Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-06-16
THE THIRD TERM.

The President has put an end forever
to the third term nonsense. MI
Mckinley declares that under no pos
sible circumstances would he accept a
nomination for a third term. These
words are so absolute and decisive
that those who have been saying that
the opposition to a third term is only
superstition" which will be set
aside in 1904, will be shamed into sub
sidence. 1t is safe to say that not a
hundred persons out of the 10000 0ON
people in the United States took the
Depew and Grosvenor Stiffness serious
ly, The American people are op
posed to a third term for any Presi-
dent, and Mr.. Mckinley stands with
the people on this idea as he does on
most other questions of national con-
cern. To this issue there is only one
side. The great mass of the Republi-
cans stanu with the rest of the people
Of the United States in opposition to a
third term for anybody under any con-
ceivable conditions.
In 1875 the House of Representatives
at the instance of Springer, of Illinois,
passed a resolution that, lin the opin-
ion of this House, the precedent estab
lished by Washington and other Presi-
dents of the United States in retiring
from the presidential office after their
second term, has become, by universal
concurrence, a part of our republican
system of government, and that any
departure from this time-honored Gus
tom would be unwise, unpatriotic, and
fraught with peril to our free institu-
TONS The vote stood 234 for the res
olution to 1S against it. The great
bulk of the Republicans in that Demo-
cratic House voted with the Democrats
for the resolution. The Republican
convention in that robustly Republi-
can state of Pennsylvania. in 1875,
passed a resolution declaring that their
party in Pennsylvania was "unalter-
ably opposed to the election to the
presidency of any person for a third
term" These resolutions. of course
were melted by the attempt Of a few
of President Grants Officious friends
to get him a third nomination. When
the Republican national convention in
Chicago in 1880 defeated Grant for the
domination it killed third-termism as
dead as Appomatox killed the doc
trife of secession.
For many years TO come at least
the country will hear no more about
a third term for any President, The
pretense of Depew and Grosvenor that
the conditions at this time were so abb
normal that a departure from the two
term restriction would be justified is
absurd There is nothing abnormal
about the present condition in the
United States. By electing a new
President in 1904 the country will not
be swapping horses in crossing
stream. The stream has been crossed
The politics which the country has
now, and which it is likely to have in
the near future, can be dealt with sat
isfactorily by any man whom the peo-
pie of the United States think we'll
enough of to elect. The war issues of
1S98-1900 have been met and settled.
Four out of every five of the people of
the United States are satisfied with the
course which has been taken by the Nc
Kinley administration on the questions
growing out of those conflicts. The
territory gained in 1898 will be held.
1t will be governed on the lines which
have been laid down in the past two
years. Torto Rico will soon be erected
into d territory, and put well on the
road toward statehood. Cuba the
chances are that the island
by the consent of the in
habitants, will be annexed TO the
United States before the end of the
present presidential term. The Filipi-
nos will get better government than
they would have if they were permit
ted to set up an Independent regime
for themselves. Americas policy on
all these lines has been fixed, and the
man to carry out this policy for the en-
suing four or eight years will be taken
from the ranks of the people in 1904.