Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-08-20
BORAH IN FIGHT
ON 6-YEAR TERM
Senator Maintains President
Should Remain So Long as
He Satisfies People.
CURLING RIGHTS MENACE
Fails to Know of Anything Transpir-
ing to Show That Plan of
Government Is Wrong.

Washington, Aug Ex-senator Borah
OF Idaho, in the senate today spoke
against the proposed amendment to the
constitution limiting the presidential
term to six years and making the presi-
dent Ineligible for reelection. He said
he would like to know what there was
In the present situation which should
prohibit man serving his country so
long as his acts and character com
manded the support and approval of
the majority of his countrymen. He
asked If anything had yet transpired in
the more than 100 years experience
that would indicate that the present
plan OF government was defective and
expressed doubt that the supposed de-
tects OF the plan would be eliminated
by the proposed change.
MUST TEST THE MAN.
No one knows until a man has been
an incumbent in that great ONCE 1.-THE
presidency in what manner he will
meet its great responsibilities or how
wisely he may exercise it's great
power, said Senator Borah. But al
the end of four years the record lies
open to all. The wisdom or want OF
! wisdom, the poise or want of poise,
the understanding or the lack of un.
Outstanding, the duties of the office,
everything which a thoughtful and
considerate people engaged in the
grave task of choosing a chief magis
trate needs TO know can be known.
! We must certainly be prepared al
all times to assert and successfully
maintain that the strength and virtue
of our individual citizenship is the
measure OF the strength and virtue OF
/ the government itself. To assert "a
! the contrary is 70 assert that repre-
sentative government has an inherent
and inCurable defect"
! Senator Borah said that If the PEG
pie, in the exercise of the franchise
could not reject a dangerous man c:
continue in office a useful man, theI
the whole affair must terminate in 6
wreck.
NO form of free government" con
tinued the senator, mo scheme of so
cial pUlity can ever be devised by
which you can make a strong and eff
cient and powerful government on
of incompetent and irresponsible Cit
zens. The power which is to keep THU
government going. which is to suppl.
il with vitality and strength and dur
ability must be found outside of tn,
mere technical forms OF government
outside the formal statutes and con
} stitution; 1t must be found among tn
/ people-when il is not found there
there is no hope elsewhere
TRUSTS PUBLIC CONSCIENCE.
Senator Borah declared that the vita
principle of representative government
is that the representative should re
turn at stated periods for the apprOva
or rejection of the people, the COZ
elusive presumption being that in tn
form of public conscience We have nc
only the highest but the wisest TT
bunal to which we can apply in S
grave a matter. If the judgment @
30.000,0OO of people expressed unde
, the orderly forms of procedure are nc
, TO be accepted, to wha: arbiter sha
! We go? If it shall be charged that
o man has become over-smb bilious, tht
= his plans seem TO threaten the stabi
fly of our institutions, 10 whom ca
We submit that proposition than I
those in whose keeping are all the II
/ situations under the f1ag?"
( The senator said arguments for
T. longer term were advanced as pie
3 for business tranquility. He said ma
e velOus strides had been made in III
:. industrial world and that bushes