Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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& ELMO SCOTT WATSON. [.THOUGH Novenber 25, 1885, prob ably hns little significance to the Wverage American, in reality It was An Important da/e In our history. On that day Just TO years ago Thomas Andrews Hendricks, vice president of the United States, died at his home In Indianapolis, Ind. Now, of course, It has become a standard Joke\ that the vice presi dent, so far ?s his authority and powers are concerned, Is a most un important high-ranking official In our national government Hendricks was probably an abler man than the mnjority of hl^ prede cessors had been, yet the same obscurity, which had engulfed the others when they trere elected, had been his lot when he went to Washington as vice president with Grov?r Cleveland. He had been In public life for 40 years, beginning with his election to the Indiana legislature in 1840. In 1850 and again two years later tfe was elected to congress. t)efeated for the governor* ?hip of Indiana In I860, he was elected to the United States senate in 18G3 and served there until I860. In the Democratic convention of 18C8 he ran second to General Hancock in the ballot ing ^for President, but both lost out to Horatio Seymonr. Again a candidate for governor of Indiana in -the same year, Hendricks was de feated, but in 1872 he staged a come-back and Was elected. Indtoe 1876 Democratic convention > he was again a wrong contender for the Presi dency, but when Samuel J. Tllden was nominated ^nstead, Hendricks received 730 out of the 738 ?otea cast for vice president. The Democrats *~Bre defeated that yenr, but eight years later ieXwon and Hendricks becnme vice president. He t^ed eight iftonths after inauguration, but JjIs deatk, whllp 'occupying that office was not unique, fbf'lTour previous vice presidents had died before Anlshlng out their terms. Why, then, was hls^passmg a significant event? The answer .vtp that queslon lies In the result of his death fcVand an eventWhlch followed soon afterwards. ? The Constitution of the United States provides that "in caselof the removal of the President jjpbrom office on of his death, resignation or in ability to dls<tmrge the powers and duties of the said officer the same shall devolve on the flea presldunt i and the congress mny, by law, "irotlde for the case of removal, death, reslgna ?~n or inability both of the President and vice esldent, declaring whnt officer shall then act ( President, a id such officer shall act accord flfly until the Disability be removed or a Presl lent shall be efected." Up to the time of Hen dricks' death, hoNvever, the congress had not seen fit to pass a lai^ providing for the case of re moval, denth, resignation or inability both of Es the President and vice president and this de ^Mlte the fact that fonr vice presidents had al V^Gady died while In office and one had resigned. If at any of these times when the office of vide president was vacant, the President ttrfpn j&| in the White House had died, resigned or been 'Aft unable to discharge the duties or powers of his &?' office the nation would have been without a Chief ?1$ Executive. Of course, the congress could have $Js<; passed a law providing for his successor ? pro k'1 tided It was In session. But whnt If It hnrt ad 'A journed? Since the President alone has the v^power "on extraordinary occasions to convene ooth houses or either house," who could have ? Called the corfgress together to choore the new | Cli^ef Executive? f-. Although the need for providing for such con t tlng<Wles had been apparent for nearly 75 years, nothlhg was done about It until Vice President K v Hendruks died In 1880. Then the congress acted I to avferrNthe potential dangers which might re sult from U?e loss of both the President and vice president. On January 10, 1880, It passed a law providing for a Presidential succession In case the vice president could not serve. Under It* terms the secretary of state would become President. In case he, too, would be unable to ?erve, the next In line would be the secretary of ? usury and so on down the cabinet- secre war, attorney-general, postmaster-general, m-pt the navy. tecrett^ry of the Interior, >tary of agriculture, secretary of commerce fracretAry of labor. j Under the provisions of the Twentieth amend mt to the Constitution (the "lame duck amend ing" adopted February 0, 1033), atlll further feguarda in. the matter of Presidential succea on were- added to the law of the land. In case >e President-elect ahould die wlthtn the time hfa election and hla Inauguration, the vice ildent-elect would become President sldering the importance of the office which Iff! president may be called upon to All, It 1oua anomaly of our government that hta la so "?(htly regarded And that so little laually taken In Ailing that position with andlng man. lb the early dave of the jwhen the two men receiving the high jtoral vote were chosen President and vice dent, respectively, there was little room for '"iMt aboot the caliber of the men who aa vice president. It waa taken aa a of eouvft* (hut the vice president would the new PreatiNrtt when the Chief Wxecu 1er whom he served had rtiie<f his allotted the White House. Thus Vice President kdama succeeded President Qeorge Wish ni*"3. V>>, : ? Sichard M. onnson John C. Calhoun William R. Kinq lngton and Vice President Thomas Jefferson suc ceeded President John Adams. But the break from this tradition came when Aaron Burr was vice president under Jefiferson. Burr served one term, then became Involved In the scheme which led to his trial for treason and, ,,as a result, George Clinton was chosen vice presi dent when Jefferson was elected for his second term. Again precedent was ignored, for Instead of Clinton succeeding Jefferson as president, that honor went to Jefferson's secretary of state, James Madison. Clinton, however, was re-elect ed vice president but died In 1812 after serving only three years of his term. During the last year of Madlson'B flrBt term as President the United States had no vice president. When Madison wan re-elected, Elbrldge (Jerry became vice president. He also died In office after serving only a little over a year and the United States was again without a vice presi dent ? this time for nearly three years. So James Madison was the only President In our history during whose administrations two vice presi dents died In office. The next vice president was Daniel D. Tomp kins who served both terms under Monroe, but when Monroe retired, Tompkins did not become his heir to the high office. Again It went to a secretary of state, John Qulncy Adams. Adams' vice president wns John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who was again chosen for the ofllce when Andrew .Jackson became Chief Executive. Tims the South Carolinian had the honor of 0c?' cupylng that ofllce under two Presidents of'oppo-| site political faith. But Calhoun did not serve out his term undei Jackson. Ho quarreled with "Old Hickory" ant In 1832 the vice presidency was again vacant this time because of a resignation, the first an< only one thus far In otir/'nlstory, Instead of I douth. When Jackson was re-elected President Martin Van Buren, his former secretary of statt became vice president, and after Jackson retiree, from the White Hopse Van Buren succeeded him' Up to this time the vice presidency had beel filled with men of unquestioned ability. "But If. 1830 there was a sudden lowering of the stand] ard for vice president," says a historian. Riot ard M. Johnson, who was chosen by the I)em( crats to run with Van Buren, lived In a horde state, Kentucky, where Van Buren was nc. strong. Otherwise he was merely a second-ratJ politician whose principal claim to fame toaj that he had killed the great Indian chief, Tl cumsoh, during the Battle of the Thames In 1811 It helped elect him, even though It was a spui otm claim. More authentic la his distinction being the only vice president who ha* ever b??. elected bjr the^Unlted States senate. j The Twelfth amendment to the Constitute provides that a'candldate must receive a nr, Jorlty of the whole number of electoral votea be chosen vice president If no candidate celvea such a majority, the senate must tt choose a vice president from the two candidal who have received the largest number of vot? In the election of 183fl electoral votea were ca? for the candidate* for vice president aa follow*:] Richard M. Johnson, 147: Francla Granger, 77j John Tyler, 47, and William Smith, 28. The totj number of votes catrt for Granger, Tyler Smith was 147, the name number as Johi apd no candidate had a majority of the number of votea oaat. Therefore the ? fell to the aenate, which choae Johnson. Ills election marked the beginning of ^ torn of filling the second highest offlca ?V*' . 'y j j- , t of Wilsory-ttie^oM^er Vjc? Prcsid*HV in NaticK,MosS. f * . . cJohnTyior lnnAvlth men chosen more for political expedl encythnn for ability. An even stronger man ifestation of that custom was shown In the next camjllgn when William Henry Harrison, the WhljJcandldate, defeated Van Buren. the Demo crat, for re-election. Harrison's running mate was |?hn Tyler, who was not even a Whig but a Vlrtnla Democrat. Jus*, a month after Harrison's Inauguration, "Old Tippecanoe" died and John Tyler became the flkt vice president to win the Presidency throug\ the death of his predecessor. The Constitution had left undetermined the question whethei a vice president, upon the death of the Preside^, should become President In fact or should nerely discharge the duties of the office until the congress should decide what to do next. For half a century after Its adoption no one knew the answer to that question nor apparently even thought much about It When Tyler be came President., he settled the question ? to his own satisfaction, at least ? by acting on the as sumption tf>at he was President In fact. Since n? one challenged his right to do so. he estab lished the precedent, followed ever since, that the vice president who succeeds to the highest office through the death of his predecessor shall serve out the remainder of the term tot which that predecessor was elected. Moreover, during Tyler's administration the country waft without a vice president for the longest period In Its history ? three years and 11 months. In 1850, when President Zachary Taylor died after having been In office only a little more than a year, Vice President Millard Fillmore followed the precedent established by Tyler and served as President for the next three years. Again there was a vacancy In the office of vice president dMr> Ing the greater part of an administration. whs another vacancy during the nex^ tratlon, that of Franklin A. Pler( after William R. King becamj was dead. Incidentally. King was who ever took the oat United States. Refoj health began to fall cuperate. When It would be unable toi monies In Washlni 1858, passed a? Sharkey, Unlt^ minister the March n* accoi COMME CURREN NATIONAL LEAOUk' By COU G In ? IT SEEMS ' be a sourc icans to remoi country played In i League of Nations a^ league Is functlonli wished. Those of u$ with concern these . I of the league's life positive stand that it, for world peace. i The ultimate pu'rp* Is to do away wltb i been here for a loi_ are deep In the sol political and econom] strange that after they have not been Further, the leaf must have "the sti opinion back of It has an attempt bt opinion for worl< basis. When youj ness of national, nil strange the has been sometl certain. By WII Sonati JAM unj cloture, ferson sai< a free press^ has Its evil Intolerable^ houses woi aster. Frj bad plecc lions ofj Where cl prevails.] Senate a bill ca^ could n< other w^ barrel. No dure to hav< in upoi have Itj places shut oi Is not Wl