Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-01-18
A New line az Suceoss;on

two persons receiving the highest mum
Der Of votes. the first should be Presi
dent and the next Vice President. The
election that year was thrown into the
House of Representative by a tie vote
between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron
Burr. Party spirit ran high, but hap.
PLY, Jefferson, who was the choice d
the people, was chosen and the threat
ened disaster aVerted. The constitu.
ton was amended so as I allow the
President and Vice President to be vot.
ed for separately each on his own mer-
its as candidates for their respective Of
fees.
In 1876 another danger arose through
the sitting Of the voice Of the people
in certain states, which by so doing cap.
tured the vote of that state in the cleo
taral college. A civil war again SEEM
ed imminent but wise councils prevail
ed and the widening chasm was bridg-
ed temporarily. The bridge still re-
mains a temporary one liable to be torn
down at any future presidential election.
The third and last Illustration of the
fallibility OF the constitution came with
the assassination of President Garfield.
Under the present provisions in case Of
the death of the President, the Vice
President succeeds TO the chair, in the
event OF his death the President pro tenn
Of the Senate follows, in line of success
sion should he too die the Speaker OF
the House takes up the rains of govern
ment as executive. At the time of Pre-
sident Garfield's death the new con-
gross had not met and consequently the
time of succession expired with Presi-
dent Arthur. Thus II life only stood
between order and chaos. The danger
in which we lived were made yividly
apparent and the need for an immediate
remedy was seen. One session of con-
gress was allowed to pass without ac-
ton but this winter Senator Hoar has
brought forward a bill regulating the
presidential succession. The bill pass
ed the Senate last week and provides as
follows:
That in case. of the removal, death,
resignation, or inability of both the
president and yIce-president of the
United States, the secretary of state,
or If there be none, or in case of his re-
moyal, death, resignation, or inability,
then another member of the Cabinet in
this order of precedence, secretary of
treasury, secretary of war, attorney
general. postmaster-general, secretary
of the navy, and secretary Of the inter
ior, shall act as president until the dis
ability is removed, or until the vacancy
is otherwise lawfully filled; such officer
being eligible to the office of president
under the constitution, and not under
articles of impeachment, by the House
of Representatives at the time the pow
ers and duties Of the Office shall deyolye
upon him. Provided, that whenever
the powers and duties of the president
of the United States shall devolve upon
any of the persons named, if Congress
be not then in session, or if it would not
meet regularly within twenty days
thereafter, it shall be the duty of the
person upon whom said powers and
duties shall devolye to issue a procla-
nation converting Congress in extraor-
binary session, giving twenty days no
tice of the time of meeting. That the
preceding section shall only be held to
describe, and apply to those officers
who shall have been appointed by the
advice and consent of the Senate TO the
office therein named.
1t will be seen that by the provisions
of this bill the chances of a lapse in the
line of succession are reduced to the
minimum. The cabinet assumes Office
with the President, is in fact coatinu-
Gus, as II member remains in Office
until his successor is appointed and con
iirmed, therefore there can be no break
in the chain except through the rayages
of a pestilence which should sweep al
off AT once, a probability that is about Il.
far removed rs the possible wind UP d
all affairs on this mundane sphere.
The argument advanced agains.
the bill was hat it was uncons.itutiona
which came from Senator Edmunds.
While the venerable Senator from Yer
mont is without doubt one of the ablesI
constitutional lawyers in the senate Their,
are others equally prominent who helc
different views, and, as the bill passed
almost unanimously-the being onl,
one vote against it-this claim of I'm
constitutionality was plainly viewed a.
ultra extrayagant.
The new line of succession Is far pre-
ferable to the old in many ways. 1t i
very frequc y the ease that one brancl
of congress or the majority of it is OPP
posed politically to tbe administration
Generally this branch is the lower one
occasionally both. The speaker there
fore is of the opposite party to that whiel
succeeded at the general election
Suppose the parties in the upper houst
so evenly balanced as to prevent th,
election of a president pro tenn or as wa
the ease in 1881, it was doubtful whicl
party would secure the election of il
candidate, we are met with the DANCE
of a transfer by accident of the govern
ment from the hands of the maiorit,
to the hands of the minority. Shoult
such a ease arise il is doubtful if evel
the temperatures and ordinary cool
headed good sense of the American
people would be proof against wha
they would hardly fail to claim as al
usurpation. Ii would at least be & situa
ton fraught with the greatest dangert
the country and one which very few
patriotic citizens would care to Sc
tried.
On the other hand the cabinet ar
certain to be members of the same part,
as the President. Being members of th
administration and cognizant of it
policy there would be no break in tn
chain, no danger of a turning over Q
the government into the hands of til
minority. Under the provisions of th
bill the government would continu
with hardly aperceptible Jar, congress
would be assembled Immediately an
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