The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1907-12-18
THIRD TERN TALK
ENDED
President Roosevelt Issues a Statement
Reiteratiug His Declaration Made
Three Years Ago.

Washington, December 11.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt will not be a candidate
for a third term. All doubt on this
point was dispelled today by the au-
thorized statement from the White
House that Mr.. Roosevelt still adhered
to the declaration made three years
ago. In the statement issued tonight
President Roosevelt says he has not
changed, and shall not change, the de-
cision communicated to the public in
1904.
1t appears that the president has been
awaiting the call for the Republican
National Convention to afford the
proper opportunity for making his POI
sition clear and unmistakable, and thus
leave the field clear for Fairbanks,
Taft, Cannon, Knox, Foraker and other
declared or receptive candidates for the
Republican nomination. The presi-
dents statement follows:
"On the night after the election l
made the following announcement: Il
am deeply sensible of the honor done
me by the American people in thus ex-
pressing their confidence in what l have
tried to do. l appreciate to the full
the solemn responsibility this confidence
imposes upon me, and 1 shall do all that
in my power lies not to forfeit it. On
the fourth Of March next l shall have
served three and a half years, and this
three and a half years constitute my
first term. The wise custom which
limits the president to two terms re-
CARDS the substance, and not the form,
and under no circumstances will be a
candidate for or accept another nomi-
nation
81 have not changed, and shall not
change, the decision thus announced"
Among the Democrats who comment
ed on the presidents statement was
Senator Tillman, who said:
This is by way of documentary evil
dence that the president has seer the
handwriting on the wall. 1t means that
Bryan will be the next president of the
United States. Roosevelt is the only
POooioiS bNCPuuICdl CdIluludIS VINO
could be considered formidable"
MIR. John Sharp Williams, leader of
the minority in the House, said:
II believe l am one of the few Demo-
Gratis in public life in the country who
has been saying all along that the presi-
dent would not run for a third time. l
believed he had too much knowledge of
history to run the risk of threatening
republican institutions with p~erpetuity
of tenure in the presidency. l also
thought that he was a man of so much
pride that yer if he had come to re-
greet his after-election utterances he
would still stand to his word. l think
the third term issue would have made
Mr.. Roosevelt the weakest man the
Republican party could have nominated,
notwithstanding the fact that he is per-
sonally the most popular Republican in
the country today"
Representative Hardwick, of Geor-
gia, said: 81 think it means a triumph
for the reactionary element in the Re-
publican party, and a good chance for
the Democrats to win."
Representative Bartlett, Of Georgia,
said: "It means a different candidate
and a different platform. l think the
Republicans will nominate a mar on an
entirely different platform, and put in
to the platform those things which
would not have been put in had Roose-
welt stood for the nomination"