Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-17
PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT.
A Plain Statement of the Provisions
of the Constitution and the Laws.
Philadelphia Times.

-.
Philadelphia Times
A great deal of Inaccurate writing
is getting itself printed or the sub lee
of the succession" to the presidency
that would not be printed if the con.
stitution OF the United States were
better understood. There is no such
thing as an absolute succession TO the
presidency by any one but the vice
president. No man can lawfully sue
ceed to that Office except one chosen
according to the constitution, by cleo
tors appointed for the purpose by the
several states, or by the representa-.
tives of the states in congress in case
the electors fail. The vice president
Is elected at the same time with the
president and for the term, solely as
provision against emergency. He has
no functions Wills the president lives
and is therefore made the presiding
officer Of the senate, in order to give
him employment; but that is not the
purpose of his election and he would
still be vice president if he had nothing
at all to do. In other words, while
the vice president takes the chair OF
toe senate the chairman of the senate
does not become vice president.
The distinction is important. If the
president should die or be disabled,
the vice president would assume his
place and become president for the
remainder Of the tern. Nobody else
can do so. That is the Succession
provided by the constitution. It pro-
vides for no other, and for no other
one method for etecting a president or
vice president. The latter office is in
no way essential to the operations of
the government, and when it becomes
vacant it remains so until another
election. The situation on the death
of the vice president is precisely the
same as when the president has died
and the duties of the Office have de-
volved on the vice president. That is
so say, there is no vice president dur
ing the remainder of that term.
That both the president and his con
stltutional alternate should die or be
incapacitated during the term for
which they were elected was so I'M
probable-as a matter of fact it has
never yet occurred-as not to require
second vice president. If that
should happen, the only thing to be
done is to proceed as soon as possible
to q new election. But the possibility
of such an occurrence is not over
looked in the constitution. "And the
congress may, by law, provide for the
case of removal, death, resignation or
inability both of the president and
vice president, declaring what officer
shall then act as president, and such
officer shall act accordingly until the
disability be removed or a president
shall be elected" Congress is not
empowered to fill the vacancy. It
simply may designate an officer to act
as president until the vacancy can be
filed In the constitutional way.
1t is plain that congress nigh desig-
nate any officer it chose for this pur-
pose. What actually was done in the
act of 1892 was to provide that Ia case
of the death Or disability of both the
President and the Vice President the
Secretary of State shall forthwith
cause a notification Of the fact to be
made to the Executive Of every State,
specifying that electors OF President
and Vice President are to be appoint
ed, There are certain conditions as to
time affecting this special election,
and it is provided that meanwhile
"the President of the Senate, or, if
there is none, then the Speaker of the
House Of Representatives, for the time
being, shall act as President until the
disability is removed or a President
elected"
Neither of these officers can 'suc-
coed" to the Presidency in the sense
10 which the Vice President may sue
ceed- And the period during which
the esignated officer may ''act as
President" depends upon the date at
which the vacancy may occur. The
extra election is subject to the same
laws and conditions that apply to the
regular quadrennial election. The
President electors meet in their severa
States on the first Wednesday of De
cember and it is necessary that two
months notice shall be given 30 the
States. Thus if vacancy should oc-
cur at any tune between this and
next October we should simply go
through the usual form of Presiden-
tlal election next year and the Presi-
dent of the Senate might have any
where from five to fifteen months to
act as.President. In any case, how
ever, he would be only locum tenens,
and it is unlikely that even a Stalwart
partisan would venture to make any
revolutionary changes pending on
elsction.
Comets, CODjunctiOns and Human Stu
nidijv