Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-10-08

1hE ACtU Is ecucthIy iaiA ~"
per, maugre its Republican politics;
and, therefore, when we f1nd 1t az
fe citing to think that the Demo.
cratic majority Of the United States
Senate does aught but the right
thing 10 insisting upon electing q
President pro tenn of that body, we
are compelled to think that 1t is
playing the hypocrite. 1t would
have a thorough contempt for the
Democrats if they failed to exer.
else their right and put one Of their
members in the succession to the
Presidency. 1t Is the prize for
which all parties are struggling,
and when constitutional precedent
| is followed, there lie nothing about
1t one-thousandth part as open to
criticism as the extra constitution
al expedient by which Rutherford
B. Hayes was made President in
spite of the declared will of the
people. While we are assured that
the Democratic party will do no
wrong, we are not so cure but that
q soupcon Of dash and unscrupu-
lousness actually comfhends par
ty to popular favor. We have seen
the Republican party flourish like
q green bay tree, In spite of con-
summated fraud of colossal proper
tions. Trickery and undetermined
devices seem to commend them
selves to the perverted moral sense
of the Americans of these latter
days. II the Democrats were silly
enough to play the fly to the Re.
publican spider in the matter of
the election Of President pro tens.,
the outlaws of the editors of the
Alta and other Republican jour-
mails would ring out from the inner
sanctums to the curbstone. They
would be fairly convulsed with
mirth, and with good cause. They
would never have done sneering at
set of nincompoops who had
neither the sense nor the courage
to stand up for their constitutional
rights. Our San Francisco con-
temporary affects to think that the
Democrats intend to elect Senator
Thurman President pro tenn, al
though that gentleman is not a
member of the Senate, in order to
get an extra vote in that body. It
can be at ease on this point. While
it would probably be constitutional
to 60 out of the Senate for o Presi-
dent pro tenn, it would be highly
absurd as. we'll Is unprecedented,
and the Democratic leaders have
not the slightest Idea of departing
from decent usage in the matter {.
They will elect a member OF the
Senate, and do not dream of elect
ing any one else. The President
pro tenn. has no casting vote, and
votes simply as Senator from such
and such State. The only respect
in which he resembles the Vice.
President is in presiding over the
deliberations OF the Senate and in
his eligibility to discharge the du-
ties of President in certain contin-
gsncies, and eve his occupancy of
the White House is temporary and
under marked restrictions. The
Vice. President succeeds absolutely
to the Presidency and holds the
Office for the balance of the Presi-
DENTS term, while the President
pro tenn. of the Senate is merely act
ing President until a new President
can be elected. While we regard
the matter as having little practic-
al Importance, as we all heartily
hope that President Arthur, q man
In the prlme OF vigorous manhood,
will live out his term, we look
upon the principle that the five
million voting Democrats Of the
United States have some rights
Republicans are bound to respect
as one to be maintained at all haz-
ards. Yea, verify, to be main
tanned in the face of torrents of
gush, insincere where II is not fool
ish and foolish Where 1t is not In
sincere.