The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-13
JAN. 13, 1912.
THIRD TERM NONSENSE.

ttNitNbS iT'iNh
AS the movement for the nomina-
ton of Theodore Roosevelt by tho ma
tional Republican convention pro-
crosses the talk about a third term
will be heard and the assertion will
be made that such "A course is con-
trary I" TIN" We'll established national
policy and II violation of precedent.
1t is we'll now. before the public mind
is excited. TO look into this sophistry.
and drior!lnnr wherein it is nothing
hut political moonshine and neither
founded on fact nor established in
precedent.
The whole contention against the
third trcm is based on the fact tina,
President Wash inETnn declined Il third
term, and that hv so doing, establish
ed the precedent against what he
conceived I" h" u danger to Nh" re-
p,ihlic-the holding of the office OF
chief maGiStrat" FOR NOR" than tw"
terms. That is -athcr II fiirnsy fnund-
alton upu. wiiich 10 build the policy
of what MIS- h"Nr appealed to Wash
in,,tun ~: tn. gr"atest republic of his
tory. Washington Was elected presi-
dunt-nnt by II unanimous vote as is
popularity supposed hot more than
three years after tho convention, nf
which he was president. had framed
tho present constitution. TIL. oitire
of president received serious cnnsid-
|cr"tiun at thu hands of that body.
TN" term OF office Was fixed at -four
years and There was not a word ut
tered during all the debates N that
.,,,.,tjn,, ~, f,V1r rF r,uLinr n ,,>.Si.
dent |iutliaihi" after serving two
terms. Mad Il third term heen such
II gray" danger as modern politicians
try to make appear Washington he
lievc it WAS, he would certainly have.
avoided that danger hy writing the
limitation into tho constitution it,
self.
There was certainly more ground
for believing that When the c"nvcn-
tion fixed the term of four years il
meant that 10 h" the limit for the
holder. Vet Washington had no
scruplcs ahuut taking ~ double term
i'll the office. If he rnpllaticallN cS-
ttllishr,l nlly precedent IL was that II
man one. elected should he rc-rl"ct-
ed again. But as II nation We have
never followed that policy because
the waiting list Was too large. t.Xclud-
ing presidents VIII" died in office "x-
c,pt Lincoln and Mckinley who wcr"
serving second terms at their deaths,
and counting Roosevelt II one clcc-
tive term president. and also includ-
ing in the ON" term list the present
incumbent. nine presidents have been
elected for one term and nine for Two.
If to the ORC term number are added
the first Harrison and TAYLOR, both of
whom died during their first term
there is II preponderancr of one term
men. This only shows the fail.cy of
constructing a rule binding upon the
public ont of a shadow such AS that
out of which has ON the third term
hugaboo.
Why did Washington. then. decline
Il third term. if he did not mean to
set Il precedent? Those who seek To
mellow the coloring Of the picture
say he WAS DESTROYS to quit the tur-
moil of public life in which he had
been a participant for a quarter Of
a century. and return to the rcpose
and comfort nf his great plantation.
Those who y realize the regal
s%plrndor of the southern planter of
tIlil lllllt tdH uiiltISItIl now SCTpllS
this appeal to the president must
have been. But VIC are disposed 10
follow the policy of Cromwell who
told the artist who Was to paint his
portrait. To paint me as | ann; wart
and all" and see if there was not a
more rigid reason why the third term
was declined.
W~ashin.ton'S occupancy of the
chief magiStracy was not devoid of
storms. The founders of the nation
were politicians as Well as patriots.
They wanted office Just as badly as
tho politicians of today. The fights
We're Just as bitter. the intrigues Just
as great as they have been since
those stirring days-s,irring hecausc
those who were the actors made them
such. Jefferson. the leader of the
Republicans, the first and
champion of the masses. wanted to
be president. He represented a po-
litiral faith ~Hntogunistic To that repre-
scented by Washington and Il faction
that had been rapidly growing dur
ing the eight years of President WASH
ineton. The fight Vas bitter in the
extreme, and though John Adams who
represented the principles Of Washing-'
ton, WAS elected. he only had seventy
one votes us against siXty-eight for
Jefferson. Washington was not cons
sidered the same unerring man in
1896 thai he is in 1912. The people
neither believed him the embodiment
of patriotism nor the personification
of virtue. lie was to them like 9TH
er public men. There can be little
doubt that Washington saw the COM
ing storm and retired rather than de-
stroy the name he knew he had made
for himself in Il defeat. There is Moth
ing to show that he aver contemplated
a third term. But if he did these
things must have been weighed by
him in deciding his course.
These things are ancient history and
have little interest to the people to-
day. except when they are dug from
the musty cloisters. Of time to serve
al IL precedent for keeping as good IL
president us ever flied the office, save
Lincoln. from serving d nation that
him .