The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-06-17
PRESIDENT FOR A DAY
Will Probably Serve As Next EXecu-
tive of U. S.-SOme Historical
Data Not Generally Known.

The flext President of the United
States will be Robert Lansing,o New
York, present Secretary of State.
This is not in the nature of wild
political prediction, nor is it in the in
auguratfon of a boom for a Demo
cratic clark horse" 1t is merely the
statement of a fact which, barring
the death or resignation of Secretary
Lansing, is as certain as anything
can be.
Mr.. Lansing's term of office does
not depend upon the action of any
political convention; it is likewise ir-
respective of any primary or direct
election. In point of fact, it dates
back to. 1886, when Congress passed
an act providing that in the event of
the death, removal, resignation or
inability of both the President and
the Vice-President of the United
States the. Secretary of State shall
act as PRESIDENT
March 4, 1917, will fall upon a
Sunday, and it is contrary to all pre-
cedent, although not in opposition to
any law, to hold an Inauguration on
Sunday. Therefore, the incoming
Chief Executive will take the oath of
office. and commence his term shortly
after noon on March 5. President
Wilson's term commenced at noon on
March 4, 1913; therefore, according
to the Constitution, which defines the
term OF a President as -four years."
his tenure of Office will be over at
noon on March 4, and, even if he is
elected to succeed himself, he cannot
take the oath of Office until noon on
the following day. Vice-President
Marshall, of course, is under the
same disability as the President.
Therefore, the Secretary of State, Mr..
Lansing, will be President of the
United States for the "a hours and
some minutes elapsing between noon
on Sunday, March 4, and the time
that the new President takes the
oath on the following day.
This brief term of office is not
mere formality. 1t is an actual oc-
cupation of the power of President,
with all his authorities and preroga-
tives. Mr.. Lansing-President Lans-
ing for the day-will be empowered
to occupy the White House, to issue
to attend to all other busi-
ness of which the Chief Executive
has control, and to ride to the Capt.
tol, should he desire, as the outgoing
President on Inauguration day
New York Tribune
NOTE-The Tribune could have
added that once before under similar
circumstances we had a Chief Execu-
tive for one day. David Rice Atchi-
son, in honor of whom the city of
Atchison, Kan, was named, is the
man that served as President of the
United States for one day, and signed
one document 1t Is not surprising
that this fact is not generally known,
for the event was one of ante-bellum
times and has dropped out of sight in
the excitements of the latter period.
Atc4ison was elected President
pro telnpore of the Senate for two
tefHa I646-S and 1924. During the.
former term Zachary Taylor was
elected President and Millard Fill
more Vice-President. March 4, 1849,
fell on Sunday, and in consequence.
they were not inaugurated until
March 5, and in the interim of one
day Atchison was virtually President,
as the Constitution makes no provi-
sion for the executive holding over.
1t is a singular fact that afterwards,
on the death of Vice-President Will
liam Rufus King, in 1853, Atchison
also became acting Vice-President by
virtue of his office of President pro
tempore of the Senate.
After his retirement from the SEN
ate Atchison settled on a farm in
Clinton County, in Western Missouri,
and took an active part in the bor-
der slavery struggle, but was always
counseling against bloodshed and
violence. He dropped out of public
sight after those disturbances, and
died in comparative poverty and OBJ
scurity January 26, 1886.-Ed.