Evening star., 1940-07-19

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itself and award
the victory to S "a
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didate in David Lawrence.
1910?
This is the question which arises
out Of the action OF the Democratic
National Convention in breaking
precedent that has survived since
the beginning of the Republic,
namely that no President should
serve three consecutive terms.
The excuse on the surface is the
war situation and the belief that the
emergency abroad requires contin-
uity Of administration at home. The
truth, however, is that the desire to
win an election transcends every
other consideration. President
Roosevelt was renominated because
the New Deal clique which has been
IN power eight years refused to
surrender power to the conserva-
tive wing of the Democratic party
or to the Republican party.
Could Have Renounced Demand.
The fear that no other Democrat
could beat Willkie-a groundless
fear because Secretary Hull might
have done it-prompted the New
Dealers to demand that the Presi-
dent run again, demand which he
could have renounced, but he, too,
wanted to retain power.
Is the breaking of a third term
precedent worth while just to win
an election? Is principle and an
unwritten rule which is as deep
seated as any article of the Con-
stitution itself to be brushed aside
because political group wants to
hold public office?
George Washington could have
been reelected when it came to the
end of his eight years. A war was
on in Europe and an emergency
prevailed throughout the world. An
infant Republic had hardly gotten
established and America was in
danger of involvement in war. Fac
tionalism was rife and the only
man on whom the people could unite
was Gen. Washington, the man who
on the field of battle had really
brought the Republic into being.
But he declined. He thought it un-
wise to confess that democracy
could not rotate it's executives.
. Today what Washington and
Jefferson refused to do, and what
the Democratic party in convention
assembled has repeatedly declared
against, has been repudiated by
Franklin D. Roosevelt. He stands
out as the first man in American
history to declare that Presidents
ambition shall never be restrained.
He starts new precedent, namely,
that a Chief Executive who has had
two terms may try for third, and
who knows?-may be, a fourth. He
changes thus the whole concept of
the presidency for now, while a
second term has been looked upon
as a term free from further am
bition and hence conducive to in
dependence from party strain, every
President, Republican or Democrat,
who serves two terms hereafter will
feel eligible for third term.
Says Party Is Split.
Do the American people want to
change their presidential system and
Is the present situation such that
IN all the United States only one
man can be found who is able to
rule? This question will come be-
fore the electorate for decision.
Thomas Jefferson, in 1921, expressed
the hope that any man who tried
for third term should be de-
cisively beaten. He was the found
er of the Democratic party. Today
the party of Jefferson is split. When
the votes are counted in November,
possibly the American people will
agree with Jefferson and possibly
they will agree with Roosevelt.
1t is to be free choice and the
issues will be plain to everybody.
AS for the second place on the
ticket, Secretary Wallace, this was
obviously a move to counteract the
effect OF the Republican selection of
the farmers friend-Senator Nc
Nary. It will be interesting to see
whether Mr.. Wallace resigns as Sec
retary OF Agriculture or campaigns
while controlling billions of farm
credit.
The platform adopted by the con-
vention was in many respects as fine
a document as could have been
written 1t expresses in many par
ticulars the true liberalism of Amer
lea. But it is certainly not an accu-
rate record of New Deal accom-
plishment. 1t merely records what
ought to have been done and ought
to be done. The plank on foreign
/ policy is just as ambiguous and
vague as the Republican plank, but
Mr.. Roosevelt doesn't pay attention
to platforms anyhow, so except for
the few who will read it and wish
that some day platforms will really
become matters of principle in party
action, this document will pass into
oblivion.
Principle Killed, He Fears.
For the 1910 convention has killed
both conviction and principle. It
has glorified ambition, worshipped
at the shrine of the supreme ego
and subsequently accepted the die
tation of the first man who has per-
mitted his lieutenants to use public
office and public power to attempt
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