Evening journal., 1913-10-04
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How the American Vice
President Becomes Chief
Executive
BY Holland.

Immediately after Chester a. Arthur
succeeded General Garfield as President,
he went to Washington to live and ac.
oepted the hosptalities of his intimate
friend, Senator John p. Jones, of Ne.
vada, who was the owner of a large
house on Capitol Hill, within a few min
utcs walk of the Capitol itself. Il was
necessary that there be q brief soiourn
somewhere in Washington until the
White House could be prepared for the
new President
President Arthur used to entertain his
intimate friends with evening chats in
the commodious front room of Senator
Jones house. a room which also served
as a temporary executive office Upon
one occasion he was asked if It had ever
occurred TO him that at the time of the
death of President William Henry Hlarri-
son the statesmen of that day we're con
WINGED that the Vice President, who sue
ceoded TO the presidential office, should
be designated as the acting President.
General Arthur replied in substantially
these words:
81 was a very young man, Just begin
ming active life. when Millard Fillmore
succeeded President Taylor, and | re-
member well having read somewhere OF
o discussion thar then arose about the
propriety or constitutionality of desig-
mating a Vice President who had sue
cecded a President, in the presidential
office by the title President rcmem-
Der having been greatly interested in the
discussion. IL was not a very serious
discussion. Fillmore Immediately as.
sumed the title of President and no
question was ever raised in Congress or
by any authoritative body as TO his
right to do so.
II learned afterward that Fillmore
having been informed bv Taylor's cabi-
net that in All probability the President
would not recover from his illness, which
was understood 10 be a form of cholera
morbus, and that he should hold himself
in readiness ut any moment to enter
upon the office of President, took pains
TO look up the facts associated with the
only precedent in our history where a
Vice President succeeded TO the presiden
tiai office-that of John Tyler.
"Fulmore found that a good deal
Of discussion took place at the time
Of President Harrison's death, and
furthermore. that the majority opin-
ion seemed to be that the title Tyler
ought to assume should be Vice
President Acting as President.
"Tyler himself, however, without
taking any part in the discussion
Immediately assumed the title OF
President after he had taken the
oath. There was some criticism of
him for this action, but it never
amounted to much
Fillmore learned in some way that
Tyler's reasoning was something like
this: The Constitution provides thai
in cases of the resignation or dis
ability or death of the President the
Vice-President shall enter upon the
duties OF the Office In case Presi
dent Harrison were pronounced abso
lutely incapacitated for conducting
the office. for instance, such incapa
city as complete paralysis woul'
have imposed. then there was nj
doubt about the right and the consti
tutional duty of the Vice-President I
ASSUME the duties of tho office, but 1
such case he would still be Vice
President. merely acting as Presiden
untn the disability were removed.
"But I'm case of the death or resig
nation of the President. which wOul
involve the complete vacating Of tn
presidential office. then the Vic
President 10 assume the duties of tn
Office. but in such a case he woul
still be Vice President merely actin
as President until the disability wer
| removed.
but in case Of the death or resie
nation of the President, which woul
involve the complete vacating OF 'h
presidential office. then the Vic
i President assumes not only th
duties Of the office, but the Office i
self. lie becomes, in fact, the Pres
dent Of the United States and M
merely on acting President. "A
term as Vice President expires FC
this reason John Tyler decided thi
tho death of President Harrison lo
the Office vacant until he, as Vic
President. In obedience TO the Consi
tuition, stepped forward and filled
'"rhere never was any quest'
about this matter at the time Andre
Johnson succeeded Lincoln, nor h
there been any question about n
right 10 the title Of President co
cluded General Arthur.
Copyright. 1918. by e. J. Edward
All rights reserved.