The daily gazette., 1881-09-22

Glums sweden and Other governmen
showing that the whole civilized world
Il in sympathy with the nation in its
great grief over the lamented dead.
THH UNITED STATES SENATE.--Ii
would be one Of the strangest things in.
deed II the Democratic members of the
Senate upon the assembling Of that body
should cast their votes for Republican
for President pro tempore. II would be
an act Of stultification-an act of self.
condemnation, and 1t is pitiful to listen
To the plesdings of the Republican press
and witness their condescension even to
tears that their party may continue to
gorge itself with the fruits OF official pa
tronage. The Democrats have taken no
hand in the quarrel that led to the resig-
nation Of Nessrs. Conkling and Plat
they had done all that the new admins
tration could ask OF them to make it
successful. They could not ward off the
assassin's bullet. All the terrible afllc-
ton that 10 brought upon the country
with Its crowning sorrow arose from the
bad elements with which the Republi-
can party was made up. But as II this
were not enough to put that party In the
minority in the Senate-the hand of
death is laid upon another member, and
the Democrats are asked to set aside
the act Of Providence and refuse to avail
themselves Of the power thus as it were
pat within their grasp. To th.ow away
such an opportunity to elect President
OF the Senate from among their own
number would be an act Of the greatest
folly.
1t has always been the custom of ths
Senate, In the words of the Constitu-
flon, to choose "a President pro tenn
pore, In the absence Of the Vice Presi-
dent, or when he shall exercise the
Office Of President of the United
states," but as General Arthur did
not follow the established usage and
absent himself in order to afford
the Senate an opportunity for electing
. President pro tenn. the Office was not
hiled. This leaves the country to-day
with . single life between us and SO
much Of ''anarchy" as can be expect
cd to ensue in a self-reliant, practical
and orderly community temporarily
deprived Of an Executive head. There
10 no President pro tenn. of the Senate
nor is there any Speaker of the House
Of Representatives to act as President
under the act Of March /, 1892, in the
event Of the death or inability of
President Arthur. The United States
Senate at present consists of 70 mem
bers, Of whom 81 are Democrats and
IS are Republicans (inoluding Ma
hone), Mr.. Davis, Of Illinois, being
ranked az an Independent.
The Constitution requires the Sen
ate to choose President pro tsmper,
whenever the Vice President shall ex-
ercise the Office of President, and thii
slection must precede the swearing-ir
Of any new Senator, as the Revised
Statutes prescribe that ''the oath Of
oftiec shsll be administered by the
President Of the Senate to each Sena,
tor previous to his taking
his seat." The instruction Is impera.
tive, and If any one were absurd
enough again to suggest that the
Secretary of the Senate might swea,
In the new members he would be con.
fronted with the fact that there in nc
Secretary, Colonel Burch having died
in July. The first duty of the senat,
ID to elect President pro tem., ant
the majority Of the Senators ar,
Democrats. This makes it prone
that Democrat should be chosen
There ID no escape from it. 1t is tn
frst duty Of he Democrats of th
Senate after assembling to elect
msmbsr from their own party as pre-
siding officer. 1t must be done in til,
interests Of the country. It shoul,
b rsmembersd that the great mass o
fhs Republican party have no conf.
dance in the Stalwarts, and therefor,
moro than three-fourths Of the peopl.
nrs favorable to depriving the Stal
warts Of the whole power Of the gov.
ernnsnt. It Ii better that the Senate
should be In the hands OF the Demo.
prntA They have proved themselves
- b wiss and conservative and IL
= thsir boundsn duty to hold on to the
po~sr which has BEEN placed in their
k4ads without thsix agencJ.
~ hays no doubt at all that the