New-York tribune., 1902-03-21
TR. ADANS'S LETTER.
Adams Building. No. - Court-st-,
po-+o,, .F,r~E, II 1000


Nv Dear NJ Bieelow. Thanks for your letter
If the 18th.
The plan. as YOU express it, Of graduating eX-
Presidents directly into the Federal Senate for
ufe" is one which has long been a faTorite
theory with me II is 2 method Of political
utilization Of valuable material. otherwise lost
which entirely CommendS itself 10 my judgment
The best way always of considering such
proposition is 10 look at II historically- Con
sider. therefore. for moment, what would have
been the practical result had this theory been
enrrafted into the original constitution, What
has been the result from its not being engrafted
there
Had il been engrafted there. Washington
would have been an ex-offico member Of the
Senate for three years. John Adams would
have been ore fer twenty five years jefferson
would have hoen one for seventeen years. |
cannot from memory. speak in regard to Mon
rre and Madison They both would have been
Senator'S for number of years. That they
would have been valuable as such goes without
saving
Then follows J o Adams; and. as YOU know,
he was in the national councils for sixteen years
after being retired from the Presidential chair.
Whether his services there We're Of value or
otherwise is not for me to say 7 think how
ever incur no risk in saying that in the popu
lar judgment and from the public point of
view those were the most valuable years Of his
life
Jackson would have been about six years
Senator. Van Buren about twenty-five years.
The terms Of office Of the succeeding Presi-
dents would all have been short. Coming at
once 10 more recent days. there is now but one
ex-President alive. another having recently
died Few would be found in the whole land
who would hesitate 70 say that the services Of
neither Grover Cleveland nor Benjamin Harri-
1.r = he
interests were one Of them in the Senate now,
and had the other been there until his death.
HAVING therefore. considered what might
have been hsd this scheme been enGrafted
On the original constitution. let
Fder what has been. We have lost absolutely
the value Of the ripe experience, great abilities
and strong sense of patriotism Of such men
Washington. John Adams Jefferson, Madison.
Monroe Jackson. Van Buren, Grover Cleveland
and benjamin Harrison. In more than one in
stance. too, these eminent citizens were cut off
from public utility at the maturity Of their
powers. and during the best years Of their lives
as cuunseuors. while. in more than case.
they themselves have been not only without
cUpatiOu, hut practically without means-ob-
jects almost OF public charity. in the cases of
jefferson and Monroe indeed. actually so.
Such IS the historical statement of the case.
Now. consider for moment what possible in
jury could result On the one hand, a dignifed
and adequate provision would be made for our
ex-Presidents, in such a way that the country
would be assured or tnelT services and counsel.
On the other hand experience has shown that
there never would have been more than three,
at the outside. Senators for life and. as a rule
but one To-day. for instance there would be
just one, and THAI one eX-PT6sdent Cleveland.
The mere statement of the case seems 10 me
20 carry conviction. We all know how difficult
il is 10 engraft anything on to the constitution.
Nevertheless. the only argument that could be
advanced against this prop0sifi0n is that the
thing never has been; therefore il is undesirable
Il ever should be.
submit that this argument is not entitled TO
serious consideration. Believe me. etc.
CHARLES F. ADAMS
The Hon John Biselow. No. II Gramercy Park
New York City.