| Show y y AS S TO THIRD TERM A correspondent of The Herald wants to know if there has ever been any an official action against third terms for president That is if the unwritten law has bas been established merely by In Individual Individual InV V opinion being the first one to be placed on the record ecord Of Ot course everybody knows that a president could constitutionally suc succeed succeed succeed himself twice provided he re received received received enough votes On that point there thero is no question But the lower lowerhouse house hou c of ot congress actually did once by bya a resolution place Itself on record as against a third term The Tile resolution was adopted in De Dc 1875 and Was waa as follows I II IIII II III 0 I L it That Phat in the opinion of this house the precedent established by Washing Washington ton and other presidents of the United States in retiring from the presidential office after their second second term lerm has be become become become come by universal concurrence a part of or our republican system of govern government government government ment and that any departure from this custom would be un unwise unwise Unwise wise unpatriotic and fraught with peril to tt our free institutions There were affirmative votes and only eighteen in the negative At that time President Grant was regarded as asat asat asat at least leat a receptive if I not an active candidate for a third term His friends had started a strong movement for him and he had not lifted his hand in opposition opposition opposition to It tt Grant was one of 01 the most popular men ever elected president He had gone into office in 1872 for a sec second second ond mid term with a greater popular ma majority majority majority from the percentage standpoint than that given to Roosevelt in 1904 Then as now there were presidential policies that were being tried out and thousands of Republicans believed it would be unwise to nominate a new candidate Grant would not say whether he was or was not a candi candidate candidate candidate date The argument that the third election of Grant was necessary ne essary In or order order order der to preserve to the union the fruits of 01 the victory over the south was freely freel made and honestly believed by many Besides there were thousands of sol sot soldiers soldiers diers who had followed Grant and who were devotedly attached to him Nevertheless N the Pennsylvania Re Republican Republican Republican publican convention held in 1876 passed a resolution in which unalterable unalterable able opposition to the election to the presidency of any person for a third term was declared That resolution was followed by a letter from President Grant to the chairman of or the conven convention tion In the letter he said that he did not want a third term any more than he wanted a first but the people were not by bj b the constitution restricted to two terms and there might come conic a time when a change at the end of eight years would be unfortunate He add added added added ed I will not accept a nomination if it Is tendered unless it should come un under under Under der circumstances such as to make it itan Itan itan an imperative duty circumstances not likely to arise This was In effect permission for Grants friends to proceed with their campaign but the subsequent resolution resolution resolution tion by the lower house of congress ef effectually put an end to the movement |
