Daily Republican., 1888-11-22

EEtenoinA the kresAdentaAi EeRm.
The New York BuH has the following
on the proposition to extend the Presi.
dsnt'a term 70 0ix years:
After every Presidential election thert
IL more or less talk about the waste Of
money and arrangement Of business
caused By contest Of the kind, and the
hasty inference IL drawn that the term
Of the Chief Magistrate ought 10 b
extended as, for example, 10 six yoarS.
IL should be obvious 10 any man 90
Quainted with our Federal Consultation
and It's workings that such 9 remedy
would be worse than the mischief com.
planned Of.
Uudoubtedly q good deal Of money IL
vested in Presidential, Congressional,
State end municipal eleotitnS. 30 far
- the outlay for such purposes IL repre-
henBible and avoidable, the reasonable
and practicable cure Il to reform the
election machinery. This can be done
for the inhabitants OF any given StAte
by their Legislature, end 1t will be done
| just ~ soon - public opinion imperA-
lively demands II. As to the alleged
| arrangement Of business, this has been
dus 10 most cases, and notably was 90
In the recent contest, 10 the fact thA. q
momentous change Of fiscal policy d.
rectly Affecting the oountry's Industrial
interests was threatened. Even II Mr..
Cleveland had two years more to serve,
The representatives. Of those imperilled
Interests would have been no lefa ex
cited and disturbed by the urgent neoes
sity Of retaining their Atoendaney In the
Senate aud recovering control OF the
lower House Of Congress.
The objections to giving the President
six yeaEs instead Of four are far stronger
now than they were whea the came
proposition WAS made and finally re-
scted In tSe Federal Convention Of
1851. The trainers Of the Constitution
would never have made the Chief Mag
ittrats elective by the people, and made
his ministers irresponsible TO the Fed
oral lsRiIlAture, had they not supposed
hist they had provided by the reRula.
lions for the PresidentA Impeachment
m effective penalty for his mAlfeasance
In oftioe, Experience has settled ouoe
for all In the memorable case Of An
drew johnson that the successful In.
parchment OF n President 10 impTActicA-
HE. The provision to that end being q
dead letter, the Ohief Magistrate Of this
republic Ia, during his term OF Off %, rs
utterly irresponsible IS any European
sovereign. -Four years 10 long enough
for any human being 10 be clothed with
suoh dangerous impunity.
The trainers Of our Constitution did
not take for granted, aud we have no
business 10 assume, that the inoumbents
Of the Presidential eli 70 will always be
wise, well'meanibg and trust worthy.
We have spoken OF Andrew johnson,
but he is not the only President whom
the very men who voted for him would
have liked 10 zee withdraw much earlier,
rather than later, ffon the post he 90
cnpied. How would II have pleased the
Whlgs 10 1874 II Tyler, who owed 10
Sooident his elevation TO the Presidency,
had been able for two years longer %
thWAri and cheat the party that elected
himY How many wings would have
wished Fillmore % TsmAln President
until March 4lh, 1882 Again, what
would have happened 70 the North and
to the UuioD had BuobAnAn continued
IN 0tios until March Alb, 1882 And,
hnally, how would the South have
liked to see Rutherford B Hayes retain
bis fraudulent hold upon the White
House for two yeArB longer.
70 the change mOOted there are other
grave grounds for opposition, but there
for the present will suffice. We repeat
that, II the Federal Convention OF 1887
had foresaen that the Impeachment OF
the Chief Magistrate would in practice
prove imposslb.e Q, It would, inttsad OF
making luis term longer, have In all
Likelihood adhered TO the provisions OF
the Articles of Confederation, under
which this President was chosen, mot by
the people, bug by the Congress-, and,
moreover, the same man was only
eligible for one year In any term Of
three.
The truth, Is, however, that the talk
about extending the Presidents term Of
othoe is purely academic and non prac
'ioal. No change Of the kind could bs
Effected, unless ratified by tbs LeRiSlA-
lures or Conventions Of three fOuEihs OF
Toe States, and no such oonceL sus FIR
suoh q purpoIe is conceivable.