Evening star., 1939-06-11
Ickes Protests
Distortion Of Article
On Third Term
Magazine Criticized;
6. 0. P. Units FORMING
Vondenbere Clubs
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

article, Why 1 Want Roosevelt te
Run Again appeared in Look
Magazine, yesterday gave out fol
publication the full text. At the
same time, he criticized the maya
zine for having "distorted" anc
''multilated" his article.
The Ickes announcement did more
than draw attention to his charge
that he had been misrepresented by
the magazine. 1t also got before the
public once more his Il want Roose-
velt' plea.
On the Republican side, mean
while, the stock of Senator Vanden.
berg of Michigan as potentia
presidential nominee continued tc
rise.
In the first place, since Senator
Vandenberg little more than a week
ago, declared for pre-pledged one
term Republican nominee and indi-
Gated that if the Republican voters
OF the country want him, he would
run, he has been deluged with let
ters from all sections Nearly 5000
messages have been received. A huge
percentage of these letters, esti-
mated as high es SO per cent, ap-
prove M. Vandenberg's insistence
that the next Republican candidate
should be committed to one term
! free of all politics to bring about his
! nomination for a second term.
NanJa,bara fNl,hS
Vandenberg for President clubs
/ are being organized in half dozer
/ cities. The Senator himself. how
ever, is taking no part, his friends
going TO seek delegates TO support
him at the Republican National
/ Convention next year His attitude
is that the answer is up to the Re-
publican voters.
Members of Congress. both Re-
publicans and Democrats, in in
creasing number. look on Senator
! Vandenberg as the likely nominee
of the party. They base their pre-
dictions on the fact he has demon
strated his ability in the Senate and
has taken position on all impor-
! tant issues likely to develop in the
next campaign. If Congress had the
task of settling the question of the
Republican nominee for 1910, un-
/ doubtedly it would be Senator Van
denberg.
This is true despite the fact vari-
GUS polls taken throughout the
country still show Thomas E. Dewey
New York district attorney anc
! racket buster in the lead over al
/ others who have been mentioned as
the possible Republican nominee
/ The many letters received by Sen
| atOr Vandenberg. it is said. indica te
the people have been quick to GRASP
the significance Of his proposal that
the next presidential nominee be
pledged to single term. Not only
| do they gather its meaning as it
/ relates 10 a new President free OF
the urge to play politics in order
to get himself reelected, but they
J also see in it challenge to the New
/ Dealers who would have President
. IoooSCNSIl Siildfnl iIlC VIZ IL lCl
| tradition.
Ickes Discusses Third Term.
One of Secretary Ickes' complaints
| against Look magazine was that he
/ had written "a serious contribution
| based on historical research and po-
( litical judgment and conviction" and
/ that most of it had been deleted in
publication.
| Having asserted that If the
| founding fathers had wanted tC
limit the presidential office to any
number of terms they would not
have hesitated to say So" Mr.. Ickes
proceeded with his discussion of the
thirdterm issue from an historical
point of view
! He said that at one time Thomas
Jefferson had thought that not only
| the term of President should be linn
tied, but also the terms of Senators
and Representatives And Mr.. Ickes
declared that logically, if one is linn
tied. all should be.
! IF man may be permitted tC
serve in either branch of Congress
for 20 or 80 years, why should the
presidential tenure of Office be re-
Stricted by tradition to eight the
Secretary asked adding:
But Jefferson himself, like all WiSt
and thoughtful men capable OF
learning from experience. had occa
sion to change his mind. In 1887
when the Constitution was being
shaped, Jefferson strongly protested
against what he called the 'perpet-
ual re-eligibilitv of the President.
thus proving that he thought that
there was no such restriction in
tended as is now pretended He was
convinced that if President were
allowed to stand for reelection after
his first term. he would become ar
elective monarch. But time qualifiec
Jefferson's ideas.
Jefferson's Admission.
I'm January, 1905, shortly before
he entered upon his second admin.
istration, Jefferson made this sig.
niflcant admission in a letter tt
John Taylor: My opinion originally
was that the President of the United
States should have been elected fol
seven years, and be forever ineligible
afterwards. l have since become
sensible that seven years is too Ions
to be irrevocable, and that there
should be peaceable way of with
drawing a man in midway who i.
wrongdoing. The service for eight
years, with power to remove at tht
end of the first four. comes nearl,
to my principle as corrected by ex.
perience. And it is in adherence tt
that determined to withdraw at thu
end of my second term!'
In this same letter, Jefferson
made this significant statement
There is, however, but one circum