The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-05
THE PRO TEMpoRE PRESIDENCY,

THE PRO TEMPORE PRESIDENCY.
When the Vice-president died so suddenly
and so lamentably, the Journal, as soon as it
was proper to do it, suggested the eminent
propriety Of the Senate selecting Senator To-
gan as the President pro tenn. This sugges-
ton was so natural that it came of ITSELF not
only to the Journal, but to almost everybody.
The proposal was secuted by few
Of the hypercritical, whose ideals of
men are those vertebrateless people without
force of character sufficient to have ever
gained the i'll will of anybody. But,
from day to day. the idea grew upon the coun-
try, and when the Senate Republican caucus
met yesterday and unanimously rendered the
place to General Logan, Mr.. Edmunds himself
proposing his name in speech which spoke
for itself, they merely recorded the general
wish of the Republican party. General Lo-
gans declination Of the honor was not expect
ed; but the reasons he gives for it are conclu-
sive to him, while there are others which come
to mind without effort that give additional
strength to the attitude Senator Logan felt
it to be his duty to assume. The enemies Of
Senator Logan have steadily and willfplly carl
catured him in every respect, physically
and mentally. They have filled themselves
with the east wind during the past week, and
emitted the most violent charges against his
partisanship and his grasping for power, his
narrow indedness, and all that sort of
rot, while now he gives the lie to every
word of it by a dignifed declination of
position that might be the worthy ambition
of any man. Senator Logan has shown him
self to be more of man than the best of his
critics While Republicans will regret
the reasons that impelled him to de-
cline the Office, they will recognize
their force, and will be doubly glad at
the complete rout Of the detractors of as gal
liant and honorable man as there has ever been
in the public service, one whose military and
civil record alike is credit to the nation that
develops such characters. The unanimous
choice Of the Republican senator's bespoke the
unanimous voice of the Republican party, and
it is an honor which General Logan has worth
lily won and of which he will prove himself
worthy in the future.
The declination of Senator Logan leaves
the question of the presidency pro tempore an
open question. 1t is probable that Senator Ed
munds willA be chosen; but there have been
statements that he would decline the place.
preferring to serve on the floor Of the Senate
and for the additional reason that, inasmuch
as the President is an Eastern man, the Pres
ident pro tempore should come from another
section of the country. There is force in this
suggestion-for however we may theorize and
speculate these practical points have great
weight with practical people. Senator Sher-
man, we take it, will scarcely be selected for
obvious reasons, and in this condition of af-
fairs the Journal can see no one SO ELIGIBLE
and SO eminently qualified for the place as
Senator Benjamin Harrison. of this State.
We do not know what his personal feel
ings would be; but by nature tenn
permanent AM training Benjamin Harrison is
as we'll equipped for the place as any man who
could be found. A thorough Republican,
conservative in temper and disposition, with a
mind trained to judicial equipoise, and with
abilities second to no one in the Senate, the
choice of Mr.. Harrison would be happy and
considerate one. Besides, there is the sug-
gestion, already made, that this selection
would leave the second place, practically, as
the question now stands, in Indiana, where
the people placed it by their votes; and we