The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-03-24
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.
Copyright 1922

I'll
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON. March 24.-Presi-
dent Harding is not averse to the enact
ment of a constitutional amendment
limiting the chief executive of the
United States to a single term of six
years.
Although Representative Wood of In
diana, Republican, who has just intro
duced in congress such a proposal for
an amendment to the constitution was
said at the White House today to have
refrained from discussing the sugges-
tion with the President. it is a fact that
Mr.. Harding recently has expressed in
informal discussions a deep interest in
the question what should be the presi-
Dental tenure.
Mr. Harding is not particularly CON
cerned whether the limitation affects
his own tenure or not. He is said to
have remarked on one occasion that ii
would be u source of much satisfaction
| to him if the question of reelection
were disposed of definitely during his
| term of Office. 1t is also true that some
| of Mr.. HardiRg's advisors have differed
with him on the merits of a single pres
| idential term and have urged that the
| present unwritten custom of the Amer
| lean people. is, after all, the most sat
! isfactory way of dealing with presiden-
| tial succession.
Harding Might Try Again.
So far as Mr. Harding is concerned,
even if a constitutional amendment were
passed by two-thrdS of both houses of
| congress and ratified by three-f0urthS of
the states before the election of 1924,
it could not affect the length Of his pres
| idcntidl tenure. 1t would be no bar
either against Mr.. Harding's reelection
| fer a term Of six years beginning in
March, 1925, but those who know Mr.
| Harding best saw that if federal
amendment providing for a single six
year term We're to be added to the con-
/ Stitution. he would consider himself
/ bound by it and would decline to be
| candidate for denomination.
There are diverse views in the admin
/ istration circle as TO the single term
Attorney General Daugherty is said to
| be one of those who think the present
system Is all right. Others believe that
| the desire for reelection gets into the
| minds of American presidents and fire.
| Quentiy makes them less positive in their
| decisions dnring their first term Some
argue. too. that n president who takes
a firm attitude frequently is threatened
! with political death if he is a candidate
| for reelection whereas. if there were
single term he would be inclined to
act more independently and fearlesSly
! Few federal amendments are adopted
unless there is behind them active or
/ CARNATIONS. The merits or dement's Of
the present scheme have not been agi-
| tating the public very much and no
particular organization has been clam
oring for a change in presidential ten
| ure.
Action Of Democrats.
The last formal action taken by a
national body was that which the ma
tional convention of the Democratic
party took at Baltimore in 1912 more
| or less at the behest of William Jen-
uings Bryan. Woodrow Wilson never
felt himself hound by that plank but his
viewpoint was that il was none of his
business, but the affair of the Demo
cratic party and il the party decided
to change its mind at a future conven-
ton IL could do SO. History showed
that the Democrats unanimously re-
lversed themselves by nominating Mr.
Wilson four years later at the st. Louis
convention.
Just after the election of 1912 the
platform plank did come up for discus
sion in congress when a resolution SIM
liar to that of Representative Wood of
Indiana was introduced and was con-
sidered by the committee of the house
of representatives. Mr.. Wilson ex-
lpresscd himself in a long letter TO
/ Alflclell rainier. llUfl chairman OF inc
| Democratic caucus. Mr.. Wilson was
against changing the present system.
lie argued that four years was some
times too long for a man who had
proved unable TO fulfill the tasks as
signed to him by the electorate and four
lyaars was often too short for presi-
dent who had laid out constructive
program and was doing his job eff
GENTLY He contended that the Amer
lean people could be trusted TO take care
; of the question through the process Of
public opinion but that If a Limitation
was considered necessary he believed two
terms were sufficient for any man.
Question in Last Campaign
! An interesting sidelight on the ques-
ton which never has been published
: but which is curiously related to the
, new proposal occurred when Governor
Cox of Ohio was writing his speech of
, acceptance of the Democratic nominal
: ton for the presidency. His impulse
} wass to include a public promise that if
! elected he would pledge himself to a
i single term Some of his political
friends advised against the move They
said it might be considered bad taste
| to make such a statement when the
party platform had not made a declara-
ton of the subject. Governor Cox kept
his mind open until the last minnie and
planned to insert a paragraph on the
single term issue so that it could be
teIegraphed to the newspapers and in
Guided in the speech which had been