The Washington times., 1937-06-11
A Forgotten Party Pledge
BYJ. T. Williams, yr.


years ago this month"; the Party founded by
Thomas Jefferson nominated at Baltimore candidate for
President platform which pledged Amendment to The
Federal Constitution limiting the President to single term
Of office.
The nominee for President Of the Baltimore Convention
Woodrow Wison-was elected in 1912 and reelected for
second term in 1916
in 1882 the nominee Of the Party by Thomas
jefferson elected President and reelected for second term
in 1885, -~<
But the Parys pledge to submit the people proposed
Amendment the Constitution providing for single pres
dental term of office has apparently been forgotten AT any
it has been kept and the leaders Of the Party both
Houses of the present Congress have to bring the proposal
before either House for consideration.
The Trainers Of the Federal Constitution discussing
this matter hundred and fifty ago this summer
at the Philadelphia Convention. ~
BENJAMIN Franklin Pennsylvania took part in the discus
sion So did George Mason of Virginia and Charles Coes
worth Pncknev of South Carolina These three among
the delegates who strongly favored single term of office for
In fact the Philadelphia Convention in the course
berations adopted provision for sxyear term Suisse
quenty the Convention voted twice in favor of single term
Of years. It only toward the end Of the Convention
that the delegates finally compromised their differences in
Of four years with ban the Presidents
eligibility for reelection.
But Andrew Jackson when he the Presidency in
1922 declared in his first annual message to the Congress
his emphatic belief that ut would advisable to limit
the service of the Chief Magistrate to single term Of either
four or six years..
And the longer Od Hickory served in the White House
the stronger became his conviction that single presidential
term Amendment to the Constitution should be adopted In
his annual messages for five succeeding he repeated
this major recommendation which feature OF his first
annual message
Then came the Civil War and with the establishment by
the Southern States the Confederate Government The
Southern States which seeded from the Union wrote into the
Confederate Constitution substantially the proposal
ported by franklin Mason and Pnckney at Philadelphia in
1887 and by Andrew jackson from 1929 to 1874 provision
limiting their President to single term of six years
One of the advantages to be gained from truly national
participation in the coming Sesquicentennal Celebration Of
the adoption of the Federal Constitution will be country
Of The
eral Government Executive Legislative and Judicial
Branches
Here will be an opportunity for young America in school
and college, ON the farm and in the factoryNorth East
South and Westo debate the desrabity under world
ditions as they today of providing by Constitutional
Amendment for single of six years for the President
with no reelection for second third fourth term any
other term. ....s.
Historians agree for the most part that the main
why Philadelphia Convention hundred and fifty years
ago left this limitation of the original Constitution
was that George Washington would be the
first President the Convention unwilling to subject
'The Father of His Country to limitation that might be
misunderstood 40 aimed primarily at him.