The Princeton union., 1912-06-13
VICE PRESIDENCY OF The j. S. IS ]
AN OFFICE THAT IS D|SRECARDED !
Most Prominent Men Talked
of For Position Tried to -
Escape Nomination.

litical history-was called to meet at
Baltimore to discuss it. Jackson
pushed Van Buren to the front, but
even the generals great popularity did
not disarm the hostility felt in certain
quarters toward Van Buren, on &C.
count of his attitude toward the Unit
ed States bank and some supposed
aristocratic leanings. So in order to
make the path to the vice presidency
difficult a resolution was adopted that
"two-thirds of the whole number of
votes in the convention shall be neces-
sary to constitute a choice" Van Bu-
rem carried Off enough votes to secure
the nomination, and from that day to
this, although occasional attempts
have been made to get rid Of the two
thirds rule, the party still clings to it
as traditional measure Of safety.
Fate of Vice Presidents.
OF the twenty-seven vice presidents
of the United States six, or nearly one
quarter Of the whole number. have
died in Office, five are still living, elev-
en- were senators before they were
chosen vice president. two were SEN
ators before and after, and two en-
tered the senate for the first time after
retiring from the vice presidency.
More than once when a vice president
has succeeded president through the
latter's death in Office the question has
been raised by constitutional sophists
whether the successor became presi-
dent actually or only nominally. On
one such occasion a leading newspa-
per insisted for awhile on styling him
the "acting president" The constitu-
tion provides merely that in case of
the removal Of the president from Of
fee or his death, resignation or inabil-
ity to discharge its powers and duties
those powers and duties shall devolve
upon the vice president.
This provision is so broad as to leave
still unsettled the question whether the
presidency itself passes along with the
esponsibilities falling to the lot Of the
second in command. It is easy enough
to answer that if the president dies.
resigns or is removed the man elected
president ceases to be president and
as his successor, resworn as a prelim-
mary to take up the reins of govern
ment, the vice president becomes all
the president there is. In such a sit
uation certainly no one would be in a
position to contest with him the title
and rank any more than the compen-
sation of the higher Office
Unique Question.
But what happens when Mr.. Roose-
velt goes to Panama or Mr.. Taft to
Mexico? What happens when a presi-
dent steps aboard foreign warship in
one of our ports or returns the ceremo-
NAL call Of distinguished visitor in
Washington, not at his hotel, but at
the embassy of his sovereign? In any
of these instances, no matter how short
his stay, the president puts himself
actually or constructively outside Of
the jurisdiction of the United States
and could not perform under the for
eign flag presidential function which
would be technically valid. In those
intervals do the powers and duties of
the president devolve automatically
upon the vice president and return.
also automatically, to the president as
soon as his disability ceases to exist?
Undoubtedly, were a serious case to
arise under such circumstances, re-
qu1ring instant action by the chief ex-
ecutive officer Of our government, the
vice president would be justified in act
ing. The same would be true if the
president were stricken down with an
illness which deprived him Temporal
rily of his bodily or mental powers.
Seat at Cabinet Table.
And this calls up the fact that
great deal has been said for and
against a proposal to give the vice
president regular seat at the cabinet
table. The principal arguments raised
against it hinge on the circumstance
that there is no separate portfolio
which could properly be assigned to
him and hence that he would have no
independent administrative duties:
that he would be a nondescript among
functonaries with well defined spheres
of activity, a stranger in the midst of
an official family circle, a single idler
In group Of busy men. Against these
objections is set up the idea that by
virtue Of his Office he is supposed to be
an Iln6prStl1fv tO tho nrosi1opf o1rovo
prepared to take the latter's place at