The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-02-02
THE SUCCESSION TO THE PRESI
DENCY.

The STATESMAN SOulo VlLlo oiiCO
called attention to the fact that there
was no legal provision for filling the
vacancy i'm the event of the death OF
both Cleveland and Stevenson after
the meeting of the various state cleo
toral colleges and the election OF
these gentlemen president and vice.
president of the United States. Some
of our Texas contemporaries, who per-
hans knew no better ,ridiculed the idea,
or rather the lnterrogatory, as to
what provision there was in the Fed
eral laws to obviate this condition OF
affairs. but it was taken up by the
leading papers of the country, and
now the demand is general for laws to
meet the exigency.
The Washington Post says on the
subject:
AS the case stands, in the absence
of any such provision, it would be the
the bounden duty of the electoral col
lege to reconvene in the event of the
death of Mr.. Cleveland and fill the
vacancy. In doing this the college
would doubtless choose Mr.. Stevenson,
applying the same principle TO the
yiCe-president-e elect as the successor OF
president. elect upon the latters
death or disability as governs the sue
cession of a vice. president in office to
the president in office under similar
circumstances.
Should the electoral college fail to
ACT i'm such case the election of a
president would Undoubtedly go to
| the house of representatives Mr..
George Ticknor Curtis, in his "Constl-
tutional History of the United States"
says upon this point: "lf the electors
| fail to choose according to the rule
prescribed for them 1T devolves upon
the house of representatives.. IL taat
body does not choose a president be-
core the 4th day of March next ensu-
ing, the Office devolves upon the vice
president-elect, whether he has been
chosen by the electors or the senate.
But II the house OF representatives
does not choose president and the
senate makes no choice of II vice pres
ident, or the vice presiden.- elect dies
before the 4th OF March, the constitu-
ton makes no express provision for
filling the office, nor is it easy to dis
cover in it how such a vacancy could
be metz
That is on the presumption of the
death only of Mr.. Cleveland, but sup
pose both Cleveland and Stevenson
were to die and join the great major
ity in the celestial country-what
then? If the constitution or
the federal statutes make no such
provision, then evidently it is
the duty of congress either
to propose an amendment to the con-
stitution providing tor the machinery
of another immediate election, or to
pass some law to relieve what would
be most singularly embarrassing
and dangerous interregnum.
In regard to the reconvention Of the
electoral college suggested by The
Post, it may be remarked that just as
soon as each of the state electoral col
lagos convene at the capital of the
state and cast the vote and certify to
the same, the college is "functus
ofiicio" and would have no more legal
right to convene and vote again than
would any other similar number
the citizens of the state.
Safety demands that the sugges-
tion of THE STATESMAN be immediate
ly carried out and clear and I'M
questioned amendment or statute
adopted for the election of successors
in the event Of the death OF both the
elected president and vice president
before their Inauguration.