The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-09

| might be filed with friends. the ultimate end
being TO have served personal interests which
were to come before the court Politicians will
recall a few dozen instances within the time
specified, there being one in the campaign of FIVE
years ago. If the President was to WELD per
| sonal influence over the Supreme Court OF the
| United States it is improbable that men would
hazard so much to get friend IN this position.
| The President has general supervision over
! Congress. He may call an extra session at any
| time. and may dismiss Congress from Its session
| at any time. His recommendation In messages
| to that body generally, In the main, carried
| OUT at least the explicitly expressed desire of
| the President has great weight in Congress when
! a measure is considered. Where one branch of
| Congress is controlled by the Democrats and the
! other by the Republicans, as now, recommends
tons of the President have less weight, Of course
| than where both branches are in accord with
him politically. His views are not needed to
any great extent by the body opposing him
politically when there is politics in the question
| at issue Congress, or either braucn or IT,
| unhesitatingly takes issue with the Presl-
| dent in matters OF politics. and it some
times occurs that Congress passes a measure
over the veto of the President when both
| branches of it are in sympathy with the chief
| executive This anomaly occurred two or three
times under the last administration No meas
ure after having been passed by Congress can be-
come law without the Presidents signature.
| Bills passing the House are signed by the
Speaker and clerk before they are sent to the
| are certified by the Vice-president and secretary
| of the Senate. Sometimes measures having
finally passed Congress, and been sent to the
| White House for the Presidents signature, re-
pose at the latter place until the ten days, within
| which the President must sign them or they be-
| come a law without his signature, almost expire
| ana statesmen who especially interested in
| the measures and fear that the President will
veto them. visit him and labor with him. and
try to convince him that he should sign them.
Not infrequently does ne permit measures to be-
come laws without his signature and explains
| his position by saying that he believes them to
be wrong, but that the people demand them, and
that rather than withstand the diSapproval of the
| country he will suffer them to 90 into execution
| Generally the President Endorses the measures
| without any comment from the who have
| created them He is considered capable of con-
| Quoting his own counsel on such matters, but
any man at times becomes misled or deluded and
| requires enlightenment.
1t is the varied and great power Of the Presi-
| dent that enables him to command so much
| profound respect, more than his personal ability
or personal achievements. To be elected Presi-
dent of the United States is not to receive a
| diploma for knowledge and purity, and all that
goes to make great man, but the election
carries with it a certificate insuring respect and
| influence
The President is given the utmost freedom in
| his actions and is like senator and repre-
| sentative, free from arrest. The police force Of
| Washington is indirectly under his control, and
services. Being seclusive citizen, and subject
| to more or less danger from persons with i'm
aginary wrongs in their minds, he more fire.
quently receives protection from police Off
GERS than is generally supposed. During Mr..
Hayes's term at the White House he never took
a stroll in the adjoining grounds of the White
House, a ride through the subuI % without
having some police officer in view. There was
always lingering in Mr.. Hayes's mind though, a
kind of belief that the antagonisms in his in
| nj ha nj n
some desperate act by assassin
The Speaker of the House of Representatives
| is chosen il very much the same way are the
| President and Vice president, and he, therefore,
is representative Of the entire people. He is
elected by the majority of the Representatives
| in the House, and they are elected
| by the people in districts the same as
presidential electors. The meeting of the Rep
properly be likened unto the counting of the
electoral votes Speaker serves but two
years-the lifetime of a Congress-while the
| President and Vice president have four years in
| their terms. The influence of the Speaker is
much more far reaching than the influence of
of the Speaker of the lower House of a State
Legislature. The life of the Legislature is
much shorter and the limits of its members and
officers much narrower than Congress. There
are nine months In every two years during
which there is no Speaker; otherwise he acts
continuously. The life of Congress expires on
the 4th of March of the second year of its ex-
istence; then Speakers position is vacated. and
| there Is no officer of that kind until the House
is reorganized, which is in the following Dece m
Der. Should the President call an extra session
of Congress during this interim. before any
| work could be done there would have to be an
election of officers. The Senate organizes for
four years. unless the Office of Vice president
| should be vacant, when President pro tempore
| is chosen by the Senate. The Office of President
pro tenn. of the Senate can be refled at any time a
majority desire change. The Speaker Of the
a4 PnN hf1
| ton at any time, ard when there is vacancy in
| the office at any time from any cause the pro-
cedure of election by the majority of members
takes place again, in the same way that the first
| Speaker of that Congress elected. The only
way Speaker can be forced to give up his posi-
ton is by the arbitrary selection Of another man
by majority of the Representatives. 1t is
very much less likely that such transaction
should occur in the lower House of Congress
than in the Legislature of State, because in
the latter local issues which generally make
men commit most unwise acts. are more liable
to arise
The salary Of the President of the United
| States is $50 900 a year. and that of the Vice
| president and Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives 5000 year each. All of the three
officers are allowed private secretaries and suff-
cient number of clerks and messengers to con-
| duct their Offices. There are about twenty five
EN- ployes under the President and about six
each under the Vice-presdent and Speaker
| The private secretary of the President receives
So, 300; assistant secretary, s. 250 two executive
clerks at So, 900 each; five clerks at from ST. 200
to $1,000 each: telegraph operator, $l.400; a
steward at 81, 800. and number of messengers
door keepers, etc. ST. 200. The employees under
| the Vice president and Speaker of the House of
| Representatives receive about the same salaries
| excepting the private secretaries who receive
but s., 200 and 81, 500 year respectively.
| Z. S. HEATH.
Gen. Lew Wallace and the Sultan.