The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-02-03


by an electoral college, with its limita-
tons as to the eligibility of electors,
adopted the Constitution as it stands,
in this particular, at the present time.
The Senator does not claim original
ity for his amendment. He simply
proposes to put an old proposition in
the way of adoption. In support of the
changes, he cites the testimony OF
many eminent statesmen, and the &C
ton of political assemblages, from
Jackson and his times to the present.
ton of the government many of our
ablest and most thoughtful public men
have favored an amendment to the
constitution prohibiting the reelection
of president" The scheme of an
electoral college has failed to remedy
the evils that were feared, if presi.
dent should be eligible to reelection.
The very agencies that the electoral
college was devised to exclude from
participation in the choice of a presi-
dent, have come in through the instru
mentality of the nominating conyen-
ton t. dominate the selection of a can
didatowheu the executive is an aspir1ut
for re-uomiuatou. Therefore Senator
Proctor, by the explicit prohibit on OF
the constitution, would put up The bars
against are-tlecdon. By-elieiDiity,"
he declares, is wrong in theory, Vi
cioua in practice, and there should be
definite prohibition against it,"
People who remember the circum-
stances OF the national election Of 1864,
and how important to the successful
prosecution of the War of the Rebel
lion the reelection of Lincoln was
deemed TO be, will anticipate the great
objection to an absolute prohibition of
re-eligibility. On this point Senator
Proctor says:
1.-THE greatest objection of which 1 am
aware to this proposed change is that 1t
might deprive us, in time of some great ma.
cional exigency, of the services OF leader
who seems to be peculiarly equipped to be
at the head of the Government. Such a
thing is possible, yet can hardly conceive
of an emergency in which one man, and one
man only, shall be fit to be at the head OF
the Government; and it is hard to believe
that an emergency will arise that will last
for more than six years, the term for which
President will be chosen under the pro-
posed amendment. 1t is impossible to per-
feet any detail of constitutional system so
that it may not work unfavorably in some
Constitutional aVatama how
ever, though intended to cover all exigen-
cies so far as possible, are designed more to
meet the every day life and existence of the
Government than some exceptional COM
plication that may never occur. The ques-
ton is how to safeguard the public inter-
ests in the most cases and in the largest
degree how to obtain the most disinter-
ested administration OF the Government
from day to day Of our national existence.
If single term with prohibition OF a second
will do that then we need not fear the
other. In this very connection DeTocque-
vile says that to reserve an expedient for
extraordinary perils, the country has been
exposed to daily dangers"
The business interests of the country
would be conserved by the change. On
this point the Senator argues with force
and quotes the subjoined remark, at
tributed to Mr.. Depew
every four years business is virtually
paralyzed for fully six months, partly on
account of the utter absorption of the peo-
Pile in the canvass and partly because such
issues are raised in the campaign that bust
ness conditions are bound to be affected by
the result. We have hardly recovered from
the effects OF one Presidential campaign
before we are plunged into the midst of
another. With a six-year term and con-
stitutional prohibition of reelection, we
would have President free during his
term OF Office from any temptation to use
his power in any way to secure renomina-
ton or reelection, and free also from the
suspicion of such an attempt, which is al
most as bad"
If the change might lengthen the
term of bad president, the change &C.
complished would carry with it its own
remedy in the increased care and de-
liberation in the selection of candidates.
The bad president, if one should be
be chosen, would be hedged about by
the laws and by Congress, and the ter
rors of impeachment, while the good
presidents policies would have the
longer time for their development, and
for the formation of just conclusions as
to their wisdom. Conditions have
changed since the constitution was
adopted, and the times demand that
some provisions of the constitution
should change with them. The modi-
fication proposed by Senator Proctor is
one of these changes, modification of
detail, mot of principle, and the Sem
ator supports his proposition with rea-
soning that is of conclusive force.
Respecting his secondary PROPOSE
tions Senator Proctor is equally forci.
BILE. He says:
The extension OF the terms of Represen-
tatives in Congress should go with the ex-
tension of the presidential term. The prac-
| teal benefits sure to result from this
| change and the advantages of it to legisla-
| ton are self evident. Now the Representa-
tives have hardly concluded their first ses-
| sion before they come up for reelection.
This long session must necessarily 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 imnOrtant new legislation ON lines