The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-14
THE PRESIDENCY.
How We Got Along for Several Years Without
q President

President.
Freeport (nl.,) Journal
The death of Vice president Hendricks has
invited attention to the method of electing the
President and Vice president of the United
States and the legal succession to the presidential
office In case of vacancy by death or other cause
The history OF presidential elections is curious and
entertaining. Few people appear to be con-
scious that the American people passed through
the most trying period of our national life with
out any President at all, the executive head
being Congress when in session and a com.
| mlttee of Congress when that body was
not in session, the entire Revolutionary War be-
ing conducted without any President-that war
practically ending with the surrender of Lord
CORVALLIS at Yorktown. Oct. 19, 1871, and
legally by the treaty of Paris, which was COM
municated to the American army April 10, 1888,
just eight years after the day which the con-
nlct was opened by the battle of Lexington Not
only for those eight eventful years were the
American people, the American Nation, the
United States of America, without any Presi-
dent, out for six years longer the American
President at all After such a long experience
without President it is reasonably certain that
if Cleveland had died the same day that
Hendricks did the American people would have
managed to worry along without any great diff
Guilty or excitement.
When the revolutionary war ended, in 1888
@ashington retired to his country residence at
Mount Vernon, and took no part officially in
public affairs until he was chosen by his native
State (Virginia) as delegate to the convention
that formulated and proposed for adoption the
Constitution of the United States, which as
| sembed in Philadelphia in 1887, when Wash
ington was elected presiding officer of the con-
ventlon. That Constitution was opposed by
some OF the ablest men in the Nation, but it was
hnally adopted 1t provided for the election of
President and Vice-president, and de-
fined their duties. In the convention
the committee mad reported that the
President should be called His Excelency;" but
that did not suit the plain notions of plain old
Ben Franklin, and he squeched it in bit of sar-
casm by Immediately proposing as an amend
ment: And the Vice president shall be styled
His Most Super6uous Highness.'" And SO it was
decided that the President should have no other
title than 1.-THE President" A North Carolina
Democrat, applying recently to Cleveland for
a post Office, addressed the President as 'his
Majesty" From the manner in which Cleveland
pretends to be civil service reformer while de-
llberately cutting off official heads for political
reasons. we think the North Carolina Democrat
had level head.
The Constitution did not provide for the cleo
ton of the Electoral presidential elect
ors" as now called-by direct vote of the peo
pie; 1t left the various Legislatures OF the States
to provide method Of electing them; and the
Legislatures proceeded to elect them by a vote
in the Legislature, without any popular election.
There were no political conventions or nomina-
tons made. The theory of the Electoral Col
in the middle ages. that were governed by an
oligarchy, the best and foremost citizens
selecting the ruler. So, as many of
the foremost citizens of the American
Republic as there were congressman
and senators were chosen by the various State
Legislatures as members of the Electoral College,
who, in their wisdom, without being instructed
by political conventions. voted for candidate
for President of the United States; but did not
vote for e-presdent-the one having the
| largest vote, if majority, was to be the Presi
dent and the one having the next largest was to
be the Vice-presdent Every one knows that
George Washington. Esq.," was chosen Presi
dent, and almost every one supposes by the
| unanimous vote of the peoples but the people
did not vote at all, and his support
was by no means unanimous in the
Electoral College, there being no less than
twelve distinguished gentlemen with Esq" at
tached to their names who received one or more
electoral votes for the honorable Office of Presi
dent of the United States. The first Congress
under the Constitution assembled in New York
city, Wednesday, March 4, 1885, and, there be-
ing no quor UNI present. adjourned from day to
day until Monday, April 6, 1885, when the
Senate elected John Langdon president, 'for
the sole purpose of opening and counting the
vote for President of the United States" In
joint session on the same day the vote
pOunced as follows.