Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-21
Whot Does History Tell Us
About Second-Te ERIN Bug?
By EDWARD BoYKnN

balls, hoping to come up with the
answer to o $64. 900 question: VIII
President Eisenhower run for Q Sec
ond term In 1855?
For guidance these gentlemen
might well study the past perform
ances Of the 80 former White House
jewellers.
Most Presidents have SHE'D away
from a point blank answer to do
you intend to run for . second
term?" until forced BY political
exigency. Some have awaited q
psychological moment" A few
have been coy about admitting
their hankerings. One or two have
waited to be drafted" or to hear
the "call Of the people" Keeping
'em guessing" Is an old presidential
technique.
Like the girl In the song hit.
many q President, when asked the
burning question. wouldn't say Yes.
but he wouldn't say No.
TRs Condor
No other President has been 40
fortnight as Teddy Roosevelt. who.
in 1908, when the second term
poser began agitating the Nation.
stated bluntly, "Of course, should
like to be reelected President and
2 shall be disappointed II am not.
-. ANY strong man fit to be Presi-
dent would desire denomination
and reelection after his first term"
Only one President ever pledged
himself publicly beforehand not
to run for reelection. During the
campaign Of 1875 Rutherford B.
Hayes stated. II desire to perform
what I regard a. o duty now in
stating my inflexible purpose. Il
elected, not to be o candidate for
election to q second term" He kept
the pledge implicitly.
Twenty-four Presidents have sim
cerely wished O second term: John
Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Mon
roe, j. @. Adams, jackson. Van
Buren,, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, Lin
coin, johnson. Grant, Arthur.
Cleveland. Harrison. Mckinley. T.
Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson. Coolidge.
Hoover, r. D. Roosevelt and Tru-
man.
Several Of these have literally
painted to prolong their stay in the
Chief Executives chair. This figure
--24-includes five who were ele-
waited to the presidency by death:
Truman, Coolidge. Arthur, T.
Roosevelt and johnson. The part
terms Of these i've are counted AZ
first terms, which. incidentally. was
the view taken by them.
Is Winners
Thirteen Presidents ran for q
second term and won: Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe. jackson, Lincoln.
Grant, Cleveland, Mckinley, T.
Roosevelt, Wilson, Coolidge, r. D.
Roosevelt and Truman. Seven ran
for a second term. but failed to
make the grade: John Adams, j. @.
Adams, Van Buren,. Fillmore. Ben
jamin Harrison, Taft and Hoover.
Three others definitely did want
o second term, but did not seek 1t
and passed contentedly out Of the
picture: Polk, Buchanan and Hayes.
Only one, George Washington. did
not want q second term, did not
seek 1t, but was drafted and re-
elected against his true wishes.
Thomas jefferson planned to re-
tire at the end Of his flrst term,
or so he said. He laid the blame
for his change Of heart on his
arch-enemies, the Federalists. Said
Jefferson, the unbounded calum-
MES of the Federal party have
obliged me to throw myself on the
verdict of the country for trial,
my great desire having been to re-
tire at the end Of the present term
to a life Of tranquility. They force
my continuance"
Abraham Lincoln was convinced
he could not win q second term, but,
he felt, "a second term would be q
great honor and a great labor.
which, together. perhaps. I would
not decline If rendered" That was
in 1868. A year later he accepted
denomination gratefully" remark
ing at the time that the convention
had probably concluded ut is pest
not to swap horses while crossing
the river" Still, in August 1864.
with election in the offing. he had
his cabinet sign blindly a paper on
which he predicted defeat.
Calvin Coolidge hankered for a
second term, but kept very, very
mum about it. He went through
the motions of wanting to be
wooed. While publicly In this Bar
kis-is-willing mood he was quietly
writing a friend he could see
nothing to prevent his nomination
by the Republicans on the first
ballot, he observed zone never
knows what will happen in poll
tics" At the Gridiron dinner that
year, 1924. he admitted, II should
be willing to be a candidate"
Coolidge's II do not choose to run"
dictum in 1928 was really anti
climax. He had had his second
term and he knew 1t.
Tyler's Lure
Even John Tyler, the President
without party, was caught by
the lure of the second term jacko-
lantern. Tyler. Sc, had just taken z
lovely bride Of %. who bef1tted the
corpeoiIs White House setting like
a jewel. Why shouldn't he want q
second term? Repudiated by the
Wings who had elected him, turned
down by the Democrats, he per-
mitted himself to be renominated
by convention" Of dissenting
Democrats" only to withdraw lest
he siphon of votes from Polk. the
regular Democratic nominee.
Little Jimmy" Madison and his
inimitable wife, Dolly. both ham
kered for a second term. They were