Show presidential ON ni that kept cleveland from hendricks Pu funeral Funer nerna nl behind the law of presidential su sua lits BiOu ta Is a curious chapter of t ten history it was told today by d a missourian who has boon beon for or many years a trusted official ot of the united states senate la Is explains fully an incident almost forgotten now but ones once the cause of 0 much criticism ot of presta dent cleveland until ten years ago the law was that the president pro tempore ot of tho the senate succeeded to tha presidential office in the event ot of then the death or incapacity of both president and vice president in tho the absence ot of a president pro tempore the succession devolved upon the speakers but either ot of these officers only acted as president until congress could bo be convened on twenty days notice and a special election could bo ba held early in the first term of mr cleveland vice president hendricks died at his nome home in indianapolis A which was without precedent existed up to the time ot of his sickness mr hendricks had prevented the senate from electing a president pro tempore he had be been able to do this by declining to vac vacate tho tha chair and to recognize that privilege the senate was republican by a narrow majority the vicc dent having some political advantage in a mind by so doing steadfastly refused to let the republicans organize when he died there was no president pro tempore the death occurred occurred d between the dissolution of one congress and the regular session of the tha next congress there was no speaker at tho the white house president ert cleveland was completing his preparations to go to indianapolis to attend the fu funeral nepal senator edmunds was at the cap capitol to busy in his committee room the suggestion came to his mind W what hat would happen if the president should be killed or be rendered unfit for or duty by br ean an accident on this contemplated journey to indianapolis senator edmunds said the was much disturbed tiie the more he thought of the peculiar possibilities bili ties the graver tho the seemed seamed to him ile he asked me to find elrod some other cena senators tors and send thim to him only two were about the capitol thoai were wera soon closeted with mr edmunds Emund sJ t jle told them his opinion of tho the flon he said that it if anything should happen to mr cleveland the country WO would uld be without a head there would be ba no one with even the temporary authority to call an extraordinary somlon of congress it would be impossible to take any step no special election could be ordered there would be no re relief ilef from the contusion confusion until the reg ular date for the assembling ot of congress carne came round in december until the senate chose a president pro tempore and the house elected a speaker nobody could fotij ot of the tha dutle of president the law then relating to presidential succession was laid before the other senators the anomalous condition had not occurred to them they agreed at once that senator edmunds was right when he suggested that under the circumstances the president ought to be is specially careful they approved the tha suggestion As the result of the conference senator edam dr camo came out and asked me ma to sat got a carriage for him ile he rode direct to the white house and told mr cleveland he must not go to indianapolis he went over the ground showing tho president that it an accident happened to him the country would be loft without an executive for months until december came th president was astonished he ha had not had the slightest realization of how much depended on his life at that time he acknowledged the force of senator edmunds argument immediately cancelled the tha orders for transportation and remained in ia washington III Eton there was much criticism over the failure of mr cleveland to he be present at the hendricks obsequies the newspapers news understand the appah apparent lack of consideration the president said nothing this is the first time the circumstances of the senatorial conference and of senator edmunds hurried visit to the white house housa have been told As soon as con gross convened alter after mr hendric kr death senator edmunds fathered and pushed to enactment a bill which made inada impossible the repetition f such a crisis tho the law of succession now la Is such that a vacancy in the ot at president ot of the united states stales is be beyond ond all probability it if the president dies tho the vice president takes ce t and holds it to the end of 0 th abs tbs term it both the president and the vice president die the secretary of state succeeds succession falls in turn upon the tha members 0 0 tho the cabinet including the secretary ot of agriculture |