every white settler or oc-
cupant OF the public lands. American
hslfbreea Indians included. above the
ago of eighteen years. being citizen
of the United States or having made
declaration to become q citizen" il
taken before certain time. he being q
married man, $40 acres OF land, one
half to himself and the other half to his
wife. Thus 1t appears that the persons
who could take land under the law.
with the exception named of Indian
haltbreeds. must be phits persons. Ne
qualifications were named as to the
wife further than that implied in the
term wife itself. Now. it turned out
that some Of these settlers had full
blooded Indian women for wives. But
the Courts held that they took rs wives.
and that their nationality. race or
color made no difference.
Thus the Vice President takes as
Vice President in the same manner.
snG by ths same reasoning - the wife
takes under the donation law a. wife.
The only qualification required Of him
is that he DO Vice President
But, again, suppose there is but .
Temporary disability. or. TO use the
language Of the Constitution. "iuabil.
ity on the part Of the President 10 DIS
charge the powers and duties. Of the
Office. Can the vics President dis
charge them for . time. and shen,
when the Disability Is removed. can the
President resume these powers and
duties agsina, This iss question Of nc
ordinary importance. and ore upor
which eminels statesmen and jurist'
are ct variance. The language Of ID,
Constitution IL that in case OF inability
these powers and duties shall devolv,
on the yice President. He does no
discharge them ss President. but q
Vice Prssidsnt They flow to him q
Vice President during the continuance
OF the disability. 1t IL the inability o
the President that makes these power
and duties fow 70 him. As soon .
that disability ceases. the flow ceases
As the inability caused this fos. il
removal would stop II.
A minor l. under disability until th
age OF tssnty-one. At that age hi
Inability ceases aad the power Of hi
guardian ceases also. The guardian
sh;p had its cause in disability /; 1
ceased BY operation OF Law when tn
disability was removed. The lunati
Lahore under temporary disability
q guardian 10 appointed-reason re
sumes her throne. and the once lanati
resumes the powers and duties u man
hood again. So we think Of Arthur
discharge -ifis becomes necessary for
tims-of the powers sad dates Of th
Office of President.
-.
DnxAxrLED.-The little tug Mar,
Taylor row lies dismantled belo,
Alhina. She was purchased som