pointing committees which is possessed by the presiding officer of the House of Repre sentatives, seeing, as already stated, the Vice-President is not chosen by the Senate and not infrequently belongs to a different political party from a majority of that body. There is, however, an opportunity to make the Vice-President something more than the mere moderator, without voice or vote, of the upper House and the fifth wheel of the coach. The subject of Inter-State Com merce and the regulation of the rates and conduct of inter-state railroads and canals is one of growing importance, and is of sufficient interest to the Union at large to justify the selection by the people of the chief officer to supervise that immense busi ness. The Department of " Inter-State Com merce " can be created by statute, without the necessity of a constitutional amendment, to which department shall be assigned as Bureaux, the Inter-State Commerce Com mission, the Pacific Railroads, the Nicaragua Canal and collateral matters. The same statute can assign to the Vice-President, not as a separate office, but ex-officio, the duty of Secretary of Inter-State Commerce with the chief seat in the Cabinet and the right of presiding at all Cabinet meetings in the absence of the President. The importance of the duties thus devolved upon him (which, however, would not interfere with his brief tour of duty as presiding officer of the Senate for a few hours daily during the session of Congress) would make him in importance to the public only second to the President, and would always secure a nomi nee of sufficient prominence and ability, to be the equal in every respect of the Presi dential nominee. Furthermore, the Presi dent's salary has been raised to $50,000 with a furnished residence, besides the payment of all expenses, which makes his
real cost to the nation near a quarter of a million per annum, while the salary of the Vice-President has remained at the sum fixed one hundred years ago of $8,000, without residence or any appointing power, beyond a private secretary which is pos sessed now by every member of each House of Congress. The gulf fixed between the first and second officer of the government is too great. The expenses lavished on the President can be most materially curtailed, while if the Vice-President is vested exofficio with the supervision of the InterState Commerce of the country, it will be necessary that he, as well as the President, should reside at the capital, and he should be furnished with a public residence and his salary augmented out of a portion of the sums which can be curtailed from the an nual appropriations voted for the attendance upon the President. By a measure of this kind the Vice-Presi dent can be made really useful and an integral part of the government, second only to the President in importance, and it would justify an appropriate salary. This will always secure the nomination as VicePresident of men of the same shade of polit ical opinion as the President and of like prominence and ability. Should there be a vacancy in the office of Vice-President by his promotion, death, removal or resigna tion, the statute should in that event confer upon the President the power to appoint a Secretary of Inter-State Commerce pro tan., subject to confirmation by the Senate, like other secretaries, but possessing the premi ership of the Cabinet, with the right of pre siding at Cabinet meetings in the absence of the President and of succeeding to the Presi dential office upon the death of the President in priority to the Secretary of State and others in the order now presented by law.
