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Show this country if after the oattle f Bull Run President Lincoln had been finishing his second term as president?" That would have staged a "great emergency." Thomas Jefferson, at the close of second term would have beei v illing to accept a third term if a great emergency had demanded it. Tn declining a third term nomination nom-ination Jefferson wrote "There is however, but one circumsrance which could engage my acquiescence acquies-cence in another election; to wir, such a division about, a successor, as might bring in a monarchist. But that circumstance is impossible." impossi-ble." There would have been no need for Jefferson to have made thai statement if the Constitution had limited the president to two terms. The solid fact is that the constitution in no way. or place restricts re-stricts the tenure of the presidential presiden-tial office. Basic Things By G. W. States ' A THIRD TERM Since the question of a third term began to be discussed by the public there has been much reading read-ing of early day history to find out what the founding fathers thought upon this subject. In the constitutional convention a little more than a hundred and fifty years ago the question of the length of a presidential term wa.. thoroughly discussed and there were many shades of opinion as well as heated arguments. Some wanted to limit the presidential term to two years. In Jefferson'., correspondence we find he advised a two year term for presidents and six years the limit which would be three elective terms. At this time Jefferson was in France and wa. aware of the unbridled abuses that resulted in the French resolution. Other proposals as to the length of time a president should serve were made as follows; Luther Martin proposed a term of eleven years and no re-election. Elbridge Gerry a fifteen year term and Rufus King a twenty. At one point the convention was about to adopt a one term limited to seven years. Finally George Washington on April 28, 1788, had the following to say about the length of time a president might serve. The following follow-ing in his own words is his belie; that there is no valid reason why a president should not serve more than two terms. This was expressed express-ed in a letter to Lafayette which read as follows: "Under an extended view of ibis part of the subject I can set; no propriety in precluding ourselves from the services of any man. who on some great emergency, shall be deemed, universally, most capable of serving the public." This view was held by such illustrious illus-trious men as U. S. Grant, William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, Roose-velt, all former presidents. Taft had also been Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and advocated a third term for Calvin Coolidge. ir Theodore Roosevelt had received the Republican nomination in 1912, he would undoubtedly have served in the office of President for 12 years lacking six months. Now thoughtful reader did it ever occur to you to ask this question "What might have happened to |