The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1905-03-03
Presidential Succession.


y bill is pending in Congress to
extend Surcc SSion 10 the Presidency
to the new cabinet oiliccrs-the Sec.
rctary of Agriculture and the See
retary Of Commerce and Labor. A
writer IN the Kansas City Journal,
referring to this measure, says:
In lSSj an act which sent the line
OF succession down through the
cabinet was adopted. II provides
that upon the death or disability
of the President aud Vice Pres
ldcnt, tue succession shall hc to the
cabinet officers in the order in which
their departments were created,
commencing, OF cuurr, with the
Secretary Of State. At the begin.
ulng of things Congress fixed the
succession first in the President pro
TEN OF The Senate, then in the
Speaker Of the House. This law
stood for many years. II never
solved any problem because it never
happened that both the President
and Nlcc-l'rrSidcnt were dead or
lncapacitatrd But it left the
chance that the Presidency might
pass to Il party which had not car
rlcd the election, aS, for instance. to
the Speaker of Il Democratic House
to succeed Il Republican President.
! There was the same objection to
the law that had been found in 1904
10 the manner of choosiug the Vice
President As the constitution or
lgIualIy stood, each member of the
electoral college voted for two per
son for President The one hay
ing the highest vote was made Pres.
ldcnt, and the one having the next
highest was made Vice. President.
Obviously there WAS an opportuni-
~ Tor the creation of Il Vice. Pres
ldent of II different political party
than that Of the President "
1t Is pointed out by this same
writer that Il number OF serious
questions are still left open. Tn"
journal writer says: The pres.
ent law provides that in case of re-.
moval death resignation or in.
ability of both the President aud
Vice President, the Secretary of
State shall act rs President until
the disability of the President or
Vice President is removed or II
President is elected Who. asks
the Outlook, is to determine the
question of inability, and when
such inability ceases, If the Pres.
ident elect should die before his in.
auguration, would the Nicc-Pres
ident. elect be President for the
term! If both the President and
Vice -President-elcct should die be
fore their inauguration, on whom
would the succession fall-Oh the
cabinet officers of the outgoing
President Ii Il cabinet officer
should succeed to the Presidency,
would he continue III Office during
the remainder of the presidential
term, or would an election he held
to fill the Office nt once! If au
election were held, would it be- for
the uneXpired portion of the term,
or for n full term of four years.
The answer to these questions is
not found in any constitutional
provision or in any act upon the
statute book While all of them
presume an exceedingly remote
contingency, any one of them could
become Il live question in the Ordi.
nary course Of atfalrs-that is, mp
on the death of II President and
Vice President. Why these ques.
tions have beer left open it is hard
to say. Probably, however, it is
not for any real reason, but simply
because Of the more or less happy
go lucky manner in which we often
treat important matters. And now,
that bill is pending on the ques-
ton, it would be the part of good
craftsmanship to remove all
doubt.