Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-01-30
THE PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE.
General Harrison Asserts That No Incum-
bent Has Satisfied All tho Peopie.

bent Has Satisfied All tho People.
Ex-Presdent Harrison writes on "The
Presidential Office" In his This Country
of Ours" series, in the February Ladies'
Home journal. 1t discusses the constitu-
tonal provisions for the selection of a
Chief Magistrate, ne touches upon the dis
cusson in the convention relative to a
plural executive for the nation, and upon
the point presents his own views: 'Ex
perence has so fully justified the conclu-
sion reached by the constitutional con-
vontion In this matter. Ga single executive
head that no change has ever been sug
gested. The incumbent has never salts
fled every one, but the Disconnected have
never sought relief by giving him a double.
Executive directions should always be sim
gle. When anything is wrongly done we
must be able to put a hand on the man
who did 1t. Tho sense of responsibility
begets carefulness, and that sense is never
so perfect as when, after full consultation,
the officer must go alone into the cham
Der Of decision. In all OF the recent re-
form city charters this principle Is made
PROMINENTLY giving the Mayor the pow
er to appoint the city boards and officers.
and so making him responsible for the eff
ficiency OF the city government. Two
presidents or three with equal powers
would as surely bring disaster, as three
Generals of equal rank over a single army.
do not doubt that this sense of single
and pers oval responsibility to the people
has strongly held our Presidents to a good
conscience and to high discharge of
their great duties.
1.-THE origin of the Electoral College,"
he says, has been the subject of much
speculation. The only American precedent
is found In the first Constitution OF Mary
land, whore provision was made for the
choice of State Senators by electors chos-
en- by popular vote in specified districts
In the Massachusetts convention Mr.
Bowdoin said: This method of choosing
the President was probably taken from
the manner of choosing Senator under
the Constitution of Maryland An at
tempt has been made to find the sugges-
ton of the Electoral College, as we have
come to call it,, by some in the met hod
then in use of choosing the German En-
peror, and by others in the method of
choosing a Pope, by the College of Cardl-
nails. Sir Henry Maine thinks that the
members of the convention were to a con-
siderable extent guided by the example
of the Holy Roman Empire And as
Maryland, where the Electoral College
was first used, was Catholic colony, the
suggestion seems plausible. But there
was this difference: our electors are not
permanent body, but fresh men chosen
every four years"
I'VE are in the habit of speaking Of the
Presidential election as taking place on
the first Tuesday after the frat Monday
in every fourth year. but in fact no vote
is given for President and Vice. President
at that time at all. The names of the
party nominees for President and Vice
President are printed on the ballots, but
in fact no voter votes or can vote for
them. He votes for certain men whose
names are on the ticket as electors; and
by the act of February 3, 1887, these men
assemble in each State at the Capitol on
the Second Monday of January and vote
for the President and Vice President
These votes from each State are sealed
and sent in duplicate to the President of
the United States Senate, one copy by
mail and the other by special messenger.
So that. in fact, our President is elected
on the second Monday of January in every
fourth year. though We are not in doubt
as to who Is to be chosen, because the
electors are morally bound by the nominal
ton in convention" Should an elector
fail to vote for the nominee of his party
General Harrison AYERS, he would become
an object of general execration, and in
times of very high excitement might be
the subject of a lynching.
THE Presidential and Vice-Presidential
offices have never in our history both be-
come vacant during presidential term
Several Presidents have died in Office
Harrison, Taylor, Lincoln and Garfield
but the Vice President took up the office
and survived the term. Vice-President
Clinton, Gerry, King, Wilson and Hen
bricks have died in office. John C. Cal
houn resigned to become Senator from
South Carolina. In 1856 a new statute was
passed by Congress changing the success
sion, and now in the event of the death or
removal of both the President and Vice
President, the succession dcvolves upon
the members of the Cabinet in the follow
ing order: Secretary of State, Secretary
of the Treasury. Secretary Of War, Attor-
ney-General, Postmaster Secre-
tary of the Navy, Secretary of the Inter-
| ior.