Evening star., 1924-03-23
HOUSE NOW TO WEIGH
PRESIDENTIAL PROBLEM
Constitutional Omissions in Regard to
Vacancies in Office Probably Will
Be Supplied by Proposals.

There was an old statute of 1872.
which was repealed at the time the
presidential succession act was
passed. which provided that 'sin tho
case of removal, death, resignation
or inability of both the President and
vice President of the United States
the President of the Senate, or, II
there is none. then the Speaker of the
House of Representatives., for the
time being. shall act as President 11n
President elected" That recognized
possible vacancy in the Office of Presi-
dent and provided for . temporary Pres
ident. The Constitution did not use
passed within three years after the
Constitution became operative. and in
the drafting of which those who had
framed the Constitution took n prom
fnent part, went further and provided
what should happen if the Office
should become vacant"
If that old law was in force nov
IT would care for the situation which
some close students of government
foreSee may arise in the next electior.
The Norris amendment does not
take care Of the situation growing
out of the death of both the President
and Vice President elect before their
Inauguration. which this old law
would have done.
The Norris amendment cannot take
care of the situation that might arise
in the next election If the House and
Senate should both fail to elect a
March 4. when President Coolidge's
present term expires-because there
isn't time to have such Constitutional
amendment ratified by the states.
Would Remedy Contingency.
The Norris amendment seeks I"
remedy such a contingency for the
future, however, by providing that
Congress by law shall designate some
officer TO act as President after the
term Of the President expires until
the House shall elect President or
the Senate elect a Vice President, ex
tending the time for voting in Con
gress from the third Monday in Jan
uary, when the President would au-
tomatically go out of Office, until
March 4 at noon.
If the House should fail to elect
a President by noon on March 4, th..
Norris amendment provides that the
Vice President elected by the Senat
would become President for TIE fun
term But ii there be no Vice Presi-
dent the amendment might also be con
strued as meaning that the House would
continue to try to elect a President after
March 4. because il says that the office
designated by Congress to act as Presi-
dent shall act accordingly until the
House of Representatives chooses =
President, or until the Senate chooses
Vice President
This might result in an interesting
and spirited race between the House
and Senate to sec which could beat
the other to picking a Presidenr
since the Senates choice for Vice
President would then become Presi-
dent.
That would be some race. with the
House voting on three candidates and
the Senate voting on two.
1t is proposed to correct the law
now so as to cover the situation that
could arise in the coming campaign.
the presidential succession law-the
by amending the presidential succession
laW-under which as il now stands tn
succession might devolve upon the Sec
retary of State, although that law does
not in terms meet a contingency of ex
actly this kind The fear is, however.
that IN this way d repudiated admin
istration might be given a chance t.
perpetuate itself in office.