The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1866-03-07
Senator Wade's Constitutional Amend
ment.

United States CONSTITUTION nave ntfb ruD- r
nitted during the present session Of Con- :
oress. some OF which we consider very i'm
portant and hope may ultimately be adopt .
ed. Among the most important OF all,
however, we class that Introduced into the
Senate by Senator Wade on the 10th inst,
which is as follows:
Article-.The Executive power shall be q
vested in a President Of the United States
Of America. He shall hold his Office during
the term or four years, and shall not again
be eligible 10 that Office during the term Of
his natural life IN case Of the removal OF !
the President from Office or Of death, res
ignatiOn or inability 10 discharge the pow
ers and duties Of the said Office, the same
shall deTOlye on the Vice President who
shall not again be eligible % the Office Of
President during the term Of bis natural
lie. Whenever Congress may, by law,
provide for the ease Of removal, death,
resignation or inability, both Of the PresI-
dent and Vice President, declaring what
officers shall then act a President such
officer shall not again be eligible 10 the
Office Of President during the term OF his
natural Life
This Is no new proposition bat - one
that has been canyassed pretty thoroughly. /
and which has received the sanction of |
men Of all parties and grades Of opinion. /
in times past, and which - attracting lhe /
attention Of the people again at the present /
time. II we but look back over the history |
Of the men who have occupied the Pre-i- /
Dental chair, we can see where many evils /
that have sorely afflicted and perplexed the |
people would never have been visited upon |
US had this provision been part Of our
national constitution. The only twO men |
that ever occupied the Presidential chair /
that did not really desire a denomination /
were George Washington and Andrew I
Jackson, and their administrations can be |
pointed to as models OF excellence and pu- |
ritv of purpose On the other hand look !
at the administrations Of some, whose sole /
purpose seems 10 have been from the day 1
OF their Inauguration to the close Of their /
term, so tOact and so distribute their patron !
age "a to secure "a denomination. John I
Tyler so much desired denomination a. !
to apOstatize, and betray the party that I
had lifted him To power Ills apOstasy /
availed HIM nothing, however, a. James X. |
Polk received the nomination AT the hands /
OF the Democracy to the utter astonishmeut /
aud deep chagrin OF Mr.. Tyler, who thought /
his trucking worthy of reward from the /
party into whose arms he had cast his ALL /
Martin Van Buren, coveted a second term as
President, and 50 took advantage of his .
position during his first term as TO wiring
the nomination for a second term from the
hands Of those whom he had used and
made subservient to his purposes. He
failed Of an election 10y the people, and
obtained revenge on the Democratic party
for not nominating him for a third time los
running as a third party candidate against
Gen. Cass and securing thereby his defeat
Millarl Fillmore became President by the
untimely death of Gen. TAYLOR. and as soon
as IaIrJ IN nis seat cUmnitnceu trucAHng
that he might secure favor in certain quar-
tiers, and began policy Of casting from
Office and places Of trust all such a. could
not be made subservent to his purposes,
and establishing q system Of espionage
over all in the employ Of the government
lie il was who gave life TO the Infamous
Fugitive Slave Law by his official signature
and turned all his officials into blOOdhounds
TO assist southern slave catchers in the re-
turn Of iugitiyes, that he might thereby
secure the support Of the South. He ut
terly failed, however in securing a renOmi-
nation. He became the nominee of the
Know Nothing party during the next cam
paign, and succeeded in carrying the cleo
tOral vote Of only one State. but drew off
votes enough from the Republican party TO
elect the weakest President We ever had.
James Buchanan, Of Pennsylvania
Other men might be named whose lust
Tor denomination 10 the Presidency caused
them To commit acts OF perfdy, aud whose
very names are to-day stencil IN the nos
trils OF every true lover of real manhood.
and who has not sunk 50 low rs 10 sell his
birthright for q mess Of pOtagc. Chief 5
among this class IS the old toady Buchan-
an. under whose very nose the rebellion &
was inaugurated, and under whose ldmin- I
is:ration hostillties were actually COM '
menccd He had sunk SO low in deprauty
Is to rather see his country severed and {
ruined than sacrifice what he most desired .
another term in the Presidential chair.
Poor old man he was spewed out By his =
own party, and has been using the last a
years Of his life in writing that which ne ;
has given 10 the world as an exonerali0n :
for the pursuance of policy in the conduct :
Of his administration which has rendered his y
country's history. Ii
Abraham Lincoln was renOminatcd tor
the Presidency and reelected but lived but :,
a few weeks after his second Inauguration. d
We have no reason TO believe that he al il
minIStered the Affairs OF the government Z
with a view 10 a denomination. His death :
has brought into power one who has already \
excited great fears that he will prove a 4
John Tyler number two, and at 4 time, too. {
when such a calamity cannot well lac with
stood To avert all such causes of fear in
the future, and for the broader and better
reason that al future administrators may
be conducted by our Presidents with the =
real welfare OF the nation in view. instead 4
Of the sordid and desreputable purpose OF Il
retaining themselves in power for a longer Il
time than one term, we favor the amend
ment OF Mr.. Wade to the constitution. and ;;
trust that Congress viii see the wisdom of $
adopting itat the present session. This Il
done, every President hereafter elected will c.
have the better feelings Of his nature
brought into requisitiOn, by a disposition "
and desire TO render bis administrator, +
popular, having no other incentive to &C. p
ton than the good of his country, and the C.
praise and good win OF his fellow men as a G
reward. Then every President viii desire
to place his name higher on the scroll OF
lame than his predecessor, which he knows P
can only be done By purity of purpose, and L
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