The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-10-30
MR., SHERMAN'S ILLNESS.

The American public will take keen
interest in the news from the sick bed
of Vice President Sherman. They will
| trust and hope that he NAV recover
from his illness; and il is to be pre-.
sumed that the ssperitics of the cam.
paign Will be somewhat softencd by
reason of his extremity. Just as they
were when the lupatic shot Colonel
| Roosevelt in Milwaukee, AT The same
time, there Will be more or less spccu.
| lation as to what might occur in case
the Vice President dies. Ii is 10 be
| noted, then, first of all that his death
| would probably make no difference in
the campaign: everything would 90 on
| lust as before; for, since the people arc
| not voting direct for President and
| Vice President. but only for the elec,
| tors who Will make their official
choice, there will he no change In the
| ticket
| But III case of Mr. Sherman s death
| the electors on the Republican ticket
| who NAV be chosen by the popular vote
next Tuesday. will have an original
choice TO make as 10 the Vice President
| majoritv of the electoral votes, the
probability is that the National Re.
publican committee would meet and in
| dicate the choice of the party for Vice
| President. and the electors when they
meet IN the capitals of their various
man indicated by the committee.
The situation brings TO possible
practical phase lapse in our method
Of electng the President and Vice
| President; for in case of the death OF
| the President or Vice President after
the election and before the time of the
casting of their ballots by the electors,
all wonld be at sea. This without re
] spect TO party, for We are now consider
| ing national proposition and not a
partisan one. In case of the death OF
the person Indicated bv the people as
their choice for President, what under
present circumstances would the eec-
tors do! Probably they would follow
the choice Of their National Committee
as TO the one who would succeed 10
their votes.
Bur II would seem as though a prefer
able plan would be 10 make slight
change in the manner Of the election
by the electoral college. At present
the electors meet State by State and
! east their ballots, forwarding the same
by messenger to the President OF the
L. ). Senate in Washington. At the
appointed time in January, both Houses
of Congress meet in session, open the
returns and declare the result. il 4 re.
suit have been reached. But il seems
to lis that il would be far better if the
electors would meet as body in the
National capital and cast their ballot.
there, in place of djsjointedlv casting
their votes in their various State capi
tails. In this way any casualty that
might happen would he constitutionalIy
met. Al the same time. the clectora
college ought TO be made contipuou,
body. serving for four wears; each State
to fill any vacancy that might occu,
IN the body during the term Then il
ease Of the death OF the President ol
Vice President, tho electoral college
could at once convene and fill the va
capcy. This would insure the pcrfcc
working of the system of choosing tho
President and Vice President, and woul,
do away with certain awkward point'
on succession that now appear.
In this connection We NAV say ths
= probably all of tic spcculations tina
have been printed with regard TO tn,
} succession to the Presidency if thcr
, should be no election of President b,
! tho people. by the House Of Reprcscn
tstives, or Of Vice President BY tn,
Senate, arc wide Of the mark. It ha
2 generally been assumed that tho Sec
rotary Of state and other cabinet Off
Y csncy along the line. would succeed [,
the Presidency, temporarily at least
This is true in case of vacancy in tn
E Presidency where the vacancy occur
after the President has taken office
c but il is not so where the Presidential
I term expires aud there is no succcsso
. elected. In that case there does no
appear TO be any provision for film
the Presidential office. Here. again.
4 a lapse that ought to be filled. and /
e is a real want of succession which a
some time might be extremely trouble
+ some b case there were angry person