Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-07-25
FOR A THIRD TERM?
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SAID TO
BE PULLING WIRES.
Indications That He is Secretly Seek
ing a Observation-Disclosures of
William Jennings Bryan on
Democratic Party.

Is President Roosevelt secretly seek
Ing a denomination for a third term
in spite of his repeated declaration
that he stands on his statement given
to the public on election night In
1904? One can hardly believe the
president would do this thing, but the
evidence Is accommodating that he may
go back on his promises to the peo-
pie and to the aspiring politicians In
his own party. Nearly every promi-
nent man that visits the president
somehow comes away impressed with
the idea that President Roosevelt will
try to succeed himself. The general
eason given is that 1t is necessary for
him to again be a candidate to save
the party and to further carry out my
policies"
If this is all true, and on its face
1t appears to be, 1t opens up a serious
question for the Republican voters to
again settle which was thought to
have been previously settled when
Gen. Grant was refused a nomination
for a third term. Democrats are OPP
posed to third terms and no Demo
crat, however popular or able, would
undertake to attain what Washington
and Jefferson refused to consider.
There is a similarity between this
crisis in the history of the Republican
party and the Democracy, for the pro-
posal to renominate Mr.. Bryan as the
candidate for the third time, although
he was twice defeated at the polls,
verges on the third term issue. There
is, of course, this great difference
that Mr.. Bryan cannot use the power
of the presidential Office to further his
ambition, while Mr.. Roosevelt can and
is apparently doing so.
There is another parallel between
the existing conditions in the two par
ties, for there is a strong minority Of
the voters in each party opposed to
these two leading candidates. In the
case of Mr.. Bryan experience shows
that the opposition in his W party
is enough to defeat his election, and
Mr.. Roosevelt may find similar condi-
lions confront him If he runs for a
third term and the Democratic candi-
date Is n who can unite the voters
of that party.
AS Democrats, we have no political
influence with our Republican friends.
They must submit to the Roosevelt
domination or fight it. But we all
have a voice in selecting the Demo
cratic candidate, and the question OF
availability is a paramount one. Those
of us who admire Mr.. Bryan would be
doing him a grievous injury to aid in
nominating him for the third time,
If he is again to be defeated. That
would forever shelve him as far as
the presidency is concerned. But in
the happy event of Democratic sue
cess his commanding position in the
party would probably result in his be-
ing invited to a seat in the cabinet
and he would then be in line for sue
cession. Every Democrat can judge
how little or much the opposition to
Mr.. Bryan is in his state or section,
but he must consider that the election
depends upon the close or doubtful
states, and there is where a very small
disaffection determines results. For
instance, a change of one vote in a
hundred would have defeated the
Democratic candidates for state Off
GERS in New York at the last election,
except the candidate for governor,
who would perhaps have also been
elected, if he had not been the candi-
date of the Independent league, which
turned many Democrats from voting
for MI. Hearst, as the declarations of
the league were viewed by many as
too radical to indorse, and the league
was the creation of Mr.. Hearst, and
he was either the author or authorized
its declarations.
. ..It