Evening star., 1936-11-12

or perhaps at n;,
come future date
make a. statement about it. From
many points of view, however, this
would be a mistake for Mr.. Roosevelt
to make.
At present, the Congress which Mr..
ROOsevelt'S popularity and influence
helped to elect will do his bidding
but, should a number of Presidential
candidates begin to organize groups
and factions among their respective
followers in Congress and among
Federal Office holders throughout the
country, the result might be dissension
that the opposition party would take
advantage Of.
Ambitions Being Cultivated.
At this very moment there are a
number of men in the new ma jority'
party who are looking forward to 1910
as a chance for them to win the
Presidential nomination. They all
realize that Mr.. Roosevelts favor
or blessing must be won if the 1910
nomination is to be attained. In a
sense, this tends to make them all
amenable to Mr. Roosevelt's wishes,
but it may not prevent serious fac
tionalism inside the party.
If Mr.. Roosevelt believes that this
factionalism can best be prevented,
or at least postponed as to its out
cropping. until he has had at least
two or maybe three years in which to
carry forward the objectives of his
administration, he will keep mum
about his own third term plans
Thus, he will maintain q harmonious
front as long as possible.
There is, OF course, contingency
which is not now foreseeable. but
which may compel Mr.. Roosevelt to
change his mind about running for
third term. 1t would arise out of
the existence in 1899 and 1910 OF a
crisis in the Nations affairs. For
example, If there should be a sharp
cleavage among the groups that now
make up the new majority party, and
II it begins to be apparent that Amer
lea is torn between a growing radi-
calism and a liberal conservatism
Mr.. Roosevelt might feel that the
clash of ambitions among the vari-
Gus aspirants to the presidential
nomination is an actual menace to
the future Of the economic system.
Demand May Arise.
Under such circumstances 1t Is
conceivable that. If Mr. Roosevelt has
been pursuing in his second term a
course that seeks plainly to maintain
the capitalistic system as against the
groups inside the new majority party
who really want to see it destroyed,
there might arise even from conserva-
tive ranks demand that Mr.. RooSe-
Selt's leadership be maintained.
There is. OF course, no written pro-
vision Of the Constitution which for
bids a President from winning a third
term. In time like the present, when
there has been so much difference of
opinion about the elasticity OF the
actual provisions of the Constitution.
1t Is easy to see how an argument
would be made to disregard a mere
Interpretation OF an unwritten rule
that has been more Of custom than
o legal prohibition.
This is not saying that the rule Is
q bad one or that expedieney should
be the governing consideration. The
theory back of the two-term princi-
pie goes to the root of democracy it
self. 1t was Woodrow Wilson, in his
acceptance speech of 1912 in hitting
at hn ri
Theodore Roosevelt, who said mo
man is indispensable"
Always Others.
Unquestionably it is a mark of the
maturity of a democratic nation that,
irrespective Of the enormity of con-
temporaneouS problems, there is al
ways one leader available to take
UP the reinS of government when
another leader passes of the stage.
The third-term matter can be al
lowed to rest with the informal in
dfcations which Mr.. Roosevelt has
given to friends in the last few days
1t needs no further clarification or
statement, because for the most part
1t is a subject that, from his stand
point, ought to be left open for two
reasons-to keep dissension inside the
party from impairing the effective
ness Of the new majority party and
to avoid any public pledge at this
time which in 1910 might have to
be brushed aside because of the possi-
bility Of a domestic crisis.
Such statement Of remuneration,
made by Theodore Roosevelt i'm
mediately after his election In 1904,
became an embarrassment to him
when he ran for third term, even
though four years had intervened
since he left the presidency.
There's an old rule in politics, not
always observed. It Is this: Never
say anything you don't really have
to say-avoid the superfiuous." No
better Illustration of this rule can
be cited than Mr.. Roosevelt's own
campaign of 1895, when he won re-
election without setting forth any
formula for his second term and with
out tying himself up with specific So
buttons to the Nations problems. He
keeps q free hand as he begins his
second administration-and a free
hand about 1910 can be kept as
readily, because it Is the wisest poll
tics now and many continue to be, at
least until after the 1898 congress
eional elections.
tcopyrfght. 1861