The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-12

.sHe 10 expected. by the nation 10
he the leader OF his party as well as
the chief executive officer OF the Gov
eminent and the country will take no
excuses from him. He must play the
part, and play II successfully. or lose
the country's confidence. lie must
I be prime minister, as much concerned
, with the guidance of legislation. as
with the Just and orderly execution
OF law: and he is the spok esu1an Of
the nation in everything, even the
most ,momentous and most delicate
dealings of the Government with for
eign nations.
why. in such circumstance. should
he be responsible to no one FOR four
long years? All the peoples legisla-
tive spokesman Ia the House of Rep
resentatives and one-third OF their rep
resentatives in the Senate, are brought
to book every two years: why not
the President II he Is tn be the leader
of the party and the spokesman OF
policy?
Sooner or later. It would seem, he
must make answearab BILE to opinion
in a somewhat more informal ana in
innate fashion--answerable, IL may be,
to the houses whom he seeks to lead,
either personally or through a csbi-
net. as well as to the people for whom
they speak. But that is a matter to
be worked out--as 1t inevitab bly,. will
be. in some natural American way,
which we cannot yet even predict.
THE present fact Is that the Pres
ident Is held responsible for what hap
pens in Washington in every large
matter. and so long as he is COM
manded to lead he is surely entitled
to a certain amount of power--all the
power he can get from the support
and convictions and opinions of his
fellow-men: and he ought to be suf-
fered to use that power against his
opponents until his work is done.
at will be very difficult for him
to abuse 1t. He holds 1t upon suf-
france at the pleasure Of public opin-
ion Everyone else, his opponents In
Guided, has access to opinion as he
has. He must keep the confidence
of the country by earning II. for he
can keep II in no other way.
Put the present customary limita-
tons OF two terms into the constitu-
ton II you do not trust the people
to take care of themselves. but make
it two terms mot one, because four
years is often too long). and give the
President a chance to win the full
service by proving himself fit for 1t.
Experience In New Jersey.
IF you wish to learn the result of
constitutional ineligibility to re-elec
ltion. ask any former governor of New
Jersey, for example, what the effect
Is in actual experience. He will tell
you how cynically, and with what
complacence the politicians banded
against him waited for the inevita BILE
end Of his term to take their chance
with his successor
constitutions place, and can place.
no limitations upon their power. They
may control what governors they can
as long as they please. as long as they
can keep their outside power and in
nuence together. They smile at the
coming and going OF governors as
some men in Washington have smiled
at the coming and going of presidents,
as upon things ephemeral, which pass
ed and were soon enough got rid OF
IL you but sat tight and waited.
"As things stand now, the people
might more likely be cheated than
served by further limitations of the
Presidents eligibility. His fighting
power. in their belief. would he inn
mensely weakened. No one will fear
president except those whom he
can make fear the elections.
We singulariy belle our own prin-
cipies by seeking to determine by
fixed constitutional provision what the
people shall determine for themselves,