Evening star., 1940-09-24
Cleveland Son Sees
Danger in Breaking
Third-Term Tradition
Recalls Fother Refused
To Accept Nomination
Of Gold Democrats
BY the Associated Press.

Richard r. Cleveland. son Of Pres
ident Grover Cleveland. testified to-
day that reelection Of President
Roosevelt for a third term would
remove our most effective check"
against the worlds present tendency
toward concentration of political
power
The Baltimore attorney. whose
father. a Democrat, had two nom
consecutive terms in the White
House N885-89 and l893-97, ap-
peared before a Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee studying proposals to
limit presidential tenure.
He recalled that his father had
turned down the urgings of sound
money or gold Democrats" who Of
fered him a third term nomination
because of their opposition to the
regular nominee, William Jennings
Bryan.
Sees Power Chief Issue.
Mr.. Cleveland said his father re-
piled to these urgines that ne was
''unalterably opposed" to "a third
term for any man.
The Central consideration in
this issue is power Mr.. Cleveland
declared. In a democracy Indi-
vidual citizens cannot give up their
power even if they want to. The
Germans wanted to give up their
power and accepted Hitler because
they were desperate and sought a
master 1t is possible to understand
the surrender of liberty by the Ger
mans. but unthinkable that we
should follow them by taking the
first step toward perpetuation Of
political power
Consistent rejection Of third
terms by other Presidents. the wit
ness asserted, had its only sig
nificance in emergencies. or when
a powerful and popular President
seeks to perpetuate his power"
Emergency Argument Denied.
THE arguments against a third
term apply only to emergencies he
added. An emergency is therefore
the basic argument against third
term, not in favor of it,
As for the present controversy.
Mr.. Cleveland said that 1T Is not
necessary to charge extravagantly
that Mr.. Roosevelt wishes to be a
dictator, or to challenge his good
faith in any respect"
1T is enough the witness con-
tinued, that he. or any other man
who follows him and seeks a third
elective term. should thereby repre-
sent that we must repudiate our
deliberate choice of the democratic
processes. and that we must now
feebly confess that our Nation can no
longer produce more than one man
fit to be President"
Glass Still for Roosevelt.
Senator Glass, Democrat. of Vir-
ginia is utterly opposed" to a third
term. but this has no effect on his
intention to vote for President
Roosevelt in November.
Senator Glass stated his third
term views in a letter to Senator
Burke, Democrat, of Nebraska.
which yesterday was put into the
subcommittee record.
Il may say that I am utterly op-
posed to third term for President
of the United States and l am in
clined to agree with Mr.. Jefferson
in his statement that the ConStitu-
ton should provide that a President
may have but two terms OF four
years EACH" he wrote.
Several weeks ago, Senator Glass
said that because he had partici-
pated in the Democratic national
convention. he felt lin duty bound"
to support the nominees. and when
his letter was made public yesterday,
he was asked If this represented a
changed viewpoint.
Not in the slightest" he re-
sponded, adding that he was "simp-
ly referring to a legislative matter"
in the letter to Senator Burke.
Green Heads Committee.
Other political developments yes
terday included appointment of
Senator Green of Rhode Island as
head of the Democratic Senatorial
Campaign Committee, and accept
ance by Senator Tydings of Mary
land of q place on the Campaign
Advisory Committee of the Demo-
cratic State Central Committee for
Maryland.
Senator Green, who succeeds Sem
ator Brown of Michigan, was named
by Senator Barkley of Kentucky,
Senate majority leader. Other. ap-
pointments to the committee are to
be made later.
Senator Tydings is expected to
have an active part in working for
the reelection of Senator Radcliffe,
who managed the Tydings campaign
two years ago when the administra-
ton sought unsuccessfully to