The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1912-02-24
Law, Precedent And
Common Sense As
To Third Terms
CHARLES J. BONAPARTE

1t is not surprising that the Demo-
cratic leaders Of the House of Represen-
IarN.s were embarrassed by the Slayden
resolution; 1t may have been intended to
pub the Republicans in a hole;" but, in
fact, If adopted, 1T would have rendered
the same kind Office, much more effective
ly to the majority. Whatever its words,
II would have been generally understood
to mean that the Democrats didn't wish
to see Theodore Roosevelt the Republic
can candidate for the Presidency and
this would have been us generally inter-
preted as saying, in effect, that he was,
or was thought by the Democrats, the
most formidable candidate, his own party
could set up. For the Democratic ma
jority to make this belief practically uni
versal would not have been playing
politics" very skilfully just now.
The resolution however, is more inter-
esting in other aspects than as parti
san manoeuvre. In the first place, it
was entirely without the Constitutional
province of the House of Representa-
tives. Article ii, Section 1, Clause T. of
the Constitution, says;
No person except a natural born citi-
zen, or a citi en- of the United States, at
the time Of the adoption of this Constitu
ton, shall be eligible to the Office of
President; neither shall any person be
eligible to that Office who shall not have
attained the age of So years, and been IA
years resident within the United States
These are the restrictions and the only
restrictions, imposed ON the eligibility
OF any citi en- for the Presidency; they
have been retained in the Constitution,
without addition or subtraction, for 1913
years; although meantime numerous
suggestions looking to further restric-
tions have found expression in Presiden-
tial messages. party platforms and pro-
posed Constitutional amendments; thus
indicating that the American people pro-
badly see no good reason to artifically
increase the difficulty of finding a fit man
to be their first public servant.
OF course, as citi ems members of the
House of Representatives have the right
to advise their fellow citizens not to
vote for any candidate for the Presidency
for any reason which may seem sufficient
to themselves, just as President Taft, as
a citi en-, has the like right to give SINH
lar unsolicited advice with respect to any
candidate for Congress. If, however the
President, as such, were to issue pro-
clamation recommending the defeat at
the polls of any candidate for reelection
to the House who had already served two
or more terms, 1t would be felt and de-
clared by practically everybody that he
was abusing his official position to in
terfere with the organi alton of a CO.
ordinate branch of the government. The
proposed action fthe House of Repre-
sentatives would have been justly open
to precisely the same criticism; probab-
ly, in its case, the criticism might have
been, in fact, less severe; but this would
have arisen solely from the very bad
habit, too OF, en- and too long INDUCED in
by the House, of 'resoluting" about all
sorts of matters wherewith it has little
or no concern; SO that what it says about
anything arouseS but languid interest;
it has acquired the privilege, conceded
by the elder Pitt, to old men, of being
impertinent with impunity.
good many Intelligent and fairly we'll
informed people believe that, in his fare
well Address, Washington warned his
countrymen against any man in the
Presidency longer than eight years; and
that he refused a third term himself to
give this warning the sanction of his ex-
ample; in fact, there is not word in
the Farewell Address which can be thus
construed. Washington says:
The acceptance of and continuance
hitherto in, the Office to which your suf-
frages have twice called me, have been
uniform sacrifice of inclination to the
opinion of duty and to a Difference for
what appeared to be your desire. | con-
stantly hoped that it would have been
much earlier in my power consistently
with motives which | was not at liberty
to disregard, to return to that retire
ment from which | had been reluctantly
drawn.
He then explains that he had prepared
an address announcing his intended with
drawal from public life before his second
election, but the critical condition of the
country's foreign relations at that time
and the unanimous advice of prominent
public men had led him to relinquish this