Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-09-18
FOUR VICE PRESIDENTS.
They Succeeded to the Presidency
by Reason of Death.

They Succeeded to the Presidency
by Reason of Death.
OF the four presidents. to wit: Will
liam Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor,
Abraham Lincoln and James A. Gar
field, who have died In office, all have
been succeeded by the vice presidents
elected with them. Several vice presi-
dents have died in Office, the last OF
whom before Garrett A. Hobart, Of New
Jersey, was Henry Wilson, whose life
ended in the vice presi dents room at
the Capitol. At time the law
placed the president pro tempore OF
the senate first and the speaker of the
house of representatives second in line
of succession. Had President Grant
died before the end Of his second term,
and after the demise Of vice President
Wilson, Senator Ferry, Of Michigan,
would have been president Of the Uni
ted States More recently, Senator Da-
vid Davis, Of Illinois, who had resigned
a seat on the United States supreme
bench to enter upon a political career,
and had by "a set Of curious chances
been elected president pro tempore Of
the senate, was placed first in line OF
succession to the chief magistracy by
the accession to that office Of vice
President Arthur. Had Arthur died IN
office, an independent" as Mr.. Davis
was politically classed, although his
leanings were toward the Democracy,
would have become president, thus
prematurely breaking the continuity
Of Republican incumbency.
Under the old law of succession there
was always a possibility Of change in
the politics Of the administration with
out any chance for an appeal to the
electorate. The new law, placing men,
bers of the cabinet in line Of success
sion, removes that undesirable possi-
bility.
OF the four vice presidents who have
succeeded to the presidency, two were
elected as Wings and two as Republi-
cans. Two were from the south, John
Tyler from Virginia, and Andrew john
son from Tennessee, and two were from
the north-Milliard Fillmore and Ches-
ter A. Arthur, both from New York.
The two former had stormy adminis-
trations because of almost revolution
ary departures from the policies Of
their respective parties as represented
by congress. The two latter reversed
that unhappy experience.
Harrison and Tyler, "Old Tippeca-
noe, and Tyler, too," came in on a
Whig tidal wave in 1910. "The para
mount issue" of that exciting cam
paign was the establishment Of ma
tional banking. Succeeding to the
presidency through the early demise
of President Harrison, Mr.. Tyler vetoed
the national banking bill which con-
gress, in fulfillment Of the promise Of
the Whig platform, had promptly
passed. OF course, there was war be-
tween him and the Whig leaders till
the end of his term.
Although out of chronological order
we will take a glance at the other
southern man, Johnson, Of Tennessee,
who came to the presidency through
the calamity Of death. In 1864 the Re-
publicans made the unfortunate mis-
take of turning down Hannibal Ham
lin, one of the founders of the party,
tried and true, and putting Andrew
Johnson on the ticket with Lincoln In
his second campaign. Never was
blunder more disastrous to its authors.
The fight between President johnson
and congress was an episode IN our
political history that will not soon be
forgotten.
President Fillmore, the vice presi-
Dental successor Of President Taylor.
had a quiet and rather colorless ad-
ministration. His worst mistake-and
in that the senate joined-was the ap-
pointment Of Brigham Young to be
governor Of Utah Territory.
AS to Chester A. Arthur, who sue
ceeded the murdered Garfield, his
countrymen gratefully remember how
we'll he bore himself in most trying
situation, meeting all the requirements
Of his great office.
When one reflects that all of those
four incumbents Of the chief magistra-
cy were nominated with little If any re-
gard to fitness for the responsibilities
tbot daath devolved llpon them it does
not seem unnatural that the record as
a whole falls far short Of perfection
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