The Mineral argus. [volume] (Maiden, Mont.) 1883-1886, 1886-01-21
PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION.
The Present Custom Likely tO Rematw
im SOrce.

In reporting the Hoar bill, to regu-
late the presidential succession, to the
house, the ma ,ority of the committee
on election Of president and vice-presi-
dent maintain it is absolutely necessary
to provide for the succession under the
circumstances now existing, leaving
further and more satisfactory provisions
for contingencies which may possibly
arise to other measures, hereafter to lie
proposed. As to the question Of the
advisability Of changing the present
law, the majority say they are con-
frOntcd with many difficulties that
arise in the endeavOr to ascertain the
constitutionality Of the present system.
There are grave doubts rs to whether
the president pro tenn. Of the senate
and the speaker Of the house are such
officers Of the United States as, in the
meaning and intent Of the constitution,
could succeed to the presidential Office,
the statutes providing therefor to the
contrary notwithstanding. These
doubts would disturb the succession
under the present statutes, and would
in all probability lead to ~ contest that
would disquiet the nation, unsettle
business and disturb the peace Of tho
country. A grave objection to the
present system in the opinion Of the
majority is the fact that it merges the
executive branch into the legislative
branch Of the government and
"annexes" the powers and duties Of
the chief executive officer to the
position Of president pro TEN. Of the
senate or speaker If the house. As
president of the senate he would pre-
side over the proceedings involving the
conformation If his own nominations,
and as speaker Of the house he could
vote to sustain his own vetOes. As
either house of congress may expel one
of its members, hence the acting presi-
dent might he expelled. After further
discussion Of the subject the majority
Of the committee concluded that the
president pro tenn. Of the senate and
the speaker Of the house are i'm the
sense officers Of the United States upon
whom the presidential succession can
devolve.
The minority Of the committee think
"a cabinet office selected by the chosen
president Of the people, by and with
the consent Of the senate, is certainly a
proper successor to the administration
Of term. Mr.. Cooper, of Ohio. in
his minority report. objects to the Hoar
bill for several reasons. In the first
place he holds that il does not provide
for filling vacancy i'm the presidency
caused by inability or death of the
president-elect and vice-presidedt-elect
He argues that the words president and
vice-president include those officers
oil lint s( th.,t I,x,. al Al.
objection arises, which is that if the
presldent-elect or vice-president-elect
be disabled or die, then the successor
to the presidency would he the secre-
tary of state Of the old administration.
Thus mere clerk to a president, whose
party may have been signally defeated
at the polls, would for four years dis
charge the duties Of president in oppO-
sition to the will Of the people. Another
objection arises to the bill as reported,
which is that the terms upon which
the acting president holds Office and
his salary are not sufficiently definite.
Is he privileged to appoint ~ cabinet?
If so, would not his secretary OF state
be justified under the HOar bill in
nsurping the presidential Office?
Would his salary be that of president
or secretary of state, and would he
hold both offices? These are questions
of importance that are not determined
~ the language Of the bill. In the
opinion Of the minority the presiden-
tial office should always be elective,
and any arrangement made for filling
vacancies should he in the nature of a
temporary cxpedient to carry ON the
government until the vacancy can he
filled 10y AN election.