The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-23
the national Democratic committee to
! fill a vacancy in case of necessity.

the national Democratic committee to
fill vacancy in case of necessity.
While every one hopes that there
will be no occasion to select another
the Republicans there is no doubt
that the national committee has
authority to fill vacancy in an
emergency.
Figuring on the Succession.
Washington, June 23.-So far as is
known here no power is vested in the
Republican committee to fill a vacan-
cy On the presidential or vice presi-
Dental ticket that might occur be-
tween the date of the nominating
convention and the first Tuesday in
November following when the people
by their votes determine the status of
the candidates either by rejecting
them at the polls of by comforting up
on them the titles of president and
vice president elect. A hasty study of
the precedents, shows that no emer-
gency has arisen in the history of the
death or retirement of one of the
| candidates before election day.
OF course there can be no statutory
law on the subject because after all
not only the national committees, but
the conventions that create them are
extra official-they have no standing
| in law. Therefore there is nothing
| to prevent a committee from filling a
vacancy on a ticket-that is, no law
of prohibition-but of course that
committee would be answerable to the
outraged sense of the great party
which is represented.
| 1t has been suggested IN the past
that the committee be authorized to
fill a vacancy in the event that one of
| the persons named as a candidate on
the ticket should decline the honor,
but that after all would be d clear
! AL
ferent from such contingency as
might arise through the inability of
Mr.. Sherman to accept the nomina-
ton.
| 1t has been a common practice in
| the nomination of candidates for state
office to authorize the state commit
tees to fill vacancies as in such in
stances with large number of .candi-
dates it is frequent occurrence for
some nominee either to drop out of
the race, become ill or die. AS the
convention which nominated Taft and
Sherman adjourned, without day its
existence is at an end, so that it is
the practices of the parties, if it be-
came necessary to have Mr.. Sher-
mans place filled by another candi-
date the national committee would
have to go through the same pro-
cedure in promulgating rules for the
\
detail that was gone through in Great
ing the convention that has recently
adjourned. All questions of contest
| ing delegations would come up again
and would have to be decided without
regard to anything that was done in
of view is taken by Representa-
tive James T. Lloyd of Missouri
chairman of the Democratic congress
siohal committee who stated today
that he had no doubt that the nation
al committees of both political parties
have inherent power to fill vacancy
in the nomination. of either president
or vice president that may occur be-
tween the ADJOURNMENT of the con-
vention making the nominations and
the election. While no precedent has
ever been established. because there
has been no emergency to call for a
decision of this kind he was fully
convinced that If the question. should
be brought up the power of the COM
mittee to take such action would be
sustained The committee, he stated,
| had power to do anything in behalf
of the party it represents that may be
| necessary.
That Mr. Sherman is suffering from
practically the same conditions that
caused some alarm in this city last
spring is believed here. In the latter
part of March he was taken from his
hotel apartments to the Garfield hos
pital suffering from catarrh of the bile
duct. 1t was suspected that an op-
Grafton for gall stones might be nee
essary. This, however. was found un-
necessary and while Mr.. Sherman re-
| manned in the hospital for some days
and was confined to his room still
| longer he was only seriously i'll for a
few hours, suffering acute pain dur
| ing that time. His physicians were DR..
John Van Rensselaer, of this city, and
L ~ Ilal