Clarksville Weekly Chronicle

THE PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION BILL

The Hoar Presidential Succession Bill having become the law of the land, the many other bills introduced for the same purpose at which it aimed perish in their incipiency. Among these last named was the bill proposing a four years' continuance of the electoral college, the one thing on which the Courier-Journal and Sam Randall were ever known to be in sweet concord. A bill that was capable of producing harmony between these parties was entitled to more consideration and ought to have received better treatment. Such a harmonicon measure that could bring peace between the warring elements of Tennessee Democracy would be a godsend. This electoral college bill, too, was the one which the CHRONICLE pronounced the best and which it hoped to see become a law. But, since the joint advocacy of Randall and the Courier Journal was of no avail, we are not piqued at having our advice ignored.

The bill passed is an improvement on the old law, but is not without its defects. It places the right of succession in men whom the people had no voice, near or remote, in choosing, and the electoral college plan would have secured a succeeding President or Vice-President by the same means that the constitution provides for the election of the President. But the time for argument has passed; the Hoar bill is the law and, whether it is the best that could have been enacted or not, everybody is glad that the time will never again occur when the nation will stand in fear and trembling of being left without a head.