Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-10-23
THE PROFESSIONAL CLUE.
Hon. Dormon II. Eaton opposes a second
Term for Presidents.

The Professional club opened the season
of 1Sgl-02 with a very successful meeting.
held at the Brooks House on Monday even
| ing. Hon. Dorman b. Eaton, the essayst,
| took for his topic "a second term temp
| tatiOn to Presidents and a peril to the
| country His paper was a painstaking
and exhaustive treatment of the subject,
| both historically and otherwise. Going
back to the convention which framed our
constitution Mr.. Eaton showed how largely
discussion of the length of term of the
| President and the question of his eligibility
entered into the deliberations of that body.
| The subject was under discussion at inter
walls for period covering nearly the entire
summer. During its first stages the senti-
ment was strongly in favor of term of
six, seven or eight years in length. with a
| provision forbidling reelection. At the
very last, however, when the minds of the
members had been reduced to a sort of
chaotic state on this question. the senti-
ment changed and term of four years,
with eligibility to reelection was the result
the belief being that by means of election
| through the electoral college. instead of BY
a direct vote of the people, the possibility
of the use of official power to secure a
Presidents reelection, would be done away
with As we know. however. the opposite
has been the result and instead of the
| electors choosing a President they act
simply as the voice or agent of the people
or the political parties, behind them. Mr.
Eaton urged with great force that the ten
dency and effect under our present system
is to permit the President as the head Of
his party to build up a great partisan ma
chine for his own reelection. and to keep
his party in power. The $50, 600 postmast-
ers of the country, he urged, are part of
this machine. The 100000 pOst-oIice
! clerks and employees are used in the same
way and so with the customs house officials
and employees, and the other branches of
the civil service. More than this. the time
will come within the life Of men now living
when there will be 10000 postmasters in
the country and other government employees
in proportion, and the evil will be augment
ed to this extent. The paper was strong
and complete in its array of facts. in argu-
ment and in illustration.
Few papers read before the club have
called out more animated discussion. Many
of the speakers were inclined to disagree
with Mr.. Eaton as to the matter of forbid
ding the reelection of President. holding
that in this great office, as in lesser ones,
it should be left to the option of the people
to reward an able and faithful servant. by
continuing him in his Office more than one
term. There was a general agreement.
however, upon the fact that our present
presidential term is too short, and that
once in four years is too often to plunge
the whole country into the excitement of a
national canvass, temporarily disturbing
and even stopping almost entirely the or
binary course of business. At the cOncu.
sion OF the debate Mr.. Eaton replied with
great force, born of profound conviction, to
the objections which had been raised to the
positions taken by him.
The officers elected at the business
meeting for the ensuing term were: Presi-
dent. DIR. j. Draper; executive committee.
Rev. {. o. Day, Rev. \. ii. Webb. Com
mander \. ID. Brown.