Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-06-19
Will NOT Run AGAIN.
M'klNLEY Woul DECLINE A
THIRD NOhilt 1ATlON.
President Writes a Formal Statement
Saying He would Not Acce pit Anoth-
err Nomination if 1t We're rendered
Washington snecial.

Washington special:
President Mckinley says he is not a
| candidate for third term and that he
would not accept a nomination if it were
| rendered him. A formal signed state
ment to this effect was issued at the
close of the cabinet meeting Tuesday af-
ternooR. The statement was written by
! the President himself. He prepared II
Monday, discussed its contents at al in
formal meeting of the cabinet AMI al ter
anne ading a few clauses at The regular
cabinet meeting Tuesday morning decid-
ed to make it public. In this decision he
was seconded by every member Of the
cabinet as well as by others of his POI
litical and personal friends with whom
| he discussed the adyisability of taking an
| unequiyocal position in regard to the
third term talk which has been running
IN the newspapers of the country for sew
| eral weeks. 1t is only fair to the Presi-
dent to say that the language of his
statement leaves little doubt about his
sincerity. 1t would have been difficult
for him to have written letter which
would have presented his views in plain
er terms. He says, among other things:
| long-settled conviction, that not only
am not and viii not be candidate for
third term, but would not accept the
nomination for it if it We're rendered me"
Startles the Politicians.
President Mckinley's letter comes as
startling surprise TO office holders and
politicians and everybody who is directly
or remotely interested in his future plans
Until he submitted draft of the letter
to his cabinet Monday night possibly
only three persons in Washington knew
that he contemplated taking the public
into his confidence regarding his desire
at the end of his present term. One of
this trio was his secretary, Mr.. Cortel-
you. Another was Secretary Long, to
whom he communicated a statement Of
the contents of the letter during drive.
The third is Comptroller Dawes, who
learned about the Presidents contemplate
cd move during an hours walk through
| - paths of the White House lot. The
other members of the cabinet were, to
state their emotions without exaggera-
tiop, simply dumfounded when the Presi-
dent informed them what he was about
to do.
Nobody in Washington pretends to be
able to fathom the Presidents motive for
making the announcement at this dis
lance from the next Republican national
convention except on the hypothesis that
he found the third term gossip was gain
ing strength and vitality at such rate
owing TO the avidity with which the
politicians and newspapers of the country
seized upon it--that he could not longer
afford to ignore it.
So far as public opinion can be judged
by the sentiment in Washington, approx
al of the Presidents course is unanimous.
No one doubts that Mckinley means ex-
actly what he says. and so far as Wash
iugton officials and politicians are con-
cerned, there will be no further talk of
his denomination. Other candidates will
now come to the front, and all the incipi-
ent presidential booms will be given a
chance to initiate.
House Opposed to Third Term.
There IS not only the unwritten law
against third terms for Presidents, but
| there is on file the expression OF the
| House of Representatives against it.
| This was adopted by the House in the
Forty fourth Congress, just before Nc
Kinley was elected a member of that
body.
In the beginning of the Forty-fourth
Congress- on Dec Is, 1875, Congressman
William NJ. Springer of Illinois intro
duced the following resolution, which WIS
adopted by vote of 233 yeas to is nays,
50 not voting.
Resolved That In the opinion Of this
House. the precedent established by Wash
ington aud other Presidents of the United
States, in retiring from the Presidential
| office after their second term, has become,
| by universal concurrence, a part of our re-
| publican system of government, and that
any departure from this time-honGred Gus
| tom would be unwise. Unpatriotlc, and
fraught with peril to our free Institutions.
The House was Democratic, and the
resolution would have been adopted
| whether the Republicans voted for it or
not. But few of them T-oted against it,
| and there was no debate. Among those
| who voted for it was James Wilson. now
Secretary of Agriculture in President Me-
Kinley's cabinet.