Evening star., 1940-07-05

wiz SOuld Will.
Somewhere be-
tween these two David Lawrence.
ideas is a third Mr.. Roosevelt
knows that the chief obstacle to
a third term is precedent To off
set this is his belief that the next
few months are critical in world
history and that he must remain
at the helm. How, then, to be Presi-
dent Just a few months and yet
keep the New Deal in power.
One solution, from the Presi-
dents point of view, would be to
announce that he believes the third
term tradition is a good thing, but
that it contemplates two terms OF
four years each. Unfortunately for
him. the President might point out,
he is the first President who has
had his term of office shortened by
constitutional amendment. This was
done in order to change the day
of Inauguration. Although inaug-
'urated on March 4 originally, his
second term was compelled to begin
on January 20. Thus Mr. Roosevelt
is to serve seven years and little
over 10 months. He has been de-
. prived of about 43 days. And lot
can happen in 43 days, as witness
the total war that conquered
France in that time.
Tradition Based on Eight Years.
Mr.. Roosevelt might say he is
entitled to eight years of service,
as were all three of his predecessors
who we're reelected except those
who came to the White House from
the vice presidency due to death of
a President. Theodore Roosevelt,
though serving from September,
1901, to March 4. 1909. or about seven
years and half, said the tradition
must hold even in his case and he
refused to be candidate for a
consecutive third term. Calvin
Coolidge, although President five
and a half years, did not choose to
run for a third term.
But the tradition is based on
eight years and Mr.. Roosevelt would
have a plausible argument if he in
sisted that he had the right by
precedent to serve from March 4,
1888, to March 4, 1941. This would
mean that he could be a candidate
) in this years contest and announce
that he would retire in favor of the
Vice President next March. He
would thus remain President about
43 days longer than otherwise, if
elected in November, but it would
assure from a domestic point of view
the continuance of the New Deal,
which, when all is said and done, is
rally the important thing the New
Dealers are worried about. They
want to hold on to the jobs and the
power that goes with them.
Who, then, would be chosen as
nominee for Vice President? Mr..
Roosevelt can't very we'll select At
torney General Jackson because he,
too, comes from New York State
and a constitutional technicality
disqualifies the electors of New York
State, for instance, from voting for
two candidates from the same State.
FdNOTIte IS DOugLiS.
The presidential favorite is known
to be Justice William o. Douglas of
the Supreme Court of the United
States. He is relatively a newcomer
in politics and the regular party
men do not know him. Still, they
have very little to say about it now
adays in the Democratic party. The
regulars have fallen all over them
selves to hand the party mechanism
over to the New Dealers so they can
hardly complain now if the Presi-
dent dictates the man he wants for
Vice President.
; If Mr.. Roosevelt runs, moreover,
1t would disqualify Postmaster Cen
eral Farley of New York State, who
really should be the vice presidential
nominee from the standpoint of
service in the past to the Democratic
party There is talk of naming Sen
ator James Byrnes of South Caro-
lima He is an able man and popu-
lar in Congress and if the President
were to retire, Jimmy Byrnes would
make an excellent President.
War May Balk Retirement.
The war abroad, of course, might
prevent Mr.. Roosevelt from retiring
exactly on March 4, l941, if he were
elected next November, but this
would be detail. Again and again,
under New Deal asupices, circum-
stances have arisen which have
made it seem eXpedient to the New
Dealers to ignore platform pledge
or a public pronouncement. Under
the New Deal, the philosophy of
Machiavelli prevails-that the end
justifies the means. This is but
another way of saying that the New
Dealers conscientiously believe no
other group can rule America and
preserve the so-called social gains
or losses-the phrase depending on
whether, for example, $45 900, ,O00,-
600 debt is a social loss or gain in
the modern world.
All Washington is talking about
only one subject: Will the Presi-
dent accept the nomination that is
going to be rendered to him? He
may answer it with a short
third term-a trick concept
such as he advanced when
he asked that the Supreme
Court be enlarged by enough JUS