The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1896-05-15
No Third Term for Any
President.

| AGOI0NhGs
Rotation in the Office of Presi.
dent Is at the root of our national
existence. 1t Is at once the foun'
dation and the elimination of our
political principles. 1t is an essen
tial idea of u democratic govern
ment, something Of which the Unit
ed States is proud to feel itself the
foremost illustration. 1t has been
the shining honor Of the Democrat
ic party, the single political organ
ization which has come down to us
from the beginning of the Govern
ment, that il has stood as the chief
bulwark of this principle and all
IL represents. While the rule
against the third term was first
promulgated by Washington, it re-
ceived its fullest and most philo-
sophical exposition and its most
decisive confirmation by three
Democratic occupants of the White
House, beginning with Thomas
Jefferson. II has happened also
that the first deliberate effort to
elect favored politician for II
third term arose in the Republican
party, Grant being the candidate; /;
and on this, the single occasion in
which 1t has been necessary that u
great public protest should he made
to defend the precedent set by
Washington and his successors. it
happened to be a Democratic House
of Representatives which spoke,
although, to their everlasting cred.
1t, the Republicans spoke with
them by an overw helming major
ity of their own members.
In 1880 the friends of Gen. Grant
undertook to nominate him for a
third term, as the strong man re-
quired for the country's good. The
more timid and shameful of his ad-
vOcates pretended that it would
not be u third consecutive term,
four years of private life for Grant
having elapsed since his second
term had ended. The House of
Representatives of the Forty-fourth
Congress, Democratic, patriotic,
and undeceived, brushed aside this
specious apology, and formally, in
following resolution, fixed Wash
ington's and Jefferson's inspired
policy upon the records of the ma
tional Legislature:
In the opinion of this House, the
precedent established by Wash
ington and other Presidents of the
United States, in retiring from the
Presidential office after their sec
ond term, has become by universal
part of our republi-
can system of government, and any
departure from this time-honored
custom would lie unwise, unpatri-
otto and fraught with peril to our
free institutions"
The solid Democratic strength
in the House that day, in all 23i,
voted for this resolution, together
with II Republicans out OF 95. The
Republicans were not recreant,
even though the third term candi-
date came from their own house
hold. So nearly unanimous was
the vote that II may I've called truly
II non-partisan expression of Amer
lean sentiment.
Among the supporters Of the res
Dlution there were enough men
whose names are still on the
tongues of our generation to bring
heir action vividly before us now
" the Democrats there were Alb
'aham S. Hewitt, Samuel S. Cox,
Scott Lord, and j. G. Schumacher
If New York; William Mutchler Of
Pennsylvania; Frank Jones of New
hampshire, William II. Morrison,
Adlai Il. Stephenson, w. NJ. Spring
,r, and Scott Wike of Illinois; Hen
y r. Payne, Lawrence Il. Neal and
Milton Sayler of Ohio; j. II. Blount
VI. A. Gambler, w. III. FELTON,, and
Benjamin Hill, of Georgia; d. b.
Roger @. Mills, and
lanes II. Reagan of Texas; j. c. S.
Blackburn, j. p. Knott, and G. w.
'Iilliken OF Kentucky; Richard L.
Bland and w. ii. Stone OF Missou-
i; Eppa Hutton and j. Randolph
Fucker of Virginia; Charles j.
of West Virginia; Robert
}. Vance of North Carolina; VIM.
J. Holman of Indiana; w. II. For
le> of Alabama; II. ID. Money of
Iississippi; and also the iron hero
# the Force bill fight Of 1872, the
nan Of all others whose strength
md achievements the war-stricken
Democracy was built up again.
Jackson Randall of Pen NJ
ylvania.
Adlai Il. Stevenson is now the
Vice. President of the United
states; Payne, Hill, Culberson,
Mills, Reagan, Blackburn, Faulk-