The Winslow mail., 1923-10-12
PEOPLE AGAIN ARE DISCUSSING
PROPOSITION RELATING TO
THE PRESIDENCY.
NOT LIKELY TO BE ADOPTED
Americans Always Have Favored Short
Terms of Office, Believing, Apparent
Iy, That This Insures Greater Safe
ty for a Free Government.
BY EDWARD 3. CLARK

overworked to the breaking point
| while he was president has lead to
| discussion in Washington and through
out the country of a change to a sys-
TEN by which a president OF tne
United States will be chosen for one
term only and that term to be for
six years.
There has been talk of this kind
| before, but it always has been taken
out in talking. There seems to be no
| present reason to think that serious
consideration will be given a propo-
sition of this kind. 1t is held seem
ingly by the deeper students of demo-
cratic institutions that in short terms
of Office lies the greater safety Tor
free government.
The political activities of the Amer
ican people practically are ceasefess.
National, state and local elections fol-
low one another in rapid round. Ii
has been asserted and argued to the
limit of patience and endurance that
the campaigning times with their at
tendant excitement, coming as they
do with barely space between, tend
to break the health Of the business
life of the country.
Prosperity, however, has been so
generally a part of the country's his
tory that little heed has been given
in times past to the complaining cry.
The fear of a possible instability OF
free institutions that may follow
change seemingly has outweighed the
fear of a possible but temporary COM
mercial instability.
Longer Terms in Some States.
There has been, however in the
states Of the Union a tendency to
lengthen the terms of their chief ex-
ecutives. In some of the states that
which seems wise today would have
been declared folly a half century
ago. This is a state matter and not
a national matter. In many of the
states the election of a governor is
now made coincident with the voting
for the president of the United
States. This has made a reduction
helped the present recurring unset
tied conditions.
The talk Of term Of six years for
president, however, Is talk for
talks sake; at least this seems to be
the opinion of those men who have
studied the subject recently and who
have spoken upon it. 1t may be, Of
course. that the people generally will
think differently if the matter ever
shall be brought to a focus and they
are asked to pass upon it.
In Washington the politicians deal
largely in futures. This condition
seems to prevail in other parts Of
the country. The naming of a presi-
dent is done so many thousands Of
times before the national conventions
meet that one cannot keep the count
The question of the multitude that
witnesses the cath taking of a presi-
dent on the platform east of the capi-
tol is: "Who will take the oath four
years from today" There are some
thousands Of individual members Of
the multitude who are quick to give
answer, and each can back the given
name with reasons that he believes
convincing. 1t is great game and
it probably makes for safety.
There never was a time since Presi-
dent Washington was inaugurated in
the city of New York that the con-
Germs Of legislation. no matter how
vital to the country, have been strong
enough to keep politics and the mat
ter of the presidential succession out
of the peoples minds. The American
thrives ON politics-proof enough,
perhaps, so the politicians say, that
| it is a healthy food.