The Sauk Centre herald., 1940-08-08
CAPITOL
BY Harold Knutson
Make Term Six Years
BY Harold Knutsor

was purged by the Democrats IN
the spring primaries, has introduc-
ed a resolution to amend the Con-
stitution so as to lengthen the
term of President to six years, and
make him ineligible for reelection
There are a number of reasons why
such a Constitutional change
should be made. 1t would enable
the President to devote all his time
and energies to the affairs of the
country by obviating the necessity
of spending the first term in build
ing fences for a second term. "A
six year term is long enough for
any President. Two 4-year terms
killed Wilson and Coolidge, neither
of whom lived long after leaving
the White House, although they
We're comparatively young men.
If three terms, why not four, five
and six terms, and finally no
election at all, as they now have it
in Germany, Italy and Russia.
1t is hoped that Senator Burke
will be able to get his resolution
through this Congress so that it
may be submitted to the state leg
islatures for ratification next win
ter.
A common ErrOr
A few days ago I read a letter
in one Of the Minneapolis papers
which gave to President Roosevelt
credit for the enactment of the
Federal Deposit Insurance Act, un-
der which the government guaran-
tees all bank deposits up to 5000.
That Is a common error. Indeed,
even Mrs Roosevelt, in one of her
recent newspaper letters. claimed
that the insuring Of bank deposits
was initiated by the present Ad-
ministration in Washington" She
should have known better.
The fact of the matter Is that
when the 1888 banking bill was be-
fore the Senate, Senator Arthur HI.
Vandenberg of Michigan, a Repub-
lican, offered the guarantee
amendment which was adopted. At
that time it was bitterly opposed
by President Roosevelt and his
then Secretary of the Treasury,
William H. Woodin. This was test
flied to by Senator Glass, in ad-
dressing the Senate in 1885. when
he said:
when it was first proposed to
establish the insurance of deposits
fund, the President of the United
States and his then Secretary of
the Treasury, Mr.. Woodin, were
very emphatically and bitterly op-
posed to it. They said they would
not stand for it."
On June 2. 1888, when the FEEDER
al Deposit Insurance bill was still
in conference. the President
wrote a letter to Senator Glass in
which he said:
II must therefore again express
to you my definite feeling that the
Vandenberg amendment must be
rejected in toto, even as revised
and again repeat that no modifi-
cation of this amendment proposed
so far will void a serious situation
It is significant that after the
banking act of 1888 was passed
with the Vandenberg amendment
the President delayed more than
sixty days in naming the members
of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation. Leo T. Crowley. ap
pointed by the President as Chair
man OF the F.DI.C., wrote to Sena-
tor Vandenberg on February IS
1884, II consider you to be the
Father Of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act"
Mrs. Roosevelt will kindly note
Change Draft Bill
The original Wadsworth
conscription bill called for register
ing all males between the ages of
10 and a. Yielding to growing an
tagonism against the measure, the
Senate Military Affairs Committee,
last Wednesday. amended the mea-
sure to limit registration to those
between n and 81. However. the
bill is still Objectionable to many
members and, I may add, to a con-
siderable number of our people
who believe that peace-time con-
scription and democracy are in
compatible. Present indications
are that the conscription plan must
be further greatly modified in ord
er to get through Congress.
Military experts are quite gener-
ally agreed that If the Burke
Wadsworth plan, or a similar mea-
sure. is passed by Congress 1t will
mean the end of the National
Guard as now constituted. Many of
us feel that in view of unsettled
conditions in the world the National
Guard should be greatly strength
ened, rather than put out Of busi-
ness. II we adopt the draft plan
1t will add a thousand million dol
lars to the operating expenses OF
the government annually. That
large sum. devoted to the develop
ment Of the National Guard would
give us one Of the finest fighting
machines in all the world.
A Conscript army can be moved
about at the will Of the President,
while the National Guard can only
be modified on he expressed auth
ority OF Congress. Maybe that is
why the National Guard is slated
for liquidation.
Funny Work
When the so-called ship speed-up
bill was sent to the White House
for approval short time ago it
contained q provision authorizing
the government to take over or
confiscate any industry that failed
to take war contracts offered by
the government. How this provis-
ion ever got into the bill Is a mys-