Evening star., 1951-04-05
Limits Proposed Before
On House, Senate Terms
Bill Offered, Seven Years Ago
Never Got Anywhere
The Political Mill
By Gould Lincoln

Now that the tenure-of- presidential
Office amendment to the Constitution
Oimiting a President of the United
States to two terms) has been adopted.
proposals for the limitation Of congress
sional Office naturally are in the making.
They are not entirely new, however.
Almost seven years ago Republican
member of the House from Missouri.
Wat Arnold, introduced a resolution pro-
posing to amend the Constitution by
limiting congressional tenure Of Office to
six years-one six-year term for Senators
and three two-year terms for House
members.
Mr.. Arnold who was then freshman
member of the House. was reelected
twice and fell by the wayside in the Tru-
man victory of 1913. He admitted he
was political hereto" when he made
his proposal. His amendment called for
a single six-year term for Presidents and
Vice Presidents. 1t was not until couple
of years later that the Republican 80th
Congress successfully proposed an
amendment to the Constitution limiting
Presidents to two terms Of four years
each-an amendment which has been
finally ratified this year.
Proposal Shelved.
Mr. Arnold's proposal, which was re-
ferred to the House Judiciary Commit
tee, never got anywhere. Members Of
Congress, while having a natural re-
luctance to cut off their own tenure Of
Office through constitutional amendment,
also feel that the legislative Office is
different from the executive Office, which,
except for the Offices of President and
Vice President, does not have to stand
for reelection. They maintain, too,
that experience gained in legislative work
should not be discarded lightly.
Such arguments, however, were
brushed aside by Mr. Arnold He held
that the infusion of new blood into the
National Legislature would have the
beneficial effect of breaking up congress
sional and administrative cliques. He
contended that such cliques constituted
instruments of perversion whereby the
popular mandate and the true functions
of the republican form of government
are so viciously inverted"
Mr.. Arnold held that long continuance
of Senators and Representatives in
Office tended to build up ruling
elected Representative of this people
who is so superior Intellectually or so
faultlessly correct in his judgments as
to deserve an exclusive monopoly upon
the right of government" he contended.
when servant of the public comes
to regard himself as an indispensable
asset to his constituency. then the warn
ing signal OF Fascism is flying"
Would Strengthen President.
Whether it was Mr.. Arnold's intention
or not, by his limitation on the congress
sional tenure of Office he would have
increased the presidential strength in
any clash he might have with the legis-
latorS. President Truman is having
and has had-a terrific struggle with
Congress almost ever since he took office.
1t is easy to understand how limitation
on the tenure of Office of Senators and
Representatives would be advantageous
to Mr.. Truman in such struggle. Under
present conditions of unlimited tenure of
offce-depending entirely on how long
the legislator is able to persuade the
voters in his State or district to return
him to ofice-the legislator is more
independent of control by the Chief
Executive.
The White House, however, through
Press Secretary Joseph Short, has
repudiated an article to be published
tomorrow, written by Jonathan Daniels,
quoting Mr.. Truman as favoring a 12-
year tenure of Office for Senators and
Representatives, with the Representa-
tives elected for four-year terms instead
OF two. The implication was contained
in the article that the President ulti-
mately-not at present-would get
around to recommending such con.
stltutional amendment. Decidedly, the
idea that President Truman was PLAN
ming to cut off the legislative lives Of
such men as Senators Kefauver of Ten
nessee, Fulbright of Arkansas chairman
OF two Senate investigating committees
that have already caused the adminis-
tratlon and the Democratic Party great
EMBARRASSMENT. Byrd of Virginia and
others who have opposed his program is
likely to increase the friction between
the White House and the Capitol-not
lessen it.