National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-04
Presidential Inability.

One of the most serious Of all the grave
questions which have been discussed in the
Senate since the forty-ninth Congress came
in is that Of presidential "inability." In
the opinion Of many thoughtful statesmen
in both houses of Congress, rs well as Of
thousands of private citizens who have
thoroughly studied the workings of our
government, the greatest danger in our ma
tional future lies, not in the electoral
count, important as that certainly is, but
in the neglect Of Congress to provide for
the ascertainment and declaration of the
beginning and the end OF presidential sin
ability"
The constitution provides that in case Of
removal, death, resignation, or inability of
the President the Vice President is to sue
coed to the powers and duties Of the presi-
dental office, There is no difficulty In
determining when a vacancy exists by
reason Of either of the first three causes
removal, death, resignation-but thou
sand difficulties are liable to arise at any
time with respect to a succession on ac.
count of ''inability."
Senator ingalls, has given much thought
to this and other questions relating to the
presidency as treated in the constitution.
In his short speech on Monday last he
showed the necessity for constitutional
amendment doing away with the farccal
plan of clecting by electors who donot elect
On the question of inability he expressed
himself with entire frankness. He thought
there was no doubt that in 1881, from the
ID day of July until the 10Th day of Sep
tember in that year, the inability Of Presi-
dent Garfield was absolute under the con-
stitution in the full meaning of that term.
"Ile was sequcstered for eighty days, in a
scclusion MS silent as the tomb to which he
was soon to be consigned. He was incapa-
bic OF performing any executive act as his
marble eillgy in the hall OF statues, that is
to transmit to posterity the memory of his
triumphs and of his martyrdom. Only once
during that long period did his failing hand
trace in wayerlng characters the letters of
his name. Here was case of absolute in
ability under the constitution. The event
contemplated by the constitution had oc.
cured" Mr. Ingalls, added that, in his
opinion, when James A, Garfield sank to
the floor Of the railroad station penetrated
by the bullet Of the assassin, the powers
and duties of the presidential Office dc.
yolved, under the constitution, upon
Chester A. Arthur, and that we had no
President until the Vice President sue.
ceeded to that office on the announcement
Of the closing scene at Elberon.
Va ,vnrp yitln,t M, nN.pt,tt,,, I,.,1 Fpi,o,.
was no law governing that subject. And yet
does any one whoTCCalls the slumbering pas
sions of that epoch suppose for an instant that
had there been amy emergency any eXigency
requiring the performance of executive func
lions, Mr.. Chester a, Arthur could have gone
70 the door of the white house and peaceably
cntclCd upon the discharge of the powers and
duties that had dcvOlvCd upon him under the
constitution? do not. am convinced tina,
any such attempt on his part while the breath
cf liic remained in the body of James A. Gar.
field would have prccipitOteQ a Couyulsion in
our politics that would have been pregnant
with Uhhnown disasters and peris 10 the re,
public.
For reasons inherent In humannature, tho
highest officer in the republic is and always
must be peculiarly exposed to personal in
jury at the hands Of hOmicidal yaglants and
political lunGtlc8, Such inability as oc-
cured IN the case Of President Garfield
would have happened in the case of Lincoln
il a tremor Of Booths nerves had caused
O slight change in the direction Of the fatal
bullet. At any hour Of any lay the Presl,
dent, whoever he may be, whether popular
or unpopular, Is more likely than any re.
putahle private citizen or any other official
to be disabled by a wound, We are there,