The New York herald., 1920-01-04
PRESIDENTS MUST BE LIMITED TO
SINGLE TERM, SAYS HANNIS TAYLOR

pledge by aiding the passage of the Clay
ton amendment, the successful Presiden-
tial candidate deliberately and actively
intrigued to defeat it. The details of the
sad story were rehearsed at length in the
North American Review for February.
1916. After the proposal to limit the Presi-
dency to n single term had passed the Sen
ate on February l, 1913, and when the
House was overwhelmingly in favor of the
resolution ''the President elect interviewed
in the letter to Mr.. A. Mitchell Palmer.
dated February 13. which was duly ex-
hibted to Chairman Clayton and other
prominent Representatives. who promptly
bowed to the wish Of their new leader and
buried the resolution"
Such was the fate of Mr.. Bryans solemn
guarantee to the people; such was the fate
Of his broken Presidential ideal, which
now sleeps like dream in grave" But
that is no reason why he should not at
tempt to re-create his ideal. because the
failure of his first attempt was not his
fault. Recent events have made it more
certain than ever before that no President
should ever again be temptd to break his
word to the people through the hope of q
second term. For forty years / have
made a special study OF our wonderful
Constitution from the historical and sci
entific point of view; for the last seven
Teen years nave ilNtu dl WdSiil6 Wi
watching its daily operations just as ma
chinist might watch the movements OF a
Corliss engine.
Without any political interests to bias
my mind do not hesitate to say that in
my humble judgment the evils that re-
suit from the over ambitious and selfish
seeLings by our Presidents of second and
third terms are the gravest that now
poison and disarrange our public life. Mr..
Bryan can render no greater service to
this republic than to force at this time the
single term principle directly upon the
democratic party, and thus indirectly
upon the Republican party. The people
should inlperatively demand that both of
the great parties now pledge themselves,
first, to platforms absolutely guarantee
ing a single Presidential term; second.
that slch pledge be embodied at the earli-
est possible moment In constitutional
amendment
The selection OF the next President will
be a momentous event, possibly turning
point in our national history. The chosen
one should be tried and veteran stntes-
man familiar with the entire scheme OF
our parliamentary life and not an expert
menter or faddist intent upon spectacular r
and unprecedented performances. He
should be limited to a single term. and
,bove all he should be real lover and
defender Of the Constitution as the fathers
made it. He should believe in the right
and capa city Of the American people to
govern themselves under the old Constitu-
ton without any dictation or interference
from foreign Powers. This country is not
yet prepared to see the Presidency, as
fashioned by the founders, converted in
every emergency into dictatorship, boil
stored up by a network Of paternal. hys-
,erical nd unconstitutional statutes to be
enforced by certain dangerous class OF
federal Judges who believe in their right
TO suspend, whenever they see fit, any or
all of the constitutional guarantees in
favor of civil liberty. Unless the prevail
ing tendency in that direction can be
checked our splendid governmental fabric
will soon be q total wreck.