Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-02

os,,c. ). and n il : rule Of grsmmstl-
cal coustruction, q well - Of common
sense. that the immediate antscedent
4 connected with the adjective that
follows. 1t is, then, the Office that de-
wolves on the vice-President. Is Mr..
TYLER still the vice-prssident, dis
charging additional dutiess II so,
why is he not here performing the du-
ties of Vice. President? Could be
come here and act as vice-Presidept
a single moment? Surely not"
In his reply to Mr.. Walker. Mr.. Al
len insisted on his amendment, and
raised the case where President should
be seized with temporary illness pro-
ducing for the time such an alienation
of mind as might unfit him for the dis.
charge Of his official duties, in conse-
ouence of which those duties are dis
charged by the vice-President. After
q time the President completely recov-
ers. The question would then arise,
Which Of the two officers would remain
in the chair? IL a yice-President be-
came President none could remove him.
Nr. Calhoun arrested debate by say
ing that as the circumstance supposed
did not exist in this case there could
be no special occasion for the discus
sion of this subject, and the question
being then taken the amendment OF
MIR. Allen was disagreed to-ayes, 8;
noes, So; the latter comprising all the
Wings and States'-rights Democrats Of
the Senate, and the former, what was
called at the time the Locofoco Demo-
Gratis, such as Benton, Allen, Tappan,
&C., men notorious for defending the
Federal doctrines Of Andrew jackson
when President, and apparently guided
in their notions of constitutional in
depreciation by rules Of expediency
only.
Mr.. Calhoun pursued the right policy
in answering Allen. 1t is not the
province Of Congress to supply consti-
tutional defects or reconcile nice alb
surdities. II any there be this must
be done by amendment in the constitu-
tional way. The Vice-President is an
officer created by the Constitution un-
like any other officer in the line of the
succession whose rights are dependent
en- an act of Congress. He is elected with
special reference to the succession by
the Electoral College, and the presi-
dency is as to him vested-not con-
tingent-remdinder as in the case
of the President pro tempore of
the Senate. His duties as president of
the Senate are merely collateral
and incidental, while be has nothing
else to do. And opatent is this to the
mind Of the people that it may be said
that during sixty years the vice-presi-
Dental line has furnished far ADLER and
more experienced statesmen than the
presidential. There will be few to dis
pute the fact that Calhoun as Vice.
President from 1894 to 1882 would
have been a better President than
either John Quincy Adams or Andrew
Jackson, that Tyler was far moro ex-
perienced in affairs Of state than Harri-
son, that Fillmore was better qualified
than Taylor, that johnson had five
times the experience Of Lincoln,
and, without detractiDg from our
present President, that Hendricks
had seen much more of public life than
Grover Cleveland. The reason of this
is obvious. In the choice Of the can
didate for the first office the parties are
compelled to consult what is called
availability" in the man. The
all-important question is, "Can he
be elected -? The answer to this
might be founded on reasons entirely
apart from his ability as man or his
qualifications as a statesman. But in
the selection Of a candidate for the Sec
ond Office these considerations lose much
of their force, and the question changes
and becomes, Is he proper man, is
he honest, is he able, is he expe-
rienced -!