Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-12-21
An Amendment to Arthur's Mes.
sage.

sage.
While President Arthur die not ac-
quit himself of specially luminous state
paper in his message, and while it was
characterized rather by finesse than by
anything partaking Of broad statesman
ship. nevertheless there we're portions Of
this document which call for the in.
stant action Of the Congress- and the peo-
pie Of the United States. We refer to
those sections Of his message in which
he dwells upon the necessity of provid.
ing for II more methodio and intelligent
succession to the exalted Office Of Presi-
dent Of the United States--a succession
which can now be defeated by the assas.
sin, il the assassin only has confederates
enough. all Of whom are energetic and
mean businessman now exists by law
or by our national organic act.
No enduring scheme Of constitutional
government. whether or no it has a
written constitution, is ever perfected at
once In the case Of tho government Of
England, which has got on pretty well
as respects its own people, her unwritten
constitution has taken ages to perfect,
and many memorable wars have been in.
cidents of Its laborious evolution. We
have already had one epic struggle as a
commentary upon the imperfections--
tho lack to provide for unforeseen event,
ualities-in what we may still justly
call our own unrivaled written constitu.
tien. The wonder is that, in docu.
ment hastily compiled, and compiled in
an age which had only few crude no.
tions Of Jean Jacques Rousseau as
foundation, the work was done so well.
A whole code had to be formulated at
once Tor the government Of people by
the pee Pile. That there should be fric.
tion, here and there. in its practical
operation, is not to be wonderedat. The
only marvel is that there was not more;
that there was not enough, in fact, to
wear out the machinery utterly before
one hundred years had passed.
Several bills have been introduced into
the two branches of the Congress Of
the United States to remedy the diff
eultes which would arise from the death
Of the President and OF those officials
who stand in the immediate order of the
Presidential succession. As the Consti-
tuition and the laws made in pursuance
of the Constitution now stand, in the
event Of the death, resignation or re-
Inoval to foreign lands Of the President,
the Vice. President becomes President;
and there are other provisions which
concern the President pro tempore of
the Senate, the Speaker of the House
of Representatives and an election of the
President by the latter body. But it has
since transpired that all the difficulties
are by no means.gotten rid of by either
the Constitution or the laws, as both are
now recorded. The bill which has been
most discussed, and which was fathered
by a Republican Senator, provides for a
regular order Of succession to the Presi
dency by the several members OF the Cabi-
net, ia the event of the Vice. President,
the President pro tempore of the Senate
and the Speaker Of the House, oil happen.
ing to die within several weeks of each
other.
Such plan is open to the objection
that it is eminently un-republican.
While it would not go to the extent Of
establishing the Right Divine of Kings.
it would be very close approach to
such state of things. 1t utterly ig-
nores the elective principle of our gov
ernment, and would, in the eventuali-
ties sought to be provided for, turn the
administration over to lot of men who
might have been, originally, little better
than Presidential parasites.
In addition to providing for rresi-
dental succession founded upon the
elective choice of the people, the presi-
dency itself ought to be made to hinge
upon the votes of the sovereign people.
The man who gets the majority of the
votes of the masses-or plurality even
Ought to be the President in Repub-
ic. The autonomy of the States is
amply provided for in the peculiar con-
titution of the Senate of the United
tates.
The Presidential succession could be
provided for on the popular principle,
even ii il were found expedient to pro.
vide for q number of Vice Presidents.
The collective wisdom Of Congress ought
to be Immediately applied to this prob.
lem, and on the idea that the popular
choice should be the governing principle
at all times.
But we shall by no means get rid Of
the anomalous and defective features of
our national Constitution by providing
for the Presidential succession There
are far graver objections which can be
urged against our existing unnodifed
political system.
Take, for instance, the undue promi.
nepoe which is given to the personal
will Of the President in the administra-
ton of national affairs, which not only
practically DISTINGUISHES the minority
while it is a minority, but which leaves
il helpless when it has become ma
iority, however. large, in an "off' year. "
Take the whole record Of popular Demo
cratic triumphs, during the past twenty
two years, beginning with thesecond year
Of the war, as an exampleS In 1862 the
Democratic party carried Pennsylvania,
Ohio and some other States which are
usually iron-clad Republican, yet it
could nc more influence the course of
the government OF the United States,
even TO the appointment of a single
tide-waiter, than as though it were not
even considerable factor in the
politics OF this country. Drop
ping intermediate political events, and
coming down to the Presidential election
Of 1876, the two hundred and fifty thou.
sand popular majority cast for Mr.. Til.
den in 1876, through our peculiar polit-
ieal system Of "Now You See il and
Now You Don't, availed neither that
gentleman nor the Democratic party
anything. That Presidential election
was led up To by the tidal-wave of 1874
in which Congress almost three .fourths
Republican was replaced by Congress
nearly or quite two.thirds Democratic.
and still the popular voice was diare.
garded This un-reDublican vaoarv is