Show presidential T that has kept cleveland aroa hendricks foneri Fu nervi neri behind the law of presidential su BUC bession Is a curious chapter of 0 unwin ten hn hl history hist t nry rr it was told today by it missourian who has ha been for or many years yar a trusted official 0 of the united unite 1 states senate Is ie explains fully art an incident almost forgotten now but the cause of much criticism of 0 presta dent cleveland CleT eland until ton ten years aad ago the law was that the president pro of the senate succeeded to the tha presidential office in the event of 0 the death or incapacity ot of both president denti and vice president in the absence of a president pro tom tempore pore the tha succession devolved upon the speakers speake rj but either oi of these officers only astad as a s president until congress could b bo convened on twenty days notice and a special election could be held early I 1 hi the first term of mr cleveland vice president dent hendricks died at his home borne la in indianapolis A situa situation tiou which was without precedent existed up to the time ol of hla his sickness mr hendri acks hid had prevaiL prevented ted the senate from electing a president pro tempore he had been able to do this by declining to vacate the chair and to recognize that privilege the senate was republican by a narrow majority the vice prest dent having some political advantage I 1 in mind ind by so doing steadfastly refused to let the republicans organize when he be died there was no president pro tempore the death occurred between the dissolution of one congress and the regular session of the next congress there was no speaker at the white house NO aso president ert cleveland was completing his preparations to go to indianapolis to attend the funeral senator edmunds was waa at the capit capitol busy in his committee room the suggestion came to his mind what would happen if the president should bo bal killed or be rendered unfit tor for duty byl by 1 ian an accident on this contemplated jour joara A l ney to indianapolis tat senator edmunds sold said the mis j was much disturbed the me more inore he thought ot of the peculiar possibilities bili ties the graver the situation seemed to him he asked me to lind find some jthn other senators and send them to ill him mi only two were about the capitol they were soon closeted close tid with mr edmunds he 11 told them his opinion of the algua j tiofil he said that it if anything should happen to mr cleveland the country would be without a head thorn there would be no one with even the temporary authority to call an ry session EO islon I 1 of congress it would be impossible to take any step no special election could be ordered there would le be no relief from the contusion confusion until the regular date for the assembling of congress came round in dec december e aber until 11 the senate chose a president pro tempore and the house elected a speaker nobody could perform fui of the dutley of president the law then relating to presidential succession was laid before the other senators ge the anomalous condition conditi ozi hold had not occurred to them they agreed at once that senator edmunds was right when he be sugg suggested eved that under the circumstances the president ought to be specially careful they approved the th suggestion As the result of the conference senator edmunds edmus come came out and asked me to tc got get a carriage for him he rode direct to the white house and told mr cleveland he must not go to indianapolis he went over the ground showing tha president that it an accident happened to him the country would be left without an executive tor for months until december came th president was waa astonished he H had not had the slightest realization of how bow much depended on his hi life at that time lime he acknowledged the force of 0 senator edmunds argument areu ment immediately cancelled the orders for transportation and remained in wash ington there was much criticism over the failure of mr cleveland to be present at the hendricks obsequies the th mews papers under understand the apparent lack of consideration the P president sald said nothing this is the fir first time the circumstances of the senatorial conference and of senator edmunds hurried visit to the white house have been told As soon as LOU con gross eress convened after mr HendrIc lc Toe death senator edmunds fathered and pushed to enactment a bill which made mad impossible the repetition t f uch such a crisis the law of bucce succession now DOW Is 15 such that a vacancy in the offices of president of the united states is boond all probability it the preside it dies the vice president takes t office and holds hold it to the end of the term it both the president ident and the vlee president lie die the secretary of state succeeds succession falls in turn upon the th members of the cabinet including the secretary of agriculture |