BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-03-14
from the day when the ELECTORS in the seve-

the second Wednesday in February, when
their findings are opened and read by the |
two houses OF Congress in joint session. But
either construction opens an embarrassing |
hiatus for which the Constitution has made /
no provision. 1t provides that an actual |
Vice President may succeed an actnsl Pres. |
ident, and authorizes the act of O)ngre 8
which establishes an order of succession |
through the Cabinet in case of the death of
both. But it has not made Vice-Presi- |
dent-elect the successor Of Pfesident-elect, |
although it is likely that, had such con:in-
gency occurred in the past, that would have !
been its practical settlement Had Lincoln |
been asssssinated at Baltimore on his way
to his Inauguration, for instance, Hannibal |
Hsmlin of Maine would doubtless have as
sumed the Presidency by general consent, |
but by what warrant of law does not appear. |
Aside from the disadvantage Of leaving
such succession to one mans initiative
and the popular acquiescence, there is the
further contingency that both President and
Vice. President. elect might becoms disqusli
fisd during the SIX weeks before inaugura-
ton. OF course, no new Cabinet is official
ly in existence until it is named by the new
President after inau ugura.ion. Ia case of an
anarchistic outbreak such disqualification
of the two officers elect would not be out of
the range of possibility. The six weeks pre-
ceding the 9TH of March is a period OF mo-
meltous interest, and in the se of disputed
elections, or where the results have bitterly
antagonized the defeated min ,rity, of inten-
Sc feeling. 1t is plainly mistake to leave
them so unprotected.
Mr.. Blaine, who scas pr minent csndi-
date for the Presidential nomination in
1902, died on the Goth of January following.
Had he.been nominated, and elected in No
vember, the question would have arisen in
practical form. There have been other
illustrations in our history OF the slender
thread of life aohich holds the official circle
together. William r. King, who was elect.
ed Vice. President with Pierce, became
seriously i'll, and vent to Oubs for his health.
By special act of Congress he was per
mitted to take the oath of office as Vice
President in that country. he came back
10 the same year to die in his Alabama
home.
What plan Congress would adopt for the
Presidential succession during the weeks
now unprOvided for, has not yet been dis
closed. The movement for this amendment
originated with q constituent of Senator
Frye, who wrste vigorously aud intelligent
II in its behalf Mr. Eye first introduced
the resolution on January Is, four years
ago. Mr. Hosr, from the Judiciary .Oom
mittee, reported it with some changes on
March Ia, and about two months later it
was debated, further amended, and passed
by the Senate. 1t did not get further
amendments to the Constitution as q rule
travel with great slowness. But the death
of President Mckinley, making the third
Presidential assassination, has awakered
public interest in amendments of this class,
and they have more popular momentum
now than ever before. The sane is true of
the amendment to change the date OF IN
auguratien.
The proposed amendment to the Oonsti-
tuition in which the general public is really
most interested is that for the popular
election oi Senators. The unanimous pas :.
sage in the House of Representatives few
weeks ago of resolution looking toward
its adoption has revived the general dis
cussion of the project. Among the argu.
ments of those conservatives of the Con.
stitution who oppose this change, oue not
able oversight may generally be detected
They assert that this seould be change
from the State Legislature to q nominat-
ing convention, or, in the words of Senator
Hoar: "For choice by apermanent body,
there must be choice by body lasting
but day" But they seem to forget that
convention in existence for a day would,
under the proposed plan, only nominate a
candidate--not elect him The people at
the ballot-boxes would have to do that; and
q party organisation hoping for success would
presumptivsly make selection of one who
could win on his own merits. 1t is no rare
thing to see men chosen to the Senate who |
could never have run the gauntlet of q
popular election; and although the States
of che far South are securely Democratic
and in certain parts OF the North quite rs
securely Republican, and SO likely TO ratify
1T the polls any decision made IN party
convention, thele is still great middle
stratum Of debatable States in which the
personal strength of the candidate would
be en- important, and ostsn, decisive
factor.