The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-04-10
HARDING FAVORS
S|X-YEAR TERM
Restrict President to One
Term by Constitutional
Amendment
SOME QUESTION HOW
START NEW ORDER
Precedents in States for Changing
Length of Term of Incumbents - One
Two-Year Term Suggested Before Six
Year Takes Effect.

Length OF Term OF HncunlDenlS - UHe
Two-Year Term Suggested Before Six
Year Takes Effect.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Dispatch to The RefOrmer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, April 10.-President
Harding has become convinced that a sim
gle term of six years for American presi-
dents, with no reelection thereafter,
would be to the best interest of the peo-
pie.
Close friends who have discussed the
subject with him say that one year in
Office has revealed to him so many phases
of the presidency which would be bene-
fitted by a single term that from an inn
personal basis he is of the opinion now
that a constitutional amendment provid-
ing for the change would be a good thing.
Representative Wood of Indiana has al
ready introduced a bill covering such an
amendment 20 the federal constitution,
but it takes Il two-thirdS vote of the SEN
ate and house, as well as approval by
the legislators of three-fourths of the
states of the union, to make the change
effective.
How would it ever get started? Would
President Harding agree not to become
a candidate for recollection for four-year
cover the present term of Mr.. Harding!
These questions have been discussed by
members of the cabinet and constitutional
lawyers in inner circles of the govern
ment and many of them suggest that II
it would not be misconstrued they think
the same amendment to the constitution
could automatically prolong by two
years Mr. Harding's term and make him
| ineligible for reelection to the SiX-year
! term.
| Elections Too Expensive.
There are too many i'll effects from
presidential elections said one intiuen-
/ tial member of the cabinet There's al
/ ways let down in business III a presl-
| Dental year. Four years is too frequent
/ an interval. Six years would give presI-
! dent tie opportunity to put through
/ complete program. | believe also that
! congressman should be elected for four
! years and senators for SIX years. We
/ get better results in the senate where
/ the term of office is six years than in the
| house where everybody is up for election
every two years. As for eight years for
| an American president-it is too much.
/ The health of the average man elected to
/ high Office will not stand it. We have
| already seen one president break down
| under the strain of eight years. How
much of that strain was brought about by
| the necessity of a presidential campaign
| in the middle of his eight years! Six
years would be better from every view
| point
But what check could be exercised
against a president who was in Office for
six years if public opinion changed:' he
| was asked.
Could Control Congress.
The people would have their remedy
in the election of a congress. If One-third
of the senate and One-half of the house
membership were up for reelection every
two years so that the whole house would
not change at once any more than the
senate does now, we would be able to
elect to Office the nominees of the political
party opposite to the president and this
one-third and one-half together with the
existing strength of the political party
in question would be sufficient to make a
majority against the president. This
would be all the restraint necessary. y
president can do very little harm with
an opposition congress to check him
As to the suggestion of prOlongiug Mr.
Harding's term by two years. there are
precedents for this in many of the state
constitutions. The terms of many exec
utive offices have been changed while the
incumbents benefited by the amend
ments. 1T might, of course, be opposed
by the Democrats on the ground that such
a step would not give them an Opportun
ity to put into Office for those two years
Democratic president and the amend
| ment might be fought on partisan lines
and thus defeated in the state legisla
lures. The chances are that an amend