The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1913-06-03
THE PRESIDENTS TERM.


who has bill or two in congress re
iating to the manner and period OF
getting ana holding the presidency
went ~ TO the White House the
other day 70 get President Wilson 5
views on the proposed legislation.
lust who he was, has. for the mo-
ment escaped US. but 1t is safe TO
say ne Was G pluribus unum, as far
as the proposal Of electoral and term
Ranges in the presidency are con
.ccned, If not Of those who have
sought Mr. Wilson's views upon the
question.
First, this legislator would restrict
The holdings cf the presidency to a
single term, probably Of six years
Then, he would abolish national con
rentiOns and have the president and
The vice president nominated by pri-
mary vote. Furthermore, he would
have the president voted for directly
by the people, without the intcryen-
ton OF the electoral college. The
several propositions have merit, to be
sure, the first most OF all. There are
practical objections to the complete
adjustment of the national conyen-
ticn, one Of which-thc necessity OF
formulating a platform in some DELHI
cratiye assembiy-l'residcnt Wilson
pointed out. Bat, il the only function
Of the convention is to be the 1ormu-
lation OF "a platform, there will soon
appear the state OF affairs we have
experienced in South Carolina under
the opcr' Of precisely the same
plan. First, and not 50 prominently,
the comparative Indifference Of men
toSard attendance upon conventions
whose functions are severely limited,
and, second, the practical ignoring OF
the platforms adopted. n the candi-
date is nominated by the direct pr-
mary vote he will be his own plat
form, and viii, with some degree Of
authority, claim immunity from the
trammcls OF any convention utter
ance, holding his commission from
source superior TO the convention. IL
Tho candidate is to be nominated by
primary vote. the HOLDING OF con.
vtntion for the making of a ps tlorm
on which he viii be supposed to
stand. would be a waste Of time and
energy The candidate would stand
IN the platform or not, as it pleased
him, after his talks with The people
About the only thing the convention
CO I'D do would be to maze rules for
the conduct of the primary
or the single term for the prcsl-
dQncy and that of six years, good
deal might be said. In the main. it Is
a desirable reform. The democratic
convention of 1912 declared for con
stitutional amendment to restrict the
service OF the president for a single
term, and pledged the nominee o. the
Gclit ehtion to the principle. The
plank was prepared by Mr. Bryan,
ana a good many people have
thought that he wrote it with other
than an ursellish purpose Mr.. Will
son has never expressed himself mp
ON the plank, nor on the general prn-
ciple upon which it i based, and has
given not the slightest indication as
to whether he considers himself
bound by the uttorancc Of the con.
v,ntion that nominated him to retire
after single term in the White
Ito lse, Z he proposed constitutional
restricting the period of
service should not he adopted 1t is
thought that Mr. Bryan would like
very much to know that Mr.. Wilson's
views and purposes in this conncc-
tiCn may be. and ne has been thought
nj times to have limited rather broad
TO the president TO deliver
himself upon the question, Mr. viii
son has accepted mono of the invita-
tions. ANA he declined directly the
ether dag 20 give his views TO the in
is practically no likelihood of the pro
posed restriction of the term Of the
pre- sidents service being made
10 the constitution before the
end OF the present administration,
and whether or not the principle
declared In the Baltimore platform,
shall have practical illustration by
the nominee of that convention rests
fen decision wholly with Mr. Wilson
II would be very interesting
to 4now how he feels about the mat
ter, and Mr. Bryan would doubtless
give case of grape juice to know