Evening star., 1940-10-15
Text of WiIIkie Speech
Anti Third Tradition Traced
By G. O. P. Nominee at Syracuse

Madison and Monroe. jackson
could have been President for
life. But he. too, chose not to
destroy the unwritten law against
a third term. He chose delib-
erately to strengthen it.
Il cannot but believe" he said,
that more is lost by the long
continuance of men in Office
than is generally to be gained by
their experience"
And since those days, the
principle against a third term
has been upheld by every
thoughtful leader in American
public life. Twice before in our
history the attempt has been
made to violate it. But never in
our history. until this year, has a
major political party sanctioned
the attempt.
Republican conventions have
turned back the only two serious
third-term bids In our history.
But justice compels us to say that
it is the Democratic party that
has been pre-eminent in up.
holding this unwritten law. 1t
was the founder of that party
who established the tradition.
1t was the great popular hero of
that party. Jackson, who re-
inforced it. And more than once
it has been Democrats who have
offered in Congress resolutions
and amendments to limit the
presidential term.
1t was the Democratic party
which on two occasions adopted
planks against the third term
1t was that party which in 1896
made this solemn declaration:
I'VE declare it to be the ur-
written law of this Republic, es-
tablished by custom and usage
of 100 years and sanctioned bv
the greatest and wisest Of those
who founded and have main
tained our Government, that no
man should oe eligible for third
term OF the presidential office.'
Declares Democratic Party
Kidnapped by New Deal.
This is among the deepest
traditions of the Democratic
party, and the Democratic party
today would not be seeking to
violate that principle had not
the Democratic party been kid
naped by the New Deal.
The truth is that it is not the
real Democratic party today
which seeks to break the un-
written law against a third term.
We know that many real leaders
of that party are not behind this
movement.
We saw the real nature of the
third-term movement revealed in
the convention in Chicago
We saw there how Carter Glass
and other statesmen of that party
were howled down by the voice
from the sewers
We saw a man who had given
long years of faithful and de-
voted service cast aside. When
James A. Farley was dropped. the
New Deal dropped one of the
most trustworthy pilots that had
ever guided the Democratic party
ship. And since then we have
seen, day after day, how real
Democrats have been compelled
by conscience and loyalty to the
principles of their party to reject
the leadership which has cap
tured it.
1t is not the party of Jeffer-
son and Jackson and Woodrow
Wilson that has abandoned its
principles. 1t is the New Deal
of Hopkins, Ickes, Corcoran and
Wallace which has captured the
Democratic party. They seek to
substitute for Democratic doc
trine the doctrine of the indis-
pensable man.
Nine Million Unemployed
In Country Pointed Out.
And what makes the third
term candidate an indispensable
man?
More than nine million men are
unemployed in this country to-
day Unemployment is as great
as it was four years ago, when the
third-term candidate was run
ming for his second term. And
today the New Deal tells us that
no man living or whoever lived
can get jobs for all those men
The candidate who now asks for