The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-18
LANSING WILL LIKELY
BE OUR NEXT PRESIDENT
Next March 4th Falls On Sunday And
There is Some Speculation AS to
WLo Will Take Up Duties OF
Chief Executive For That Day.

Chief Executive For That Day.
Charleston Evening Post.
The next President OF the United
States may no: be either WoodroT
Wilson or Charles Z. Hughes. 1t
may be Robert Lansing. Again it
may not be.
Because of the fact that March 4
next will fall on Sunday and because
it is not customary to inaugurate
Presidents on the Sabbath day, some
Of the wiseacres have jumped at the
conclusion that Robert Lansing. as
Secretary Of State, will be the Presi-
dent with all of the powers Of the
Office during the "A hours that will
elapse between the expiration of
President Wilson's term at noon Of
March and the Inauguration of his
successor at noon of March 5.
1t is possible that this may happen,
says a Washington special to The
Florida Metropolis. The law of 1885
provides that whenever the president
and vice president are both unable
for any reason to perform the duties
Of the executive Office the secretary
of state shall act as president. The
terms of Wilson and Marshall shall
expire at noon on Sunday, March 4,
1917. That gives Lansing his chance.
If nothing else is done about it the
secretary of state will automatically
become president with the right to
occupy the White House, issue par
dons, command the army and navy
and, if he chooses, ride to the inaugu-
raj ceremonies at the capitol as the
outgoing president.
But there is no need to give three
cheers for Secretary Lansing just yet.
The chances are great that some
thing else will be done about it. The
same set of circumstances, has hap
pened three times before and the Sec
retary Of state has never yet become
president.
James Madison's second term of Of
| fee began on Sunday, March 4, 1921,
Zachary Taylor's term began On Sun
day, March 4, 1849 In each case the
president took the oath and was in
augurated on the following Monday.
On each of these occasions the Office
was vacant and the nation without a
president for "a hours.
Rutherford B. Hayes term began
on Sunday, March 4, 1877. In this
case there was no inter-regnum.
Hayes made dead sure by taking the
oath on Saturday evening, March 8.
The ceremony was performed in the
red room of the White House with
President Grant and Secretary Fish
as witnesses. Chief Justice Waite
administered the oath,
Hayes was formally inaugurated at
noon on Monday, when he repeated
the oath and it was not then general
ly known that he had already taken
| it According to the constitution
only the taking of the oath is neces-
sary to turn the president elect into
the president on the close of his pre-
! decessor's term. The rest of the
ceremony of Inauguration is unoh-
cial.
Therefore, there is nothing to pre-
vent President Wilson's successor
from taking the oath of Office pri-
vately on Saturday, as President
Hayes did. Perhaps he might take it
at noon Sunday, though lawyers dis
agree as to the validity of an oath
taken on the Sabbath. There is moth
ing in the constitution to prevent the
Inauguration from taking place on
Sunday, though custom rules gainst
it.
There is even another possibility
against Lansing aud his chance Of
being enrolled among the presidents.
If the president-elect does not choose
to take the oath before Monday, there
is nothing to prevent the vice presi-
dent from doing so, in which case
he would become president until the
president-elect had qualified. 1t is
customary to administer the oath to
i the vice president-elect first.