New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-29
fHE PRESIDENCY or THE BENITF

The eagcrneSs shown by the Democrats to
lay hands upon the Office So unmportant
unarr\ordinary circumstances. Of President pre-
tcDpore of the Senate, naturally leads to
the suspicion that they contemplate another
vacancy i'll the Chief Executive Office during the
present term. and hope to he able to secure. 10y
the accident of death and 10y the chance of a
transient control of the Senate, power IN tho
Government which the people refused to give
them less than year ago. To speak plainly,
they mean to make Democratic President, in
case General Arthur should die, by the action of
an even half Of the Senate. We DO not hesitate
to say that it would be public misfortune tel
have Democrat stand first in the line of sue
ceSsion to Republican President. In saying
this we do not mean to infer that the Democrat
so placed would not be an honest patriotic man
He might he as eminent for craftsmanship and
rs worthy of confidence any man in hiJ
party; but if chosen as Democratic partsani
bY Democratic votes, the chance of his coming 4
TO power and overturuing the Governmental
policy settled by the people for period of four
years would hang over the country like cloud
1t would create morbid and restless condition.
OF politics if one of the great parties of the
country should be constantly watching thrI
health of the President, knowing that If hei
shOuld die the whole power aud patronage off
the Government would pass into its hands.
The fraGers of the Constitution, made thcI
mistake of providing that the candidate foI{
President having the second highest numhef
of votes should he Vice President; but tho
gravity of this error, resulting as it would mi
making the successor to the Presidency, in case
of ii vacancy. IL meuuhcr of the party beaten at
the election, perceived rs as the I'M
Strnncnt went into effect, and amendment
establishing the existing system PASSED At
the first session of the LIST Congress and ratified
10y the States as early as 1891. Exactly the
condition of things which the fathers of the
Republic then took pains to guard against win
come into existence if the Democrats carry out
their programme for electiug the President pro
tempOre of the Senate. The official who would
succeed To the Presidency in case of !, vacancy
would be representative of the party de-
feated at the last Presidential election and OPP
posed to the policy of the occupant of the
White Honse That party would have II direct
and an enormous interest in the death of the
President, because his death would produce a
political revolution which the Democrats
vanly tried to persuade the people to approve
at the last general election.
What do you propose the Democrats shall do
we shall no doubt be asked Having the power
in the SENATE do you imagine they ought to
throw away their chance of IA contingent pos
session of the Presidency? This supposcs a
cast that does not exist. The Democrats will
only have majority in the Senate by keeping
ont the Senators chosen to fill vacancies, who
have IA right to sit in the body as soon as it con-
vencs and to vote in the election of Il presiding
officer. When they in their places the
parties arc evenly divided, in case Judge David
4, "a, M
do is 10y means certain. He took the
ground last spring that the Republicans were
entitled to organize the body. He may now
rise to the patriotic position that the successor
to President Arthur in the event of his death
| ought not To be IA partisan adbcrcnt Of the op-
poste party. But suppose he sides with the
Democrats; what thenG The Session, say the
Democratic papers, would end in deadlock,
and would thus prolong the very condition of
affairs it was called to remedy. We do not be-
lievr this would be the case. We rive Fla, L.od
ing Democratic Senators credit for cuou,,h
patriotism and good sense to lead them To hell,
find a way out Of the difficulty There would
be a consultation of the caucus committees of
both parties, and the result would probably be
an agreement upon some Senator to he suD-
ported 10y both for the place of President Dro
tempore, because of seniority OF service, per
haps, or possibly because Of the non-partisan
character of his mind. A man SO chosen. what
ever might have been his previous party asso-
ciations, would occupy an independent position
He would not regard his place as the gift of q
party and if through the death of the President
hc should occupy the White House for n few
months pending special election or the next
regular election. he would not feel bound 10
serve mere party ends. On the contrary, he
would be likely to look upon himself rs the
temporary administrator of trust whose dutv
it was to perform executive duties in a non bar.
tisan way until the people could decide which
of the great political organizations they desired
To put i'll control of the Governments
We shall Of course be told that the law of
1880 requires the election of President nro
ttmpore the first thing after the Senate meets
III order that there may be presiding officer
to administer the oath to the new Senators
The language of that law is as follows: "Tbe
"Oath of Office shall be administered bv tba
=" President OF the Senate to each Senator who
q" shall hereafter be elected, previous to his talk
"ing his seat" The law is impossible of cxecu-
ton, because there is no President of the
Senate, the Office being vacant by reason of tbe
accession OF It's recent occupant to the Presi
dency OF the United States. Nor have its dutins
devolved upon the Vice-President by this
statute passed to another because there is No
President pro tempore. 1t is equally incumbent
upon the Vice-iresident or in his absence tbe
President pro temp0re, to call the Senate TO
order and preside over its deliberations. but
this is a function which must now be exercised
10y somebody i'll an extra-lega manner, because
an emergency contemplated neither by statute