The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-08
!. CLEVELAND AND I'll
 THIRp-TERM RuGAHoo.
THE

~~S@~- A@~&S&>A ~ @SS~AS~Ss It was to have been expected that The Atlanta Constitution would not take kind ly to the movement for Mir. Cieveland's g nomination. The Constitution was never an admirer of the Sage of Prince ton." and since the beginning of his sec- ond term. when he passed by The Consti- tuition and went across to The Atlanta Journals ofice for a member of his cab inet. our esteemed contemporary has usually been quite severe in its criti- cisms.
 In the present situation our contempo- rary finds itself bound to admit that he is very wise man and that he has of late been making a number of admiral ble deliverances on the questions of the day. It says:
 It is but fair to all around for us to say mat our opinion of MT. Cleveland's posi- Iion as a Democrat of today has been i'm proved considerably by his recent utter ances upon the negro, the trusts and the foreign and insular questions that are yet unsettled issues in the nations politics For most of them The Constitution has voiced an approval as ardent and sincere as any of his admirers could wish. That ne has many elements of strength as a personal quantity and party factor we do not deny. Under conditions other than those the, party must face in 1904 Mir Cleveland might be properly regarded as a great enough Democrat and strong enough in doubtful sections to be our most available candidate.
 But The Constitution frowns on the movement for MT. Clevelands nomination. and, Of course, has to find an excuse for its opposition. That excuse is the third term bugaboo. Here is its objection:
 Neither MT. Cleveland nor any other man Tn any political party, in our judg- ment, can break down the popular n-e ili- dice against third-termism-whic is n large span toward 'impcriaiisn-and be elected third time to the Presidency
 Let those who wish to become registered on the roll of faithful Democrats abjure instantly this mushroom third-term talk and combine in the great patriotic duty of bringing all wise opponents of Republi- cahlsm into q soly phalanx. Then it should be easy for the imminence of vic. tory to produce the man Of the hour--the Democrat whose record as such is un- questionable, whose loyalty to the party Tn any event Is unlmpea acha ble and whose wisdom prudence and patriotism, will guarantee him to honest reform voters as the Cincinnatus of the first national emergency of the twentieth century.
 Now it is curious thing to see Dem ocratic paper making that argument. MT.
 Hanna and The Chicago Tribune. the leading Republican paper of the West.
 have been using it for lack of anything | else to say against the formidable figure | that looms up in the Republican path. It
 is curious fact that third term talk is
 cutting very little figure in the general l discussion of the question. We have read | pages of comments on the Cleveland
 boom. and very little ot the third term l bugaboo has been seen. Very likely most l Of It will come from those inside Demo- | cratic ranks who prefer some one else
 than Mir. Cleveland as the nominee. The third term idea, however. does not | seem to be bothering the rank and file l Of the party. The public apparently has already dismissed the objection as not valid, since 1t was never intended that the same person should not occupy the office three times. but that he shouId
 have no more than two consecutive terms.
 the purpose being to guard against the
 use of the office for the securing of con
 secutive terms. Were MT. Cleveland to
 be elected in 1904, when he assumes office
 there will have been an interregnum of
 eight years between his last and new
 terms. The unwritten law in its intent will not have been violated.
 The situation is entirely different from
 that in 1876, when General Grant was
 beaten for the nomination to a third com
 secutive term. General Grant was a mill
 itary hero, and the people were naturally
 alarmed at the prospect of military des-
 potism. MT. Cleveland is not a military
 man, and he Is rot occupying the vantage
 ground of incumbency to pull the wires
 for third term.
 | The people are taking a common-sense
 view of the situation, and hence the de-
 mand for his leadership is growing loud
 and strong. They are for him, not only
 because they remember his record in the
 office, but because they believe he is the
 only man to win. They nominated him in
 1892 against the machinations of the Sen
 atorial junta and most of the political
 leaders, and they may do so again.
 The Constitution might as well drop the
 third term bugaboo. There is no logic in
 1t, and the rank and file of the party are | aax,in