Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-05-27
SECOND TERM PRECEDENTS

lDe new i OIk sun says
"Since the adoption of the federal
Constitution there have been twenty
six Presidential elections. The Presi-
dental Office has been filled thirty
times, counting the four times when
death caused Vice President to be-
come President. Nineteen men have
been elected to the Presidency, of
whom seven have been reelected and
twelve have not received that honor.
But of the twelve, three, WILLIAM
HENRY HARRISON, TAYLOR, and
GARFIELD died during their terms of
Office, and the term of one, BENJAMIN
HARRISON, has not yet expired, so
that in any computation as to what
national custom has been in this mat
ter, their names should be stricken from
the list. 1t thus appears that of fifteen
Presidents who might possibly have
been reelected, seven were reelected
and eight were not. But of the eight
at least one, President HAYES, an
nounced positively at the outset that
under no circumstances would he ac-
cept the office for a second term. So
we find that of the fourteen
who may be considered in
some sense candidates for a second
term, seven were successful and seven
unsuccessful. So far, then, as pre-
cedent goes, we may say it is an evenly
balanced question whether the country
will choose twice the President whom
1t chooses once.
In this calculation we have not
taken into account the four men, TY-
LER, FILLMORE, JOHNSON, and AR
THUR, who filed the Presidential
chair by the death of their chiefs.
These four men were all candidates, in
one sense or another, for the succession
to themselves. None were successful,
and, without now entering upon any
discussion of their merits, it is enough
to say that in each instance the fact
that the people had not elected the in
cumbent to the higher Office, but that
prize had fallen to him through sad
calamity, operated to prevent the real
ization Of whatever dreams were cher
ished of a new lease of power. For
present purposes their names, therefore,
must be left out of account.
1t Is fact worthy of note that of the
seven reflections five took place within
the first forty-six years after Washing
toms Inauguration. In other words,
out Of fourteen presidential elections
since 1882 only two have been re-elec-
tons, and of seven presidents who
We're in some sense candidates for re-
election during this latter period only
two were successful. Therefore 1t may
be said that while, taking the century
as a whole, precedents are even, during
the first half the ratio of reflections to
failures was as five to three, and during
the p,st fifty years 1t has been as two
to six.
Nevertheless, there are some counter
considerations to be taken into account
before drawing the positive conclusion
that the tendency Of national senti.
ment has been toward single term
1t will be found that nearly every fail.
ure Of president to be reelected dur
ing the past fifty years was due tC
some special cause that had apparently
no connection with the question
whether or not two terms ought OF
principle to be discountenanced
Where public sentiment has strongly
turned away from the party in power
that reason explains everything. Sucl
was the case when Martin Van BureI
failed of reelection in 1910 an,
Grover Cleveland in 1888. James X
Pc k i'm 1S4S declined re- nomination
though there was reason to believ
that party jealousies and disappoini
ments, caused by the setting aside O
all prominent candidates before til
convention four years previously an,
the choice Of such an exceedingl,
''dark horse" warned him that hope
Of further presidential honors would b
vain. Almost exactly the same thin
may be said Of the Democratic party
substitution Of another candidate 70
franklin Pierce in 1856. James Blu
chanan in 1850 was unavailable becaus
he had taken the anti-Douglas side O
the Kansas question.
These explanations, with those pre-
viously given, account for all cases duI
ing the past half century in which
president has tailed to be chosen for
second term. 1t cannot be fairly sal
that the history of the country afford
any decision as to the questio
whether or not 1t Is well to restrict gu
chief magistrates TO one term eact
xx.1 L 4 LII. Z.