Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-01-13
in the sesArr.
Mr.. Proctor's Speech on Bill for Election q
President and Senators.

floor in his bill for the election Of Presi.
dent and senators.
Senator Proctor of Vermont claimed
that Il longer Presidential term ana IN
eligibility for reelection are more III ac'
cord with the ideas and purposes 81 the
trainers of the constitution than Is tht
present system as II has developed ~
practical results, and that by lengthen'
ing the terms of representatives to three
| years laws will be better considered and
| will have longer and fairer trial be-
fore their friends go out of power IN
Congress.
If President. he said. aspires to a
| second term-and the best Presidents
usually have so aspired-his acts and his
esarily influenced and colored by that
fact And If perchance he does not as,
pre to reelection. he is still hampered
by the fact of the constitutional posi-
bility of such recollection His most I'M
selfish and patriotic acts will be changed
by some to that ambition, whether he
entertains it or not. 1t promotes cap
tious criticism. II induces distrust of the
Presidents disinterestedness and patriot
ism. and 1t belittles and detracts from
the dignity of the office itself. And not
only does ii weaken the President and
his administration at home. but the pos
| sibility of re-eligibility actually weak
ems the effectiveness of our foreign pol
| icy.
| in the beginning of our present Ven
| ezuelan crisis the most common com
ment abroad upon the patriotic position
1 i
| an electioneerng dodge. Thus does the
| world discount an official expression of
| the patriotic sentiment of our people, pc
in v o , S th re!aen Outside OF a
| world also has become accustomed 10
look to that fact for the deepest motives
| of a Presidents actions.
| Re-elgibility is wrong in theory, vic
| ious in practice. and there should be a
definite prohibition against it,.
| The greatest objection of which ! am
lou n cod flt 10 hnt
might deprive us. in time of some great
| national exiSency. of the services of a
| leader who seems to be peculiarly
equipped to be AT the head of the gov
eminent. Such a thing is possible, yet |
can hardly conceive of an emergency in
which one man. and one man only. snail
| he fit to be at the head of the govern
| ment: and 1t is hard 10 believe that an
| emergency Will arise that will last for
more than six years, the term for which
| "a President will be chosen under the
| proposed amendment
TO the objection that re-eiiGibiity is an
| incentive to good administration and
answer that such an argument is as
| strong for re-eligibility to third term.
and strong for re-eligibility to
| fourth. There must be some final admin
| istration In which such incentive ioses
| its force. and IL may as well be the first.
| Frequent presidential elections disturb
| the business interests OF the country,
| which in their present complicated con-
ditions have become very sensitive to
| changes. The unrest and look of conf
| dcnce in business circles truthfully re
fleet the uncertainty of the result Of
| each election.
| Frequent Presidential elections disturb
campaign. and the expense incident
thereto. are matters of no small mo-
ment aside from III" disastrous effects
upon business interests. | realize that
campaign funds are enveloped in "a haze
| of ohscurity, and that in speaking Of
| them | am treading upon delicate
ground but 1t is safe TO say that The
expense of a campaign has increased
| many fold in the last ~ years. Grants
| first campaign fund is said to have been
| Sl5oooo. hat now it would require more
| figures TO express the amount devoted to
| campaign purposes.
| 1t has been suggested that the change
might lengthen the term of bad Presi-
dent. but there Is not so much strength
/ in the objection as there might seem. We
| have not often. If ever. had bad Presi-
| dents. and there would he much less
danger OF getting one with six-year
| term than there Is now with the four
| year term. for there would be longer
| time for the policy of the preceding ad-
| ninistration to have fair trial. and be
approved or condemned by the deliberate
| judgment of the people and there would
| be much less danger of hasty political
| revulsions. If We were so unfortunate
| as to have an undesirable President who
| did not command the confidence and re-
spect of the people his power would
soon be checked by the compression n
and senatorial elections. and if we wer,-
so unfortunate as to have "a corrupt
President a calamity which has never
| yet occurred. he would always De sub
| iect to impeachment
| 1t seems to have been the experience
| of good number of the states that long
| terms for their executive officers dre de-
| sirable. Eleven of the states-CdlIfornia
Connecticut. Delaware. Indiana Mary
land. Mississippi, Pennsylvania. South
Carolina. Vermont, Virginia and West
Nirsinia-have heightened the terms of
their governors from what they orig
inally We're. while of the eight states
which formerly had gubernatorial terms
of one year. Massachusetts and Rhode
Island only hold to the practice.
believe that the people are becom.rs
| more and more dissatisfied with havic.:
he high office of President used. or hav-
ing it possible to use it. to prolong ia
| incumbent's tenure. They are becom-
ing more and more dissatisfied with
seeing Presidential campaigns run from
the White House. 1t will be tried lust
as long as 1t Is possible. 1t will only
cease when the Congress and the states
by constitutional amendment return to
the spirit of the constitution and the
original plan of the trainers. Then no
personal ambition of a Chief Magis-
trate can ever compete with his ambi-
tlon TO serve his country we'll and leave
an honorable record for his administra-
ton.
The extension of the terms of repre-
SentatlNeS IN Congress should go with the
extension of the Presidential term. rhe
practical benefits sure to result from this
GSnainge ana the advantages of it to legis-
sentatives have hardly concluded their
first session before they come up for re-
election. This long session must neces-
sarily become longer with the growth of
the country. The legislation of the long
session has had no trial. and often. /
may say usually. in the case of important
new legislation on lines of party policy
there is IA popular reaction before IL can
have fair trial Then comes the shoIt
session. In which little is done except to
pass appropriation bills.
With a three years term. instead of the
present Unfortunately long session, there
would be two sessions, unlimited by the
end Of Congress, and of more moderate
duration. which would practically nearly
double the time for deliberation and con-
slderate legislation. The laws of the first |
session would have been in operation for
q year or more, which would give time
for a fairer trial and consideration by the
people. with much less danger of too
nasty legislation and too hasty CON
demnation of laws when once made-a
danger to which the country is more ana
more subjected as it grows older
Mr.. Mills speaking on the Cuban mat
ter. repudiated with horror and indig-
nation the statement of the President
That the people of the United States
looked with admiration upon the efforts
made by Spain to suppress the Cuban