The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-01-11
Bryan and Clark Get To-
gether to Fight the
President
BOTH HOLD TO
THE PLATFORM
They Contend the One-Term
Plank Is Binding
on Wilson

Washington, Jan. ll.-President VIII
sons attitude toward the single term
plank of the Baltimore platform is now
definitely known. The rule by which
the president will be guided in this
matter is given by the president him
self in the following words:
81 shall most cheerfully abide by the
judgment of my party and the public
as to whether | shall be candidate for
the presidency again in 1916 | abso-
Ilutely pledge myself to resort to nothing
but public opinion to decide that ques.
1 ton"
The presidents willingness to run
again provided he is satisfied that the
party and the public want him, is dis
closed in a letter which he wrote to A.
Mitchell Palmer of Pennsylvania few
weeks before the Inauguration in 1913.
The letter was written while the reso-
luton was pending before Congress
which, if passed. would have limited the
presidency TO single term for any one
man in accordance with the pledge in
the Baltimore platform.
Mr.. Wilson's letter prevented the pas
sage of the resolution and no attempt
has been made since to revive the mat
ter
The general tenor of that letter has
been known ever since it was written
to Mr. Palmer but the full text is now
made public for the first time.
As to the test which Mr.. Wilson pre-
scribed for himself in regard to running
for his second term his advisers contend
that it already has beck fulfilled and
that both the party and the public have
given satisfactory evidence of their de
sire that Mr.. Wilson become a candidate
again.
From the president himself. however,
there has come no expression ON this |
point, but il is assumed he would not |
permit his advisers to go ahead with |
their plans for 1916 unless he intended |
to run again. The likelihood is that the |
president will continue to remain silent /
on the question until state conventions |
and other Democratic gatherings have
called upon him to run.
The president will encounter the OPP
position of William j. Bryan in his ef-
fort to be renominated. Mr. Bryan CON
siders the single term plank OF the Bal
timore platform absolutely binding and Il
intends TO fight to the limit in support
)f it.
Up to this time there has been no
lefnite, tangible evidence from the
president on this subject, but now that
.he presidents letter to Mitchell Pal
ner has been made public it is expected
hat Bryan will train his guns upon the
PRESIDENT. There are already evidences
hat Democrats high in the partys coun-
ills are making their plans for con
urgency that eontemplates the possible
etirement of the president from the
ace. 1t is known that some OF Champ !
'larks friends are moving on the as
umption that the president at the last
minute may decide to live up to the one
ERIN plank of the Baltimore platform
Strangely enough, the Bryan and the
lark forces are now joining hands I
here is good reason to believe that
tops already have been taken to bring
lark and Bryan closer together and
hat they are succeeding. a
Members of Congress were greatly in Q
crested in the presidents letter to ?
iitchell Palmer, and it will be made the L
asis of several debates.
Some features of it will be singled
ut for special comment. Many Repub-
cans will want to know what the pres-
ent meant when he wrote: Il should
OF be acting consistently with my ideal
18th regard to the rule of entire frank
ess and plain speaking that ought to
xist between public servants and the
ublic whom they serve if I did not
peak ont about it 1.-THE single term
lank) without reserve of any kind"
I