Evening star., 1936-11-08

dent is cry that will not down in
America, and the furious campaign
just concluded has given it the breath
OF life again.
The President of the United States,
shall his tenure of Office be extended
to six years and shall he be denied
the opportunity to succeed himself?
More than 100 amendments en-
bodying this idea have been battled for
on the floor Of Congress since 1889.
William Howard Taft, after his term
as President, advocated the idea. The
Democratic platform Of 1912 carried
a plank promising such an amend
ment, although its successful candi-
date. Woodrow Wilson, personally dis
approved heartily. And in 1918, the
Senate. by vote Of 47-23. adopted q
resolution proposing that such an
amendment to the Constitution should
be submitted to the people, but the
resolution stalled on the way to the
House of Representatives and never
got started again.
How do American business leaders
feel about it now? The associated
newspapers of the North American
Newspaper Alliance put the question
to prominent industrialists in New
York. Philadelphia, st. Louis, Chat
tanooga. Syracuse, Cincinnati, Lin
coin, Oklahoma City and Milwaukee
and found majority in favor Of 1t.
Statements Pro and Con,
The statements for and against fol-
low:
Bruce Barton, New York author and
Advertising executive: Under present
conditions, President, during his
first term in Office, cannot so much as
write letter or bedeck a Maypole
without pondering deep and long over
what effect his action will have on
the votes Of some minority group.
He is forced to oversell his admins
tration, to describe everything he
does as having the utmost excellence
and everything the opposition sug-
gests as being worthy at least of de-
rision. at most Of suspicion.
IF we, in our business, were to
make the claims for our products
that a President makes for his in the
course Of campaign, we would be
hailed before the Federal Trade Com
mission every day and finally dnd q
suitable resting place in Atlanta. I
think that q Presidents statements
should at least have the relation to
truth Of patent medicine advertise
ment.
But the present system dictates
otherwise. The President and his
opposition must promise and promise
and promise, and must deliberately,
consciously, foster in the public mind
a distorted notion of just what Gov
ernment can do. I remember Calvin
Coolidge saying to me, You can get
a lot OF votes by telling people they're
not to blame for their own faults
Do you think America will ever see a
campaign song whose powerful truth
Is its lyric, supplied by Samuel john
son:
How small of all that human hearts
endure
That part which laws or kings can
cause or cure!'
Certainly. single six-year term
for President will not completely
eliminate electioneering from the
White House, but 1t will at least cur
tail 1t. He will be able to plot the
course Of the Government of all the
peoples with only sideling glance at
the wishes of a portion of one Of its
election districts"
Executive Should Be Free.
Robert L. Lund Of st. Louis, former
president of the National Association
Of Manufacturers: "The Chief Execu-
tive should be as free as possible from
political influence. A single term,
however, would not certainly obtain
this objective because the President
would still be surrounded and infiu-
enced by advisers whose purpose
would be to continue the party In
power. The recognition that the
President had no personal interest
at stake would make it difacult for .
President to oppose the wishes Of his
friends with their political futures at
stake.
THE single term, thus. is not In IT.
self cure for the evils 1t is intended
to correct. Furthermore, it Is Of
great importance to have the National
Government responsive to public SEN
timent.
'The six-year term would be desir-
able If it could be certain all occu-
pants of the presidential chair would
be men of adequate wisdom and force
Of character. Our experience does
not Justify this hope"
John G. Lonsdale Of st. Louis, for
mer president of the American Bank
ers' Association: "A single six-year
presidential term would enable .
President to give u divided attention