The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1912-03-13
Nicely Reduced to a PoIit-
icaI Basis.
HOW MANY CUPS SuFF|CE2
Absurd Excuses for a Third
Term Given by Teddy's
MOuthpiece.
DEFINING A VERY BAD HABIT

In an editorial, of which II will
not soon hear the last, The Outlook
attempts to explain away the incon-
sistency between eX-President
Roosevelt's declarations against a
third term and his present willing
ness to accept a third term. 1t will
be remembered that in 1904, after
being assured of his election, Mr..
Roosevelt issued the following
statement:
ION the 4th of March next l
shall have served three and a half
years, and this three and q half
years constitute my first term. The
wise custom which limits the Pres
ident to two terms, regards the sub
stance and not the form, and under
no circumstances will l be a candi-
date for or accept another nomina-
ton"
Three days later Mr.. Roosevelt
said: 81 have not changed, and
shall not change, that decision thus
announced"
The remuneration of the third
term is now embarrassing and Mr..
Roosevelt's spokesman, the Out
look, has undertaken to dissolve
the inconsistency in coffee. II says:
'In Mr.. Roosevelt's specific case
it is sometimes said that his state
In hn
would not accept another nomina-
ton would make his acceptance of a
nomination this year inconsistent.
What Mr.. Roosevelt said in 1904
and 1907 referred, of course. to a
consecutive third term. Mr.. Roose-
welt believes, although we do not
share his belief, that the settled
policy of this country makes a third
consecutive Presidential term for
any man impolitic, II not improper;
but the Outlook has a better APP
probation of his intelligence than
to suppose that he had in 1904 or
has now, the slightest idea Of de-
fining a third term except in the
way in which we have here defined
it. The situation may perhaps be
made clear by a homely illustra-
ton. When a man says at break
fast in the morning, No, thank
you, / will not take any more cof-
fee,' 1t does not mean that he will
not take any more coffee tomorrow
morning, or next week, or next
month. or next year"
To call this piece of pettifogging
ingenious, would dignity it. 1t is
about as absurd an excuse as was
ever advanced in defense of an in
excusable proposition, but the cof-
fee illustration is the most exquis-
lite part of this intellectual morsel.
Would it not be well for the Out
look to go a step further and tell
us how many cups of coffee Mr..
Roosevelt needs for his second
meal? If a cup and seven-eighths
Cone term and three and one-half |
years. satisfied him for breakfast, !
how many cups will he regard as
sufficient for dinner? And Is there !
a supper still ahead of him? If
Mr.. Roosevelt takes two more terms |
now, he is not so old but that he |
might take another recess and then |
demand two more cups for supper. |
Possibly the Outlook may be able |
to reason out Ito its own satisfac
tom that the two-term precedent |
only applies to the first meal and |
that one is free to drink coffee
without limit-even to the extent
of consuming the entire pot-at
subsequent meal. Since this great
governmental question has been re-
duced to the level of coffee drink
ing, the Outlook ought to tell its
readers to what extent the coffee
habit has taken hold upon the ex-
President Is II possible that it has
affected his nerves?-GBryan's