The Portland daily press., 1881-09-02
THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS.

Reported Plans for Placing Them In the
Hands of Vice President Arthur.
Special to Boston Journal.)
It is reported that the Cabinet has about de-
cided to ask Gen. Arthur to exercise the func-
tons of the Presidential office until the Presi-
dent shall be able to resume duties. The Re-
publican, in fact, this morning says that the
decision has already been.made by the Cabinet
If the President lives the doctors say that he
will not be able to attend to any measures for
six months. Meanwhile many important mat
tiers require immediate action in the Executive
Department. The Republican claims to know
that some of the Cabinet, after conference
with the several attending surgeons, are salts
fed that if the President can be assured that
legal provision can be made whereby the rou-
tine Executive functions may be performed
without his personal supervision as effectualy
and as constitutionally as though done by him
self, he will become composed and consent to
leave the White House until he shall have
sufficiently recovered to enable him to resume
his official labors.
Moved by these considerations and impress
ed, as majority of the members of the Cabi-
net are of the opinion that there is legal and
constitutional way out of the existing difficult
ty, the Presidents advisers are considering the
supposed practicable modes of carrying out
the objects sought to be attained. One of these
plans can be accomplished by the Presidents
proclamation to the public, stating in writing
to the Vice President and making known to
his Cabinet that he is temporarily, or for the
time being, too i'll physically to perform the
functions of his office; that the exigencies of
the public service require the immediate per-
Torrance of certain executive duties, and that
therefore he, the President, requests the Vice
President to assume and perform the duties of
the President until he shall have recovered
from his aforesaid disability.
Another plan is that Gen. Garfield shall in
writing request Gen. Arthur to come to his as
sistanGe and remain at the White House until
the Presidents recovery, with full authority
to sign the name of James A. Garfield to any
commissions of public officers or other execu-
tive documents. Such trust could be legally
given to Gen Arthur, and as by the vote of
the citizens of the United States he has been
chosen to perform the functions of the Presi-
dent in the constitutional contingency, no
valid objection could be made to the plan. To
perfect it there would only be required the
consent of aud acceptance of the trust by Vice
President Arthur.
INQUIRY among Cabinet officers shows that
while the expediency of calling upon the Vice
President to assume the duties of the Pres-
dent until the recovery of the latter has been
under serious consideration by the Cabinet, no
decision has been reached in the matter, nor
is any likely TO be made until the President is
in more critical condition than he is now
supposed to be- There is q division in the
Cabinet both as to the constitutionality and
the expediency of such STEP There are some
OF the CaDInoG VINO 1dVOf GH6 p1au Oh DObu
grounds. They maintain that the following
language from article /, section 2. of the con-
stitution justifies such course:
SIN case of the removal of the President from Of
fee or of his DEATH resignation or inability to dis
charge the powers and duties of said office, the
same shall devolve upon the Vice President"
That many Important executive acts ought
to be performed there can be no doubt, and
that the Government will suffer from said
course unless something shall be done before
the President can possibly recover, is evident;
but the Cabinet are not vet prepared 10 take
such a responsibility. Said one of the Cabinet
this morning Tt is true that the subject has
been under consideration, but it has not been
decided. and is not likely to be at present, or
until the President IS very much worse.
Whether the constitutional authority to do il is
clear or not, there are other grave reasons why
such a step should not be taken until it shall
become imperatively necessary. No one can
tell the effect it might have upon the Pres-
dent. It might kill him. We do not under
stand the effect such an abdication of power
might have upon him. 1t might have a fatal
effect The surgeons are not prepared to say
that it would not have, and until that does
definitely appear, of course, no member of the
Cabinet would be willing to move such posi-
bly, fatal risk" 1t may be considered certain,
therefore, that no such decision will be made
until the President is definitely on the road to
recovery, so that the temporary abdication
could be his free act or until it shall appear
that hope Of recovery is practically abandoned.