The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-16
The Gallup Poll
Familiar With Presidential
Succession Split On Need For Change
Weight Oh Opinion Slightly
On Side OF Those Favor
ing Status Quo
BY GEORGE GALLUP
Director. American ms situte of
Public Opinion

Public Opinion
PRINCETON, N. j., March
Is. - With the death OF
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the
accession of Harry S. Tru-
man to the presidency, the
order of succession beyond
the vice president has becom
a question of pressing i'm
portance.
President Truman himself has
recommended that a change be
made in the order of succession.
and hearings on the question are
going forward in Congress at the
present time.
The way things now stand, should
the president and the vice presi
dent die while in office, the Secre
tary OF State-at present George
c. Marshall - would become. the
president.
This line of succession was pro
vided by Congressional law. The
Constitution itself makes no provi
sion for succession beyond the vice
presidency, declaring that Con
gress shall make such provisions.
President Humans recommen-
dalton is that some other plan OF
succession be devised 80 that the
office of the President would be
filled by an officer who holds his
position as a result of the express
sion of the will of the voters in this
country"
Specifically, the Truman recon
mendation would make the Speaker
of the House next in line after the
vice president. In the event there
should be no Speaker of the House.
or if he failed to qualify at the
time a vacancy occurred in the
Presidency, Mr.. Truman recon-
mended that the President pro
tempore of the Senate act as the
Chief Executive until a duly quail
fled Speaker was elected by the
House.
The public has not thought long
and hard on this problem, even
though President Truman recon-
mended the change right after he
assumed the office of President,
and the proposal was publicized by
the passage in the House of a bill
carrying out its provisions.
In fact, as of this time, fewer
than half of the voters know the
structure of their government well
enough to say who would become
Pre- sident if anything should befall
Truman.
And among the voters who can
say who will become President If
anything happens to Truman, opln-
ion is closely divided on whether
things should remain as they are.
or should follow the Truman pro-
posal.
The Institute polled sentiment
throughout the nation by asking
those who could be considered Gin
formed" could tell who would sue
coed President Truman if anything
were to happen to him during his
present term this question:
president Truman has suggest
ed that the Speaker of the House
of Representatives instead of the
Secretary of State should become
President if the President and
Vice President both die. Would YOU
favor or oppose this changer"
The results among the informed
group:
Favor Speaker of House 41%
Favor Secretary of State "A
Undecided *
One of the peculiarities of the
present situation is that the Sneak.
er of the House, Joseph w. Martin
Jr., is a Republican. When PRES
dent Truman first recommendec
the change in succession The
Speaker OF the House was a Demo.
!, crat.
However, the President recent,
foiterated his recommendation
r%estatlng the principle upon which
he based his recommendation -
that the man be in office by ex.
preston of the voters.
Voters in Mr.. Truman,s u,r
party 90 not support the proposal