Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-12-05

dent. He becomes president for the
whole remainder of the term. The
constitution further says:
Congress may by law provide for the
case of removal, death, resignation OF
inability both of the president and
vice-presidsnt, declaring what officer
shall then act as president, and such
officer shall act accordingly until the
disability be removed or Il president
shall be elected.
In pursuance of the power thus con-
ferred congress has enacted this law:
In case of removal, death, resigna-
ton or inability of both the president
and vice. president of the United States,
the president of the senate, or if there
is none, then the speaker of the house
of e ,Dresentatives, for the time being
shall act as president until the disabili-
ty is removed or a president elected.
Thus the constitution and the law to-
gether interpOse three lives between
the president and an untitled vacancy.
The law provides for a prompt election.
If the vacancy III full two months
before the first Wednesday in Decem-
Der, the tocum tenenS acts as president
only till the 4th of the following March
and wears the honOrs for about five
months. If the vacancy occurs just
within the two months before the first
Wednesday in December, he fills the
office until a year from the next 4th of
March, or between sixteen and seven
teen months, which is the utmost limit
of his possible term.
The objections to the existing law
are That there may be vacancies, as
now, in the offices of president of the
senate and speaker of the house; that
it is of doubtful cOnstitutiOnality to in
vest a member of congress with q gov
eminent office; that the person tenn
porarily filling the presidency may be
of a different party to the existing adj
ministration and thus make great
changes and disturbance.
The fact that there is nov no presi-
dent of the senate is the fault of the
and not of the law. If only be-
cause of the law of succession, the
senate ought to have elected a president
pro tenn when it met in extra session
last March. That it failed to do SO was
probably as much owing to the jealous
les of the republican senators as to
The action of the vice-president in not
the chair. As, on the Inaugural
lion of a new president, the senate is
convened in extra session to
confirm his immediate appointments, a
vacancy i'll the office of president of the
need neVer and ought neve to
exist.
The objection that the president of
The senate may be, as at present OF Diff
tcrent politics from the administration
is more sentimental than practical. He
only hold the Office a short time,
and any partisan course against the eX-
will of the people would be
or his party. Its defeat would
be assured. 1t would be desirable, of
that a person called upon in
the event of a calamity to take the
presidents place should be of the same
But facts are facts and a re-
publican senate is not likely to elect q
president pro tenn, or Utce
After all, the best way to remove
This objection would be to make civil
reform something more than a
competitive examination of letter-car-
and to elevate it, as the World has
constantly urged. into the emancipation
Of the president from the position of a
of the spoils; to scatter the
power as the constitution
warrants, and to make for all nOn-pol-
itical positions in the public service an
tenure of office. If this were
done, and the president were no longer
he autOcrat OF more than 100 200 Of
ices, there would not be such a bitter
factional fight against Sena-
tor Logan's election as president, when
he fact that he was his party's nominee
Tor the vice-presidency and received a
|arge popular vote for the office,seems
70 point him out above all other repub-
lean senators for the position.
There is nothing in the present stu
atiou to occasion excitement or alarm.