The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-08-03

PARI Ill
To the House Of Representa-
tives is given the constitutional
responsibility Of impcaching 4
president. TO the Senate is given
the constitutional duty Of trying
the impeachment. 1t was safe
guard set up by our fathers to
save themSelVeS-tU save you
from tyranny, the uSurpation of
power by president. Although
presidential Impeachment has oc-
CURED only once. nevertheless the
power is there. and 80 long as the
power remains it necessarily influ-
CnceS conduct. even though not
used. like gun behind the door.
But the power is futile unless
Senate and House are free to eX-
erciSe the power. AMI this they
cannot be if they owe their noml-
nation and election 10 the PreSi-
dent. 1t would be like a defend
ant at the bar naming the jurors
to try him.
Do the people-do you-want
this safeguard abolished? The
power to impeach and remove 4
president who has betrayed the
public trust?
To the House Of Representa-
tives is given the CONSTITUTIONS!
duty, under certain circumstances,
to elect the President of the Unit
ed States. This is when no cam
didatc for that office receives a
majority Of the Electoral College
vote. In that case the House OF
Representatives elects. the preSl-
dent, each state delegation voting
under the unit rule, and each state
having one vote, % states thus
electing the President.
This has happened once in our
history and is always possible
when there are tire" parties in
the field. as in 1912, or 1924. In
1912 Mr.. Taft was President, and
was seeking reelection. If Mr..
Wilson had received less than half
the electoral vote, the House of
Representatives by Il vote of its
delegations in % of the smallest
states might have reelected Mr..
Taft, although he had received,
as he did. less than One-third of
the total popular vote, and had
thus been repudiated by the peo-
pie.
The danger of i repudiated
President continuing in office,
when the election is thrown into
the House of Representatives,
would be immensely increased II
Congressman from 25 small states
owed their election To him, thru
his "blank check" control of bill
lions of dollars. A special session
of the Congress could be called
after the November election. This
session could require the electoral
vote to be at once cast, showing
no candidate had a majority OF
that vote, and then proceed to
elect a President. Thus q defeat
ed Congress could coNstitutionally
re-elect repudiated President.
Admittedly this danger is re-
mote, but if it ever occurred 1t
would confront the nation with a
very grave crisis, possibly civil
war, and if not war, four years OF
turmoil and panic.
Our fathers intended the House
of Representatives, IN such case,
to be free men, not the puppets
of the sitting President.
Do the people-do you-want
this safeguard abolished?
, CONFIRMATION OF
NOMINATIONS
To the Senate is given the pow
er to confirm or reject nomina-
tions of Federal judges, foreign
ambassadors, cabinet officials. etc.
Destroy this power and Presi-
dent contemptuOus OF our COnstl-
tuition could fill the courts with
puppets equally contcmptuous OF
, the Constitution. A President who
hated Catholics, or Jews, or Ne
grOes, or who hated labor, or pri-
vate property, or who hated
States, could fill the courts with
/ Judges who had the same hatreds.
] Does labor, for example, want
to be helpless in resisting the con-
frmation Of judge on the Unit