Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-07-26

Al QCtClOkJIlCIlIo OIllo Week.
Once characterized as a
and rated by Woodrow Wilson
malous insignificance," the vice
portance second only to that o
the Presidency itself.
The age has imposed new de-
Tnands on the Office, and on its
occupants-whoSe heritage al
any moment may be the most
powerful place in the world.
Expert Cites Importance
i'm a thoughtful study, 1.-THE
Rise Of the Vice Presidency,
published today public Affairs
Press, Washington, $500, DR.
Irving G. Williams of st. Johns
University. Brooklyn, leading
authority on the subject, puts il
this way:
To-day, neither the Nation
nor the free world can afford the
succession to the American Pres
idency Of a man who is not fully
capable, intellectually and NOR
ally, Of making the complex de-
cisions that will rush upon him
from the first day of his sue
ceSSion."
And again:
"A Vice President who sue
ceedS to the Presidency in the
hydrogen age must make deci-
sions which, If enormously or un-
soundly based, could result in
radical shifts of the world
balance Of power, and/or plunge
the United States into the abyss
Of total war;"
4 Stresses Succession Issue
In stressing the Importance OF
vice presidential selection, DR.
Williams underscores the need
for clarifying the law governing
succession when a President be-
comes incapacitated.
The Constitution says simply
that in case of the PRESIDENT
Inability to discharge the powers
and duties Of the said Office, the
same shall devolve on the Vice
President"
Still unanswered, however, is
the query raised on the floor OF
the Constitutional Convention in
: 1887 by John Dickinson Of Penn
sylvania:
what is the extent Of the
term disability and who is to be
the Judge of it?"
The same queStion-in almost
the same words-waS raised 16S
years later, after President
Eisenhower's heart attack. In
fact, it has required throughout
history.
It was posed for instance, in
the summer Of 1881, when James
A. Garfield lay dying from an
assassin's bullet-but it was
passed by.
again the issue arose 80 year;
later in the long months the
inValided Woodrow Wilson &C.
cupied the White House before
his term ended-but it never was
met head-on.
IN the case of President
Eisenhower, a period of IA;
days lapsed between his hear
attack and the announcement al
to his recovery" the author says
LIT is coincidental that veal
earlier DR.. Williams had urged
measures to cope with the lin
ability" problem, writing:
~The usual American habit o.
avoiding decision until com
peeled by ad hoe circumstances
win no longer serve us in thu
coming age Of continued globa
involvement"
Proposes Inability Committee
aDr. williams suggests creation
Of q special Inability Commit
tee" headed by the Chief Justic'
Of the United States to pass OF
q Presidents continued capacit,
to serve. On the committee ais,
would be the Secretary Of State
Senate majority and minorit,
leaders, Speaker, Of the Hous
and House majority and minor
ity' leaders.
Periodic checks on the Presi
dents health would be made b
d physician assigned to tn
White House for that particula
purpose, who would notify tn
vice President and the Inabilit
Committee should the state Q
the Presidents health caus
concern.
It would be up to the commit
tee then to decide If succession
should take place.
However the question may b
decided, Congress sooner o
later must face up to it, d.
williams says.
10 Moved Up BY Death
The high incidence Of vic
presidential succession to tn
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