Evening star., 1936-12-08
Single Term.

Senator Burke of Nebraska promises
to throw into Congress the controversial
question-shall President of the United
States be limited to one term Of ONCE?
He will, he says, ask an amendment to
the Constitution providing that Presi-
dent shall not be reelected but also
lengthening the presidential term from
four years to six. 1t is not a new pro-
posal, for others have advanced the
idea. The Nebraska Senator, however.
probably believes that this is an ideal
time to take the matter up. President
Roosevelt is beginning second term and
presumably will be guided by precedent
and by his own feelings and will not
seek another. There could not be an
implied reflection on the President.
Some of the States, including Penn
sylvania and Indiana, have constitu-
tional provisions barring Governor
from seeking reelection, although a
Governor of Pennsylvania may run
again for the Office after another has
served as chief executive of the State.
The United States, however, has never
sought to impose such limitation upon
the President. An unwritten rule, ira
dition, has limited the Presidents to two
four-year terms.
TWO separate questions are involved
In the Burke proposal. The first is that
a President shall not be reelected. The
second provides for a longer term Of
office. 1t is argued by those who demand
single term that President would be
freer, that he would not feel the neces-
sity OF playing politics, or catering to
this or that group of voters, in order to
assure reelection. This may be true.
On the other hand, experience in the
States which have limited Governors in
this respect shows that their chief execu-
tives play plenty of politics-seeking to
pick their own successors The recent
gubernatorial campaign in Indiana is
proof enough. Governor McNutt had
his candidate and he put him across. A
President, the titular and usually the
actual head of his political party, prob
ably would feel the responsibility of
doing what he could to keep his party
in power after he stepped out of office.
The same impelling reasons that, it is
charged, cause Presidents to give ear
to the demands of this group or that
might operate even if he were not per-
mitted himself to seek reelection.
A six-year term of office Is a long
If the President and
his administration prove unpopular. On
the other hand. single term of four
years, If President were so limited
might not be long enough to give a
President opportunity to put into effect
policies of value to the people.
For $50 years or thereabouts the coun-
try has gone along with it's present rule
regarding the reelection of Presidents.
Where President and his administra-
ton have been a success the people have
chosen him for second term. In those
cases where an administration has been
unsuccessful or a President has been
unpopular defeat has followed.
If the demand for a single term
amendment to the Constitution Is really
designed to make it impossible for
President to serve more than two terms
of four years, it would be more to the
point to adopt constitutional amend
ment against a third term. In any
event, the single term proposal is not
one to adopt without great deal of
careful consideration.