The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-04
No Third Term.
Chicago Tribune.

Chicago Tribune.
The Tribune is not for the renomlra'
tion and collection of President Roose-
welt. It does not even favor his olec'
tion to what some of his admirers choose
to call "second elective term
There are a number Of reasons why
the Tribune is not in favor Of Roose"
welt s reelection.
One of them is that he has solemnly
declared that he WILL under no clrcun,
stances, accept another term II III shoulu
be offered TO him-that he would not
be candidate or permit nomination
to be forced upon him.
In this we think the President rs
wise. While he has not served two full
terms. he has had seven years OF the
Presidency, and if he were 60 be elected
for another term would serve more
years than Washington or any other
President. He has had seven laborious
and useful years in the White House,
and has more than met the Just cS-
pectations of his countrymen. His fame
could not be greater than 1t is. lie
could not mt the end of another four
years term be any more popular or
more firmly intrenched in the affections
of his countrymen.
President Roosevelt is amazingly
popular, The railroad men do not like
L
in finance think he might be improved
upon. Even Mr.. G. b. NJ. Harvey has
visited upon him tokens of his dis
approval But 1T is only necessary TO
20 about the streets. on the railroad
trains. and in places of public assem-
blage to discover that President Roose-
welt is as highly regarded by his coun"
tryIMen at the present moment as he
ever was.
The Tribune is opposed on principle
to the third term. 1t risked much In
1850 when it opposed the denomination
of General Grant for a third time. IL
would risk as much in 1908 if it should
become necessary to oppose the renom-
nation Of President Roosevelt under
similar conditions.
The Tribune. for one, is not willing
to admit that there is but one man IN
the United States who is capable of
serving as President. There are
so 100000 people here, and among them
ali there must be more than one who
is fit to occupy the White House and
discharge the duties Of the Chief Mag.
istratc. We believe that there must be
more than dozen in the Republican
party alone.
Moreover it is by no means certain
that the denomination of President
Roosevelt for a third term would be
followed by an election. The Tribune
may be mistaken on this subject, but
it believes there is deep, abiding feel
ing among the people that two terms
are enough for any man. Part Of this
feeling may be latent. 1t may y-not have
bsen aroused. 1t would be when the
campaign came on if n popular candi-
date should be opposed to Mr., Roose-
welt on the other side, II would be
proclaimed that we were tending to"
ward imperialism, and We would be.
If the tradition IN regard to the third
term should be broken down there is
no reason why it should not be fol
as Mr.. Roosevelt is comparatively a
young man, he might continue TO be
elected for several terms more.
The people are not ready for that.
They believe a change in the White
House is a good thing, as we'll as a
change in other political offices. In
deed. the superstition that the life
tenure for Judges is an admirable thing
is rapidly dying out, There are objec-
tions to ii which have been sufficiently
demonstrated in England and sometimes 8
Federal Judges has it's drawbacks.
There are some Federal Judges who
should not be in Office today, and who
would not be if it were question
either of reelection or reappointment.
\ long term and large salary, as in
New York, would be preferable TO the
life term. A life tenure seems to be
an invitation to the arbitrary use of
power, and sometimes to laziness, self
indulgence. and self f-exploitation, in
stead of devotion to business.
No man is good enough to be Presi-
dent forever, and the Tribune, for one,
will not admit that among the $4,000, 900
people in the United States there is
not one so good as Theodore Roosevelt
who may be chosen to succeed him in
the White House.