The copper era and Morenci leader., 1916-03-03

WASHINGTON, D. G., Feb. 22.- Supporters of the administration are in possession of letter from w. J. Bryan agreeing that the one-term plank of the Baltimore platform should not apply to President Will son. The letter will be, producer if MT. Bryan opposes the renomination lof the president on that issue.
 The letter is now held by Federal Judge Henry D. Clayton, former chair man of the house judiciary commit tee, who received it when there was an agitation in congress for a conSti- tutional amendment limiting the pres ident to one term. The contents of the letter are known to the democratic members of the house judiciary com mittee, and it was admitted by one of them that the Bryan communication, showing the inconsistency of his at titude," will be given out ''at the prop CT time"
 Will Be Used if Needed
 Friends of the president, it is under stood, are merely awaiting a definite announcement from MT. Bryan as to his intentions. If he is to raise the one-term issue at St. Louis his letter to the house committee will be used to confound the writer.
 | In his letter MT. Bryan not only sig nified his willingness that President Wilson shall be exempt from the pro visions of the one-term plank, but he lalso asserted that former Presidents Roosevelt and Taft should in fairness be exempt.
 \ Mir Bryan wrote the house judiciary
 tiutVHSpalftomrB 4.anE s SS999 committee that he would be content to have the one-term principle apply only to future presidents and not to the living occupant or former occu- pants of the office.
 The former chairman of the house judiciary committee arrived in Wash ington today for brief vacation from his duties as judge of the southern district of Alabama. Judge Clayton said he could not consistently disclose the Bryan letter, although he did not deny its existence.
 From other authoritative sources the history of the letter was learned It is as follows:
 How the Letter Came Into Being
 On February l, 1913, in the interim between the election and inauguration of President Wilson, the senate adopt ed joint resolution proposing con- stitutional amendment limiting the president to one term of six years The resolution passed the senate by a vote Of 1T to g, came to the house and was referred to the judiciary committee.
 When the house committe began consideration of the resolution a few days later it seemed it would he promptly reported. The committee was virtually ready to make it's report when the democratic members were
 oalled together and Mir, Wilson's let ter to MT. Palmer of Pennsylvania
 was read. = This letter, already made
 public, took the position, in brief that a one-term restriction was limi
 tation upon the will of the people; , that one term was too long for a bad president and too short for g good president.
 At the, same secret meeting there was read a letter from MT. Bryar to Chairman Clayton. MT. Bryan sait he favored the adoption of the senate resolution and was unreservedly com .mitted to the one-term principle whether that term be of four or sil i years. He, advocated adherence tt the one-term plank in the Baltimore
 platform. |. -.-,
 -a Emphasized Exceptions
 However, said MT. Bryan, it prob
 ably would not be fair to apply tht
 one-term principle to MT. Wilson, MT Taft or MT. Roosevelt. Such applica : tion, he held, might be regarded a! , too personal; whereas, MT. Bryan wal
 an advocate rather of the broad prin ciple of single presidential term He suggested, therefore, that th' : house committee should amend tn, l senate resolution and make it appl! |. only to future presidents -eliminatin! from it's restrictions former Presiden - Roosevelt, the then President Taf
 and the president elect, MT. Wilson