The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-08-11
March 9TH and Sunday

the question whether this would make
an opportunity for Secretary Of State
Lansing 10 occupy the office Of exc
cutive during the hours between that
time and the taking Of the oath OF
Office by the President-elect at the
formal ceremony on Monday 4. the 9Th,
says The Macon News. Many who
participated in the discussion were OF
the opinion that under the statute
passed during President Cleyeland's
first administration fixing the order of
succession to the presidency in the
members of the cabinet. in case of
the inability of the president and the
vice president, Mr. Lansing might
come in. though it was recalled that
IN the crisis of 1877 the president-elect
privately took oath of office on Satur-
day. March 3, being sworn in publicly
on the following Monday.
Ernest Reel, of Milwaukee. wrote on
the subject to the department of state
at Washington. William Phillips,
third assistant secretary OF state, an
swering Mr.. Reel for the secretary,
says that in the view of the depart
ment there is no interregnum be-
tween the expiration of the term first
commenced on a Sunday. and encloses
a copy of letter OH the subject which
Mr. Marshall addressed to the sec
rotary of state on February 20. 1921
as follows:
Il have conversed with my brethren
on the subject you suggested when.
had the pleasure of seeing you, and
viii take the liberty to communicate
the result.
"As the constitution only provides
that the president shall take the oath
ii prescribes before he enter on the
execution of his office. and MS the law
is silent on the subject. the time
seems to be in some measure at the
discretion of that high officer There
Is an obvious propriety in taking the
oath as soon as il can conveniently be
taken. and thereby shortening the in.
terval in which the executive power
is suspended. But some interval is
inevitable. The time OF the actual
president win expire, ana that of the
president. elect commence, at twelve in
the night of the third If March. 1t
has been usual TO take the oath at
midday on the 4th. This there has
been uniformly and Voluntarily an
interval of twelve hours during which
the executive power couid not be ex-
pressed The interval may be un-
avoidably prolonged Circumstances
may prevent the declaration of the
person who is chosen until it shall be
too late to communicate the intelli-
gence OF his election until after the
4th of March. This occurred at the
first election.
Undoubtedly, on any pressing
emergency. the president might take
the oath in the first hour OF the 4th or
March; but IL has never been thought
necessary SO do, and he has al
ways named such hour as he deemed
most convenient,
IF any circumstance should render
it unfit to take the oath on the 4th of
March, and he public business would
sustain no injury by its being deferred
till the 9Th. no impropriety is perceiv-
ed in le(nrring 1t till the 5th. Whether
| the fact that the 4th of March comes
this year on Sunday be such cir
cumstance may perhaps less capable
OF forming correct opinion than our
selves. Might We hazard conjecture,
it would rather be in favor of postpon,
ing the oath till Monday unless some
official duty should require its beins
taken on SUNDAY But others who mis
more in society than we do can give
onjectures ON this subject much more
to be conrided in than ours"
There was no emergency at the tim'
when Chief Justice Marshall wrote
Evidently an emergency was consider
cd to exis, in 1877. AT that time tn
law providing FOR succession in cas-