Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-27
AT THE CAPITOL TO-DAY.
IMPORTANT NOMINATIONS.
A Large Batch of Ministers Appointed.
ROBERT T. LINCOLN FOR ENGLAND.
MURAT HALsTEAD GOES TO GERMANZ
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPoRE DISCUSSED
The Senate.

MIR. Hoar offered q resolution (which was re-
ferred to the committee on contingent ex-
penses) to pay to Henry v. Poor $500 in full
compensation for the preparation of statistical
matter in the service and under the direction
OF the committee on foreign relations.
The resolution heretofore offered by Mr..
Mitchell authorizing the committee ON mines
ana mining to continue its inquiry into the
causes OF delay in considering uncontested
cases In the mineral division Of the general
land office was taken up and referred to the
committee on mines and mining.
TENURE OF THE PRESIDENT PRO TEMPoRE OF
THE SENATE.
The resolutions heretofore offered by Mr., But
Ter, declaring that the tenure of the President pro
tempore does not expire at the meeting of Con-
OF the Senate, were taken up, and Mr.. George
made Constitutional argument in opposition
to them.
He argued that President pro tempore could
only be chosen for time during which the
necessity might exist. that was, during the
absence OF the Vice-President He referred to
the English parliamentary history in support of
his position. and stated as a remarkable fact
that, up to the time of the protectorate (when
speaker pro tempore was elected five times)
no speaker pro tempore had ever been elected,
1t being the custom for members to retire and
r
absent on account of sickness or other cause.
ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS
he said, why the house of commons adhered to
the idea of having no substitute for the speaker
was that that officer, although elected by the
house to be approved by the king; and an
other reason was that as it was regarded I'M
portant to have the regular speaker always in
the chair a provision for any kind of substitute
would encourage the speakers absence. SINH
lar reasons, he said, applied here. The Vice
president PRESIDENT was not only approved by the
by the sovereign. He was appointed
not by the Senate, but by the
people. For important and grave reasons
the people had retained to themselves the cleo
ton of that officer. For that reason no ar
rangement should be made that would tend to
show that the presence of the vice-president
was not material.
MR.. TURPIE TOOK THE OPPOSITE VIEW
of the question and agreed that the words of
the Constitution indicated the term of the
service of the President pro tempore. The
dent" 1t would be noticed, he said that the
word absence was written in the
Constitution with capital A, indi-
eating that the word included every
occasion of absence. 1t referred to all
absences of the Vice-President. or course. the
Irehioeht pro tempore neld MS once subject
to the pleasure of the Senate. The Senate
might chose new substitute for the Vice-Pres-
ident, but it would chose such substitute for all
the absences of the Vice-President.
Mr.. Reagan coincided with the views ex-
pressed by Mr.. Turpie. 1t seemed to him
that the practice of the Senate in electing
president pro tempore made to serve during
the pleasure of the Senate was. perhaps allow
able ander the language of the Constitution,
and it was certainly conducive to the convent
ence of the Senate
MR. EvARTs SAID
that, after careful examination of the Consti-
tuition. he was convinced that there was really
no doubt of the competency of the Senate to
choose presiding officer to act whenever the
occasion should arise, and that it would be very
lnconvenient to tolerate any opposite view