The New York herald., 1874-12-18
FROM THIRD TERM TO ONE TERM.

4
tically decided by an overwhelming majority
Of the American people it is now in order to
take effectual security not only against this
question being ever raised again, but against
the inyeterate abuses which attend the re-
election of President at all. The re-eligi-
bility of our Presidents has always been the
weak feature of our free. popular institutions
AS general rule the people have disapproved
for the last half century, of second term,
as they always disapproved OF third
Just fifty years ago John Quincy Adams was
elected President and from that time till
the closing year of our civil war there was but
one instance OF the reelection of an American
President, and had it not been for the civil
war there probably would never have been
another Between 1882 and 1864 no Presi-
dent was reelected. and it is quite
certain. that President Lincoln would
not have been reelected in 1864 but
for the felt danger Of changing the Chief
Magistrate in the height OF great war There
was really but little force in this argument,
for if Lincoln had been in the last year Of
second term in 1864 nobody would have then
proposed to elect him again.
The fact that none of the eight Presidents
who followed jackson were reelected may be
taken as proof that, for q long period before
the war; the people had settled into practi-
cal Endorsement of the one term prin
And yet during all that period the country
suffered, in unabated force, the evils of the
principle Of re-eligibility; for, although none
of those Presidents reached q second term,
they all schemed and intrigued for it and
prostituted the power and patronage of their
Office in vain efforts for its attainment Had
the constitution locked the door against such
aspirations no President would have had any
motive but an honorable fame, founded on et-
forts to promote the public welfare. 1t is there
fore, no valid reply to the arguments against
re-eligibility to say that if the people disap-
prove of second term they have merely to
prevent it in the elections; because, although
they may refuse to re-elect President they
cannot prevent him from abusing the powers
of his Office in such attempts A constitu-
tional interdict would take away this de-
moralizing abuse by extinguishing all hopes
Of success.
We therefore hail with peculiar satisfaction
the proposal made few days ago in the
Senate, by Mr.. Wright, to amend the consttu-
ton and limit every President to single
term. An amendment of this part of the
constitution will never be carried through |
Congress until the public mind is stimulated
to bring strong pressure to bear on that
body. AS Mr.. Benton said in commenting on
the failure of the effort made in 1926: -'Such,
there is too much reason to apprehend, may be
the fate of future similar propositions originat-
ing in Congress- without the powerful i'm
pulsion of the people to urge them
through. Select bodies are not the place for
popular reforms. These reforms are for the
benefit of the people, and should begin with |
the people, and there should be no despair on
account of the failures already suffered. No
great reform is carried suddenly" The re-
cent emphatic verdict of the people on the
third term question is the effect of powerful
tide of popular sentiment, on which the
radical reform, of which the necessity has SO
long been felt by our most eminent statesmen,
may be foated to success if advantage is
taken of the opportunity before the public
cools on this important subject. This winter
is more favorable period than is likely soon
to recur for carrying such an amendment
through Congress and submitting it to the
States for ratification. There is only needed
such popular awakening as was created by
the Independent press on the third term
question to secure this great reform in our
constitution before the next Presidential
election.
The necessity of this change has been felt
by sagacious minds from the beginning. 1t
would be tedious to sketch the whole history
of this question, even in outline and we will
merely give such glimpses as will prove the
deep and abiding convictions which have been
held on this subject by our most far-seeing
statesmen. In the Convention which framed
the constitution the original draft on this
point was many times changed, but there was
preponderance of opinion against re-eligi-
biity until within the last ten days of the ad-
journment The first draft made the term of
the President seven years and forbade his
reelection. The period was repeatedly short
ened and again heightened by amendments,
until at the very close of the session it was cut
down to four years, and the ineligibility clause
stricken out, by way of compromise between
those who wanted long and those who pre-
ferred shorter term. The reduction to four
years was wise, but it WAS q great mistake to
discard the limitation to one term, which had
been the purpose Of the Convention, az long
as it contemplated term of seven or six
years
Jefferson, who was then in Paris, repro
bated this mistake with great vigor of language
as soon as copy of the constitution reached
him, and he maintained that it ought not to
| be ratified without an amendment forbiddnp