Evening star., 1939-05-31

| loi IIle JOD OF
Charles G. Ross. cleaning up will
have far better chance of success
If the people know he is not playing
politics with an eye on a second
term. He is saying in effect that
the President. both for his own sake
and the country's, should be freed
OF all political temptation to soften
his attitude toward the powerful
pressure groups he will have to an
tagonize. Having in mind the fact
that for the first two years of his
term, at least, the next President
must work with a Democratic SEN
ate, Mr.. Vanderberg is asking for
and, in the event of his election,
pledging himself to-a cooperative
regime, roughly a sort of coalition
OF Republicans and independent
Democrats.
1t would not be surprising II Mr..
| Vandenberg, if nominated, should
hold out the promise of Democratic
representation in the cabinet.
Coalition Idea Is in Character.
In the proposal he has made, Mr..
Vandenberg is strictly in character.
His mind runs to coalition as a way
| of dealing with crises, and in the
Senate he has given abundant evi-
dence, notably in his brilliant and
successful fight against the Florida
ship canal scheme, that he knows
how to work with men traditionally
on the other side of the political
fence
AS long ago as 1884, just after
the congressional elections of that
year. he was advocating "a virtual
coalition government Prior to the
national convention of 1886, he urged
"Jeffersonian Democrats" to CO.
operate with the Republicans and
said that he would welcome their
assistance mot only in the battle
line, but subsequently in the council
chamber after next Novembers VIC
tory is won" Chairman Fletcher
OF the Republican National Com
mlttee said the next day that a
plan to offer cabinet posts to anti
New Deal Democrats, in the event
OF Republican success at the polls,
had been under discussion.
Fashioned though it is to suit
the special needs of the present, as
Senator Vandenberg sees them, his
proposal is calculated to revive dis
cussion of the general question Of
limiting the presidential tenure.
This is question that proved hard
er to settle in the constitutional
convention than even the bitter con-
f1ict between the large and small
States over representation in Con-
gress. Jefferson, for one, did not
regard the problem as permanently
solved, but expressed the hope that
the Constitution would be amanded
| to provide a seven-year term for
the President, with reelection for
hidden.
A Recurring Debate.
The debate has been carried on
| lntermlttently, at times hotly,
throughout the life of the Nation.
Andrew Jackson in his first annual
message to Congress, in 1929, recon-
mended that the President be
elected by popular vote and that
his service be restricted to a single
term of either four or six years. He
renewed the proposal repeatedly
during his two terms William Henry
Harrison in his inaugural speech,
in 1841, declared for a single presi-
dental term and announced that
under no circumstances would he
consent to serve second term.
Since the Civil War, more than
$50 constitutional amendments to
limit the Presidents tenure have
been offered in Congress. William
Jennings Bryan, while serving in
the House in 1894, proposed three
amendments to hold the President
to one term. The candidacy of
Theodore Roosevelt for third term
in 1912 brought about a flood of
restrictive amendments in the Con-
gress which convened in December
of that year.
A strong popular sentiment for
limitation was reflected in the
Democratic national platform Of
1912, which called for a one-term
amendment and pledged "the can
didate of this convention to this
principle" A month before the
inauguration of Woodrow Wilson
in 1913 the Senate by vote of Al
to 23-or one more than the re-
qulred two-thirds ma iority-ap-
proved constitutional amendment
fixing the presidential term at six
on1 olyiy,p
ineligible for reelection. Wilson,
however, despite the party's plat
form pledge, turned thumbs down
on the amendment and 1t was
allowed to die in the House. Will
son declared that four years was
too long for a President who is
not the true spokesman of the peo-
pie" and "too short for a President
who is doing, or attempting, a great
work of reform and who has not
had time to finish it."
Distinguished Republicans on rec
ord for the one-term idea include
William Howard Taft, who favored
term Of seven years, and Elihu
Root, who wrote that the possibility
Of reelection of a President in Of
flee seriously interferes with the
working of our governmental ma
chinery during the last two years
of his term"
Senator Vandenberg's statement
lends interest to a candidacy which
has undoubtedly made progress in
the last few weeks, and especially
since his winning fight on the
Florida canal. His commitment Of
himself to a single term, if elected,
will do him no harm. and it may
prove to have been just the right
stroke to dramatic his candidacy