Evening star., 1939-07-09

| Writing just after his first nomination,
he said:
when we consider the allurements
of power, and, more than all, the avail
ability the party finds in an incumbent
and a horde of officeholders, we recog-
nize, in the eligibility of the President
for reelection, a most serious danger"
Despite this view, Cleveland sought
and won a second term, though not
consecutively.
In 1912, with Woodrow Wilson as its
nominee, the Democratic platform con-
tained this plank:
I'VE favor single presidential term
and to that end urge the adoption OF
of an amendment to the Constitution
making the President of the United
Safes ineligible for reelection, and we
pledge the candidate of this convention
TO that principle
Wilson was elected, but the pledge was
not kept In the first place, it wasn't
Wilson's idea The plank was probably
the work of William Jennings Bryan.
| Thrice called by his party, but never
chosen by the people, Bryan was strong
on the one-term theme and probably had
it inserted in the Democratic platform.
Wilson was not long in repudlatlng, in
effect. that part of the platform. Writ
ing to A. Mitchell Palmer, he pointed
out the difficulty of carrying out pro-
gram in the brief span of one term. Il
shall most cheerfully abide by the judg-
ment of my party and the public" he
concluded, "as to whether I shall be a
candidate for the presidency again in
1916"
BY 1916 the war issue overshadoWed
everything else, so little or nothing was
heard of the one-term pledge. The
judgment of the party and the public
was to give Mr.. Wilson a second term.
However, the plank aroused consider
able discussion at the time President
Taft, fresh from his own experiences in
the White House, contributed his opinion.
1T is difficult he observed, Ito prevent
the whole administration from losing
part of its effectiveness for the public
good by this diversion to the political
effort for at least year of the four of
each administration.
Congress Has Debated Matter.
Congress also debated the matter 1t
had been the subject of a resolution in
troduced in Congress as early as 1928.
Similar resolutions were repeated in 1929.
1880, 1882 and 1885 After decade they
were renewed, but then-as always-they
received scant serious consideration.
Speaking in the Senate on February 4,
1913, Senator Cummins urged the limita-
ton. L think" he remarked, that a
President of the United States will more
perfectly keep an eye to his single work
which he has undertaken if he is not
disturbed, if he is not veXed if he is not
influenced by the thought of renomina-
ton or reelection"
But the Senator did not answer the
objections arising out of President Hayes
experience with the one-term plan.
Not much more was heard of the pro-
posal until President Harding's death in
office. This brought forth new rea-
son for limiting the tenure to one term.
A compassionate Senator said no man.
for his own physical well-being, should
be permitted to serve more than one
term-an argument presumably disposed
of by President Roosevelt's robust health
after more than six years in the White
House under as strenuous conditions as
any President is likely ever to face
The "allurements of power" and "a
horde of officeholders" may be set down
as the principal reasons for the first
serious effort to break the third-term
tradition. Before President Grants Sec
ond term was half over there was talk
he would seek a third term. Those who
might have been inclined to take such
talk lightly were surprised to find that
Grant was inclined toward a third term
But the troubles of his administration
not a resolution against a third term
which a Democratic ma ajority passed IN
Congress, discouraged such a step in
1876.
Tradition Still Stood.
-Four years later, after Hayes one
term, it was different. With 'the allure
ments of power tugging at him, Grant
permitted his name to 60 before the
convention. He was denied the nomina-
ton. The no-third- term tradition still
stood.
The next serious effort was Theodore
RooSevelts. His must be ascribed mainly
to desire to see program he had begun
carried through to completion. He had
said he would not seek a third term.
After four years of Taft in the White
House, Roosevelt changed his mind. He
offered himself in 1912-a move that split
the Republican party and paved the way
for the Democratic victory.
Wilson toyed with the thought of run
ming for third term to get his cherished
League of Nations adopted by this coun-
try, it has been revealed recently. BY
some Coolidge is thought to have in
tended Yes when he said IT do not
choose to run after serving out Hard
ings unfinished term and one of his
own
But no serious bid for third term
has been made since Theodore Roose-
velts in 1912. And not since then has
the one term proposal assumed such pro-
portions as Senator Vandenberg gave 1t.
1t is not improbable that both will figure
in the 1910 presidential election-witn
one difference. The Republicans will be
favoring what the Democrats supported