The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-11-15
CLARK
HAS REMEDY


Washington, d. Glow many of
the millions of Americans who vote
for their choice for president and
Wee President every four years ever
stopped to think what mess this
country would be in if the success
full candidate should die between
election day and the day of his in
auguration?
There is one man who is giving
this matter much thought and he is
Champ Clark, speaker of the House
of Representatives from 1911 to
thls year, ana ne proposes to intro
duce some bills to remedy the situa-
ton SO chat the nation will never be
1 confronted with the three of foul
serious problems that are easily
possible, but which the greatest good
/ fortune has kept from the United
States during its history.
These dates should be remembered
as vital point in the curious and UNI
attended situation as regards pos
sible tangle over the presidential
succession in the event of the. death
of the president-elect:
THE election Of presidential
Electors is held on the first Tues
day after the first Monday in No
vember.
1.-The electoral colleges of the
48 States meet at their state capitals
to cast their votes on the second
Wednesday in December.
3.-The two houses of Congress
count the vote of the electors on the
third Wednesday is February.
And here are some of the possible
perpleXities that might arise, as fig
ured out by Ex-Speaker Clark:
Suppose the successful candidate
dies before the electors meet in De-
eembcr? How would the electors
OF The 48 States determine who to
vote for? 1t might be possible to
reconvene the national convention CT
the successful party, or to hold an in
formal convention of the electors of
the various States.
The problem arises from the fail
ure of the Constitution of the United
States to cover this point in any
manner No such occasion has, as
yet arisen, but that does not mean
that none ever will. The nearest ap-
\ proach was in 1872 when Horace
Greedy candidate of the coalition in
opposition to President Grant, died
less than a month after his defeat at
the polls The, 6 electoral votes
that would have been cast for him
had he lived until December, were
distributed among half dozen men
After the state electors have cast
their ballots they prepare three cop
les of the formal vote, one going to
Congress by regular mail another by
special messenger and the third is
filed with the United States District
Court of the locality in which the
vote is taken. Then the electors
power expires. If the successful can
didate should die after they have for
mally voted for him there is no au-
thority to be found anywhere that
can call them together again. Con-
gress, when it meets in February
has no right to change the names on
the ballots in such a contingency as
just noted.
AS third possibility, suppose that
after Congress had formally can
vassed the vote in February the
| president-elect should die before the
inaugural in March. The Constitu-
ton provides for no power that
could reconvene the electoral college
of Congress for that purpose, if it
should have adjourned.
In addition to having discovered
these grave possibilities of future
| bIOQDlSS MI. OldEh Has pIONluCu Wlle'l
he believes would be q remedy. He
suggests that the Governors of the
States be given the power to recon-
vene the electors for further bal
lot, or that the Secretary of State be
authorized to call another joint NEE \
ing of Congress to take some action
to Strengthen out the tangle. The
former speaker proposes to introduce
a resolution shortly which will bring
about threshing out of the matter
| by Congress and possibly forestal
such catastrophes as have been de
scribed.
Another curious omission of the
Constitution is that there is no pro-
sion for the successful candidate be-
ing notified of his election. The
nominee of the national conventions
always is notified Of the honor done
him, and in an impressive manner
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