Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-10-05
THE SENA TIE PRESIDENCY.

The Presidency pro teapOrc OF The
United States Senate is the great
question Just now The Senate ha.
been summoned ia extraordinary Sos
sion chiefly for the purpose Of elccting
suitable person to I'LL that Office, il
order TO prevent he existence Of an
anarchical inlerregnum in the event
OF President Arihur's disability OF
death. This unusual exigenoy has
called into exercise the ability Of Ger,
tain prominent journals in expounding
tho Constitution and the laws enacted
thereunder And startling, indeed, Is
the amount of wisdom evolved. A
leading New York daily announces
that there is nothing in the Constilu
ton to prevent the election as Presi
dent pro TEN, Of person not Sena,
tor; and suggests Thurman, Grant
and other prominent gentlemen for
that position. That the Constitution
does not forbid such a course, is true
but it is equally true that neither the
Constitution nor the law provides for
any such extraordinary and revolu.
tonary proceeding. 1t has been oil.
ways the custom of the Senate to elect
member OF that body in such case,
and, in the absence Of legal enactment,
custom has made the law in this emer.
gency. Except by a revolutionary
act, no one not a Senator can be elect.
ed President pro tem OF the Senate
Nor is there any necessity for such
proceeding, even from the partisan
standpoint Of the Now York journal
aforementioned. That proposition is
based on the absurdity that if a Sena.
tor be elected President hc will lose
his vote on all questions except where
there is tie. This is obviously un.
true. As presiding officer he would
lose neither his vote nor his voice on
any question. The Vice President is
in that category, but no Senator can
be placed in it. The only way in
which Senator can lose bis vote or
his voice is by dying or by following
the remarkable example of Conkling
and Platt. There is no other possible
way for Senator to lay aside the
duties and privileges Of his position.
Following the New York Journals
line of argument, our venerable con.
temporary, the American, says: "The
question is raised because il would
seem 10 give the Democrats the con.
trol. Suppose, for example, the Dem.
ocrats should choose some ex Senator.
They could then retain all their
strength, and still have Democratic
officer to break the tie. In other
words, they would put a Democrat
in Mr.. Arthur's place without tine loss
Of Senator, If, however, they should
elect Mr. Bayard or Mr.. Beck, Della,
ware or Kentucky would lose II Sena-
tor" II our contemporary has
any further doubts on the subject
1t will find, by reference to the Con.
gresSioaal Record that the vote of Sen
ator Ferry, when holding the position
of President pro tem., was in every
case when he was present when vote
was recorded counted and printed
among tho official record Of yeas and
nays. The mistake in regard to the
matter probably arises from the pre-.
sumption that in such case as the
present one the presiding officer of the
Senate assumes the functions Of the
Vice President of the United States,
and as such has only casting vote in
the event Of tie. Such, however, is
not the fact, as we have already
clearly shown Baltimore Gazette.