Evening star., 1951-06-12
The Political Mill
Third erm Issue Called
Very Real to People Now
Trumun Candidacy Would
Violate Amendment Spirit
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
President Truman'S candidacy for an
other term in the White House-if IL
should develop-will run smack into
popular feeling on the third-term issue,
an issue which has become very real
with the ratification last winter of the
22d Amendment to the Constitution
It is true that this amendment spe-
cifically excluded from its operation the
occupant Of the White House at the time
Of its ratification by the States-Mr.
Truman. Nevertheless, his candidacy
would violate the spirit of the amend
ment, which limits any person to two
elective terms as President and provides
that II man has served two years Of
another Presidents term, he shall be
elected only once. President Truman
served as President for three years. nine
months and seven days Of the late Presi-
dent Roosevelts term and thereafter
was himself elected President.
Mr.. Truman is saying nothing about
his future plans-although he has
pointed out at press conference that
the 22d Amendment does not apply to
him. More and more Democratic leaders
are declaring their support for his re-
nomination.
Point to Popular Feeling.
There are Democrats, however, who
foresee trouble for him, If he runs in the
face of the anti-third term amendment.
ratified by more than three-fourths of
the States Legislatures, many Of them
controlled by Democrats. The popular
feeling. these Democrats point out. Is
against any Presidents holding Office
for more than two terms, and If Mr..
Truman had another term, he will have
been in the White House for nearly
three full terms.
This third-term issue, added to the
others the administration must face in
the campaign next year, might 60 far
toward wrecking his chances for re-
election.
It won't be long now before the clamor
begins for Mr. Truman to give some
indication what he plans to do. Potential
candidates for the Democratic presi-
dental nomination want to get the green
light to go ahead. or if the President Is
to run again, they want to get on the
band wagon and help him along. The
late President Calvin Coolidge, who oc-
cupied much the same position as Presi-
dent Truman-for Mr.. Coolidge had
served more than half of the Harding
term before he himself was elected Presi-
dent-took the bull by the horns and
issued his famous IT do not choose to
run" statement during the summer be-
fore election year. This paved the way
for the drive which ultimately brought
oho,y %k,a i,,o nf Hn hAY
retary of Commerce, Herbert Hoover.
Can Legally Buck Decision.
It has been argued again and again
that an announcement by a President
he would not seek to succeed himself
would leave him in weakened position
for the remainder Of his term. Mr.. Cool
idge did not weaken himself In those
piping times of peace and prosperity.
Indeed. he was persistently urged by his
admirers to change his mind, and some
Of them wanted to draft him.
The late Franklin D. Roosevelt remain
ed as silent as the sphinx up to the time
Of the Democratic National Convention
during the last summer Of his second
term, and was nominated for third
term. He announced, however, some time
be a candidate for fourth term. The
country was at war and he felt he could
pursue no other course. II the country
should be at war next year-either in
Korea or some wider fleld-President
Truman might feel impelled to make the
presidential race for the same reasons
that actuated Mr.. Roosevelt in 1914. But
If the war in Korea should end this
summer-there would appear no sufh--
cient reason why MIR. Truman should
not announce his plans for 1852. If he
fails to do so, under such circumstances.
it will be because he is thinking about
running again, or because he intends, II
possible, to dictate the nomination Of
the Democratic presidential candidate.
When Mr.. Roosevelt bucked the two
term tradition in 1914 there was no
written law limiting the length Of service
Of Presidents. The country now has ex-
pressed itself on this subject. Mr.. Tru-
man is the only man who can legally
buck that decision-but that he can do
SO successfully is very different Ques-
tion