Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1885-12-17
President ana Vsss Prssidsnt.
lits5 - - = = S'st1i J;
A Plain stassnent OF shs Proyis,ons OF
tbs Censtituaion ANA sae Laws. 4:

i getting isaslft &
{ jsct: Of tho .sissle "a ID fhs ] 8. ! sG'
dsnpy That Epnld aol IS psiRtad IS
tie Ceaas;tusioI of the Unissd Staten
wsre bsttsrn nderstood Thsrs sno
inch 5 thing IS An ahaolbts sucoession
% the Presida dano5 10y any : one d but the
Woe Presid dsnt. Norman can lawfully
succeed othat Office except one chosen
according TO- the Constitution. by
Electors eppoint dior Che purpose by
the. several States, or by the Repre-.
ssntatiyes, 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 same
term, solely as provision against
emergency. He has no functions
while the President lives and he ia
therefore made the presiding officer
of the Senate, in order to give him
employment; but that is not the pur.
pose 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
the Senate the chairman Of the Senate
does not become Vice President. !
The distinction is Important. If
the President should die or be dis.
abled, the Vice President would as
sumo his place and become President
for the remainder of the term. No.
body else can do 80. That is the
succession" provided by the Consti.
tuition. 1t provides for no other. and
for no other than one method of elect.
ing a President or q Vice President. |
The latter Office iain NO way essential
to the operations of the government, |
snd when it becomes vacant it re.
mains 30 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 edevolvsd on
the Vice President. That is to say,
there is no Vice PreGdent during tho
remainder of that term.
That both the President and his
constitutional alternate should die or
be incapacitatad during the term for
which they we're elected was;so i'm.
probable-asa matter of factit has
never yet occurrsd-as not to require
a second Vice President, If..thst
should happen, the only thing to be
done ia to proeeed ,as soon as possible
to a new election. But the possibility |
Of such an occurrence is not over
looked in tha 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 actsaccordingly until the
disability be removed or Preaicent
shall be elected" Congress is not
to FIJI the vacancy. It 6
simply may deaignate an officer to act {
as President until the vacancy can be 9
filed in the constitutional way. Il
1t is plain that Congress- might de-J ]
,ignats any coficerait ohoss for this .
What actually was done in !
he act of 1892 was to provide that :
n case Of the death or disability of
both the : Pseaident and Vice Presi.
lent the Secretary Of State aahall r
orthwith canse notification, Of the b
act to be made to the Executive Of c
s@=z.iAa f15 fo 6s spb|sSalfhAaasd: sp|salfAassdf I /
Theri are csrala conditions as to
time tfeoing this special election,
and it's provided. that meanwhile
{" the P.sasidsnt ..sf the Senate. or ifI