Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-09-07

failure Of crops anyKhere. and II the ial
season is altogether favorable, it is more
than probable that an average crop OF
every leading product will be gathered
in. The exceptional crops OF the past
two or three years could not be forever
duplicated, but the country will this
year have enough and 10 spare.
THE PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION.
Whether President GARFIELD lives or
dies il is a most probable conclusion mat
Vice President ARTHUR will be called
upon to discharge the functions of the
executive office at some time in the near
future.
IL the President dies, there will be a
plain prth to ARrHuK'L accession TO Inc
presidency, and if his inability is pro
trscted beyond a period when the
trv can afford to wait for his recovery
the Vice President will doubtless be
called 10 the executive chair, but by a
path not so plain.
In the latter case the question before
the country will be, whether the Vice
President is President in the same
sense that Gen. GARFIELD was, or
whether he is merely the admlnlstra
tor Of the policy OF his predecessor.
Says the Boston Herald, Sin case the
Vice President IS called upon to act, by
reason of the prolonged inability OF the
President, there car be but one opinion
as to bis duty. He should act Tor the
President, not for himself. Every con-
sideration Of honor and even oil good
policy would lead him to do as little as
possible, and TO do that with
serupulous regard to the wishes
of his chief, in So lar as
they could be learned or inferred. To
this end the Cabinet officers would oil
course be retained, and their Judg'
ment, as the chosen representatives and
agents OF the President, would govern
the conduct of the acting President
We entertain no doubt that Gen. Ar
thurs sense of honor, and appreciation
of the fitness OF things, and his knowl-
edge OF the will Of the people, would
place his conduct above criticism, should
he be called upon to serve as President
pro tenn.
Bot in case Of the Presidents death,
what then? Will the 'powers and du-
ties' OF the executive devolye upon the
Vice President, as the constitution pro-
vides, or will he become simply the ex-
ecutor of President Garfeld's trust: We
are dealing with facts now, not with
sentiments or policies. And, as a mat.
ter of law and OF fact, it is perfectly clesr
that Gen. Arthur, in the event OF Presl.
dent Garfeld's death, will become Presl-
dent of the United States by as clear a
title as that enjoyed by any Of his pred
ecessors in that high office. the Chicago
litter ,cean, though it be classed IS
a "stalwart" organ, is entirely correct
in saving that "if Arthur should be
called on to take the official oath OF office
as President he cannot, il he would, be
sworn to support the constitution as
construed by his predecessor, or to per-
form the duties of his office TO the best
of his predecessors abilities. He can
only take the same oath he would have
taken on the 4th Of March last if in the
electoral vote his name had been the
first and General Garfield's the second
A. Al.nS - IL Tha a pNartnon nnnnlA
do not relish this prospect, they have
only themselves TO blame for ratifying
the nomination OF Chester A. Arthur to
the second office in their gift, and az.
cepting him as the lawful first successor
to a Presidential vacancy. II any por
ton of the Republican party views this
contingency with alarm, that faction
should be called upon to remember that,
with the Chicago convention wholly
under its control, as against Grantism,
Conklingism and machine rule OF any
sort, il threw the nomination for the
Vice Presidency as q sop TO an element
of the party which it had beaten, and
rightly beaten, upon every issue Of prin-
ciple or preference. Gen. Arthur, after
that act OF folly, was just as much the
Republican candidate as Gen. Garfield.
He is, within his limited sphere, just as
truly a part OF the Republican admins
tration as is the President. The attempt
to convert the Republican party into a
Garfield party, in order to deprive the
Vice President of any influence or
power that legitimately attaches 70 his
position, either present or contingent, is
wholly u~nwarrauted. A political party
cannot plead the baby act. The consti-
tuition defines and eonfers the powers Of
the Vice President. The Republicans
have named the man. Having made
their bed, they should be content TO lie
in it without so much squirming.
In saying this we do not, of course,
impute TO the Vice President any pur-
pose to depart radically from the course
marked out by Gen. Garfield. 1t would
be a piece Of folly OF which, we hope,
he is incapable, 10 %inaugurate any policy
OF retaliation or revenge. But it should
be remembered that, save in a few APP
pointments to office, some OF which
were il~lconsidered and unfortunate, the
President had not so far as the public is
aware matured any policy that could
fairly be called national. Inc chart in
his inaugural did not differ materially
from that Of the party platforms. The
general direction Of his brief course was
not unlike that of his predecessors. II
Gen. Arthur shall succeed to the office,
he will become President, with all that
this implies.
The Baltimore Sun says the West Viz
ginia and Pittsburgh Railroad has been
completed to Deep Run eek Gsrden)
sixteen miles from Bloomington, and a