The Washington times., 1916-01-10
THE PRESIDENT ON SECOND
TERMS

The New York World publishes a
most interesting letter written by
President Wilson on February 5, 1918
just about three months after his
election and a month before his in
auguration--on the question Of a
second term. The Baltimore plat
form had contained a one-term dec
laration, and Congress had before
it resolution looking to constitu-
tional amendment carrying that dec
laration into effect.
Mr.. Wilson was appealed to for a
statement of his own views, and the
letter which he addressed in reply is
said to have been shown to various
Congressional leaders and to have
been influential in side-tracking the
one-term constitutional amendment.
In this letter the President-elect in
dicated that he did not favor the
single-term proposal. He insisted
that this view did not reflect his
personal ambition for a second cleo
ton, but was based on the convic-
tion that the power Of the President
for useful service would be greatly
lessened if it were made certain that
he could not succeed himself. "As
things stand now," wrote Mr.. Will
son, "the people might more likely
be cheated than served by further
! limitations of the Presidents eligi-
bility. His fighting power in their
behalf would be immensely weak
ened. No one will fear a President
except those whom he can make
fear his election"
Experience has justified this OBJ
servation. Four years is too long
for the wrong man in the Presi-
dency, too short for the right man
engaged in efforts which he may not
be able to conclude in that period.
So Mr.. Wilson decided that, in the
present state of the evolution of
American institutions, it would be
bad policy to limit a President to
one term. The danger Of permitting
more than one term he conceived to
lie in the possibility that political
power would be used to force re-
nomination and reelection. This
possibility, he opined, could be
avoided by proper laws; namely, a
Presidential primary measure.
"There ought never to be another
Presidential nominating convention" ="
wrote Mr.. Wilson; and he declared
that he thought it could be safely
assumed that provision for this
would be made within the next four
years.
Publication Of this letter, now
three years old, suggests some Curl
Gus reflections. In the letter, which
was written to A. Mitchell Palmer,
Mr.. Wilson repeatedly insisted that
he was under the necessity of COM
plete frankness, even if his opinions
should be unpopular. He was, SEEM
i ingly. entirely frank; but it is to be
observed that his frankness was
written into a letter that remained
unpublished for three years. Frank
ness with Mr.. Palmer and the fa-
vored few who saw the letter is very
different from frankness with the
| whole public. The effort for a one
term limitation was squelched in
rather mysterious way; the real
thing that squelched it is now ap-
parent: the President-elect was op-
posed to it.
More than this, the efforts in be-
half of abolishing national nominal
ing conventions have not been made,
as promised in this confidential let
ter of absolute freedom and can
dor" When Mr.. Wilson was a can
didate, and for brief time after he
was elected, there was a widespread
belief that his intention was-just
as promised in this letter-to make
it his business to pass legislation
that would make real public opinion
the arbiter of a Presidents renomi-
nation. He insisted in this letter,
as he also did in utterances that
reached the public, that conventions
ought not to nominate the candi-
dates; they ought only to make plat
forms and organize party machin-
cry. The people should make the
nominations. Political influence
should not be employed; the Presi-
dent must not attempt to make him
self boss.
II is a queer muddle that this mat
ter has got into. 1t is perfectly pos
sible to agree with the President in
the opinion that single term would,
in present conditions, rob the execu-
tive Office of large and important
share of its power for useful leader
ship. 1t is also quite possible to ap-
plaud the vigorous pronouncement
IN favor of taking the nominating
business out Of control Of the politi-