THE CONSTITUTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25177, 14 April 1945, Page 9

THE CONSTITUTION

AUTOMATIC PBOVISION

NO NEW VICE-PRESIDENT

Upon the death in office of a President of the United States, the VicePresident automatically takes his place and serves in this capacity for the balance of the term, in this case, until 1949. Under the Constitution, no new appointment of Vice-President is made. One of the principal duties of the Vice-President is to preside over the Senate, but where the position is left vacant the Senate is empowered to elect its own president to serve in the meantime.

The election of the Vice-President of the United States is carried out in the same manner as that of the President, the party first choosing its candidate at its convention to be later voted for in the usual manner. I<W Vice-Presi-dents of the United States have distinguished themselves on either the American or international stage while in that position, the public appearing to prefer a man who will serve his term faitlilnlly and then sink back into anonvmit v.

On the death of a President in office. ! the Vice-President may be immedi- ' ately sworn in by anyone capable of ad- ! ministering the oath. On the assassination of William McKinle.y in 1901, his successor, Theodore Roosevelt, took the oath in Buffalo, the scene of the crime. In 192."i, when Warren G. Harding died in office at San Francisco, Calvin Coolidge, the then Vice-President. ! was sworn in by his father in the i family homestead in Vermont in the j early hours of t,he morning shortly j after he had received news of Hard- ] ing's death. A question was later ] raised as to the validity of the oath, j as his father. Colonel John Coolidge, ! was only a Justice of the Peace. A [ second oath was therefore taken 14 ! days later before a Justice of the j Supreme Court of the District of Col- j umbia.

The President of the United States | is paid a salary of 75,000 dollars a year, ■ plus 25.000 dollars for travelling ex- > poises and official entertainment. He must lie a natural born citizen, resident in the country for 14 years and at least .T> years old. As the new President, Mt Harry S. Truman will he authorised to exercise wide powers, but the most important, of these at present will spring from his position as Commander-in-Chief of the American armed forces even more than from his position as President. NOTABLE STATEMENTS PRESIDENT AND DEMOCRACY Through notable statements in the Senate, to the press and over the radio, President Roosevelt fearlessly established himself as a champion of democracy and an opponent of tyranny. While his style was not so attractive to British readers and listeners as that of Mr Churchill, his statements were full of vigour and bare of _ irrelevant detail. His unwavering faith in the ultimate destruction of tne Axis forces was a fan tnre of those speeches delivered during the war years. _Most typical of the man than any of his speeches, however, were the sentiments contained in a personal message ; to Mr Churchill delivered by Mr Wen- ! dell Willkie during the dark days of | January, 1941. In that message he quoted Longfellow's lines: "Sail on O Ship of State! Sail on, 0 Union Strong! and Great! Humanity with all its fears, j With all the hopes of future years, Is j hanging breathless on thy fate." He j added that the lines applied as much to j the people of Britain as they did to j those of America. I

To the message Mr Churchill made his famous reply in which he asked America to put its faith in Britain and ended with: "Give us the tools and we will finish the job." THE FAMILY ESTATE HYDE PARK PROPERTY Hyde Park, where President Roosevelt was born and where he will be buried, is an estate that has been owned by the Roosevelt family for many years. It is situated on' the Hudson River, near Poughkeepsie, New York. The home is an attractive old mansion partly built of stone. Beloved of his boyhood, the estate was a retreat to_ which Roosevelt went during his administration for periods of rest and relaxation. It was here that the King and Queen were informally entertained during their visit to America in 1939, and they attended divine service in St. James' Episcopal Church near by. The President inherited the property on the death of his mother in 1941.