The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-27
CIIAPTER NCIY.

Colonel Roosevelt in a news dis
patch from Boston printed elsewhere
in this paper today explains his po-
| sition in regard to the third term.
by saying that in his statements in
904, 1907, he referred only to "a
| third consecutive term Here is his
exact language given in the dispatch
to which reference is made:
My position is perfectly simple he
/ said. Il stated it clearly as l could
in 1904 and reiterated it in 1907, l said
1 would not accept nomination for d
/ third time under any circumstances,
\ meaning, Of course, a third consecutive
term.
4 could not have said less at the time,
could / have said more. OF course,
| could not then know whether not
/ there would be a demand for me to ac-
/ cept a nomination at some future time.
! And, believing, as do, that the selection
\ of candidates for the presidency rests en-
/ tlrely with the people, could not say that
| at no time in my lire would / accept
other nomination.
1T must be clear to any reasonable
man that the precedent which forblds Tor
the third term has reference only to Il
| third consecutive term 1t grew out OF
! the fact that a president of the United
States, under the present convention sys-
TEN Of electing delegates, can, If he
knows how to use the machinery at his
disposal re-nominate himself, even
though the majority of his party IS
against him But after he has been out
of office for term, he has lost control
of that machinery. He is in the position
absolutely of any private citizen. The
machinery is then in the hands of the
man occupying the office of president.
The publication of this explanation
is due Colonel Roosevelt because in
this column yesterday it was stated;
In one instance he says, The wise
custom which limits the president to two
terms regards the substance, and not
the form. ana under no circumstances will
no. tl.at
nomination.. In the other he says; l
Will accept the nomination If It Is rendered
to me.
The two are Incompatible, excuse them
you may
IT will be said, of course. only in ex-
tenuation however, that President Roose-
Welt, when he made the first statement,
meant that he would not be a candidate
for a third consecutive term; but he is
an adept at expressing hmseI IN me
English language and If he had meant
this, he would have said SO, and made
the statement that he would not be d
candidate to succeed himself, but he evil
IDENTIFY meant exactly what his statement
said, that under no circumstances would
he again accept another nomination
1T is to be said of course, that a crisis
i'm the history of the nation might arise
that would render even SO strong state
ment as Roosevelt made in 1904 inopera-
tive Conditions could be conceived by
which a national duty might almost re-
quire the ignoring of such statement,
and Roosevelt shirks no duty, but certain
~ no such crisis exists today.
We are bound to and do take Col
onel Roosevelt at his word 1t is,
nevertheless unfortunate if he meant
that he would not be a candidate for
a third consecutive term in the
statement in question made by him in
1904. namely. the wise custom which
limits a president to two terms regards |
the substance and not the form. and
under no circumstances will I be a
candidate for, or accept another NOM
nation that he did not insert the |
word consecutive. The statement |
would then have read, the wise Gus |
tom which limits the president to two
consecutive terms regards the sub |
stance and not the form, and under /
no circumstances will I be a candi- |
date for, or accept another nOmina- |
ton
When it was stated in this column |
yesterday as quoted above, that
President Roosevelt had he meant a I
third consecutive" term. would have |
said so. and that he evidently meant I
exactly what his statement said lit
orally, the State Journal had no in
tention of implying that Colonel
Roosevelt was not telling the truth.
because he is a truthful man, but it
was intended to imply what the state
Journal believed was fact that Col
onel Roosevelt had meant literally
what his statement said, but that he
had since changed his mind which.
of course, he had a perfect right to
do. The language in this paper in
stead Of saying ''if he had meant this,
he would have said So" should have
read If he had meant this, he should
have said So
Whatever the construction placed /
upon President Roosevelt's statement
of 1904. it is now clear that he be-
lieves he is entirely free today to do
just what he is doing now-be a can
didate for, and accept the nomina-
ton for, the presidency again if it be
rendered to him.
In connection with the expression
of and general public understanding
Of '.the third term" proposition, it is
to be noted that the words, "the wise
custom which limits the president to
two terms does not limit the mean
ing to two consecutive terms.
The proof of this Interpretation lies
in the well known candidacy of u 5.
Grant for a third term in 1880. This
is the only instance in history which
the State Journal can recall wherein
any president directly or indirectly. for
himself or his friends, has been a can
didate for a third term. until ex-
President Roosevelt announces that he
would accept such a third term nom
nation.
General Grant had held the Office
of president for two consecutive
terms; at the end of which he made
a trip around the world. similar to the
trip that Colonel Roosevelt took to
Africa upon the completion Of two