| Show Mk B n MH M U Our Founding Fathers Found The Baby on Their Doorsteps t l I Kept K pt Uncle Samuel in Stew Years Y Years Hamilton Hamilton Wanted Presidents During Good Behavior Term One-Term Bills Pop Up Frequently EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE NOTE Between Between now summer day when ichen the tho Demo Demo- Democratic Democratic cratic party nominates its ill candidate for President Pr the third term issue will be one of the most discussed questions of the thc 1940 campaign That discussion may continuo continue until November 4 in in- increasing increasing increasing creasing in in intensity as 41 election election day draws dratos near To help our readers Judge for themselves the merits of the arguments arguments arguments ments for or against a Presidential third term this newspaper presents herewith the first Int in a series of 0 o three articles which give some of the his his- historical historical background of that issue It is neither FOIl FOR nor AGAINST a third term it simply scant scans the tho past and gives an CUI impartial report of its findings L I. THE T E FOUNDING FATHERS AND CONGRESS HALL the President of O SHALL these United States be elected for a certain term of years and thereafter be in in- ineligible ineligible ineligible eligible What shall that term be Six years Seven years Twenty years Or shall he be permitted to serve nerve during good behavior Those were some of the questions which the Founding Fathers meet meet- meeting mee meeting ing in Philadelphia years ago tried to answer as they struggled with their gigantic task of devising a frame of government for the new republic Considered Year Seven-Year Term I On May 29 Gov Edmund Ran Ran- Randolph Randolph Randolph I dolph of Virginia and Charles Pinck- Pinck Pinckney Pinckney Pinckney ney of South Carolina both present present- presented ed resolutions providing for an exec exec- executive executive executive to be chosen by the national legislature for a term of years and to be Ineligible a second time Three days later a vote was taken on an a year seven term for this executive exec exec- Five states voted for It and four tour against It The next day a motion to make the executive ineligible after alter seven years also was carried by a vote of 7 1 I to 2 Apparently that matter was settled But two weeks later It was brought up again and Alexander Hamilton proposed that the supreme executive authority be vested In a Governour to be elected to serve during good behavior The delegates turned thumbs down on this idea and on June 10 19 voted for a year seven-year term for the President who should be Ineligible for tor re reelection A month later how how- however however however ever they changed their minds and struck out the ineligibility clause Then Iben followed a long debate During Good Behavior Once more the during good be be- behavior behavior behavior havior clause bobbed up but again it Jt failed to pass There was a suggestion sug sug- suggestion suggestion that the Chief Executive be elected for 20 years and another that he be chosen by the legislature with the provision that no person be el eligible el- el eligible eligible for more than six years In any 12 years Both of these plans were rejected and eventually they Vent went back to the year seven-year term with its time second proviso This was In July and for the next two months the presidential term was repeatedly debated On Sep Sep- September September September 4 it was brought up again with the suggestion that the resl- resl Presidents President's Presidents President's dents dent's term be made four years A motion to change this back to sev sev- seven seven seven en years and another to six years were defeated and on September 15 it was finally agreed that the President President President dent should be chosen by an elec elec- electoral electoral electoral toral college for four years no limit to his re eligibility being fixed Problem Bobbed up Again Although the adoption of the Con Con- Constitution Constitution Constitution on September 17 1787 ap ap- apparently apparently apparently settled this question of presidential tenure satisfactorily it was a question that was destined to come up again and again in future years years especially especially in the legislative bi of our government After the th the contested election of 1800 a resolution was presented In the senate that no person who has been twice successively elected President shall be eligible as President President President dent until four years elapse when he may be eligible to office for four the senate years and no longer But rejected this by a vote of 25 to 4 Twenty years later however the tre senate passed a Joint resolution by bya a vote of 36 to 3 providing that no noman noman noman man should be chosen President for more than two terms But the house failed to act on this resolution so nothing more was done about presidential presidential presidential tenure until the contested election of 1824 1 brought It up again Then no less than 10 amendments to the Constitution intended to limit the President to one term were de de- debated debated debated bated in congress Many Resolutions Offered During Jacksons Jackson's administration 21 Joint resolutions dealing with a limitation of the presidential term were introduced in congress but none was acted upon Some of these recommended a single term of four others prohibited a or six years third term and still others were against more than two consecutive terms term In Van Burens Buren's U t o e a- a ai i I I GEORGE WASHINGTON tion 10 term one-term joint resolutions were introduced but failed to pass For the next 30 years the third- third term Issue was dormant mainly be be- because because because cause there was a succession of one one- term Presidents But during the administration of Andrew Johnson there ther were 12 joint resolutions rec rec- recommending recommending recommending single presidential terms without any action being tak tak- taken taken taken en upon them But In 1875 when it seemed likely that Grant would be bea beI a candidate for a third term William M. M Springer of Illinois introduced a resolution In the house That in the opinion of this House Bouse the precedent established by Washington and other Presidents Presidents Presidents dents of the United States in re re- retiring retiring retiring tiring from the presidential of office of- of office fice flee after acter their second term has become by universe concur concur- concurrence concurrence rence a part of our republican system of or government and that any departure from this time- time honored custom would be un unwise un- un unwise wise unpatriotic and fraught with peril to our free rree This resolution was adopted by a vote of to 18 with 38 not voting Two years later after President Hayes In his Inaugural address had recommended a constitutional amendment limiting the President to a single term of six years Spring Spring- Springer er offered another resolution em- em embodying embodying bodying Hayes Hayes' recommendation and other reforms But no action was taken on the resolution The third-term third Issue remained In Inthe Inthe the he background until 1892 when Grover Cleveland who had been first elected In 1884 and de- de defeated defeated In 1888 was again elected Then no less than 13 amendments were Introduced in congress to limit the presidential term in various ways Brought up op In 1912 Again there was a lull of 20 years until 1912 1012 when the house commit- commit committee tee cc on the judiciary submitted a favorable report on a resolution pro pro- pressing proposing proposing posing a constitutional amendment limiting the President to a single year six-year term but no further action was taken During this year some 21 such amendments were intro intro- introduced introduced introduced in the house and in 1913 the senate passed a Joint resolution by bya a vote of 47 to 23 proposing a simi simi- simlar similar similar lar ar amendment but the house re re- reused refused re- re refused fused used to act upon it In 1927 when talk was started about the possibility of Calvin Coo- Coo Coolidge Coolidge lidge idge seeking re-election re the anti anti- third term resolutions began to come thick and fast The first one of- of offered offered by Rep Beck Deck of Wisconsin a Republican was practically the same as the Springer resolution of 1875 suggesting a constitutional amendment against a third term Then Senator LaFollette Introduced a similar resolution in the senate Resolutions Not Acted Upon In the meantime Representative Fairchild of New York a Republican can had offered a constitutional amendment that No person shall be eligible to the office of President who has previously served two terms whether by election or by succession due to the removal death resignation or inability of the President where the term by succession suc suc- succession succession cession shall have continued for a period of two years or more No action was taken on any of these proposals by the Sixty-ninth Sixty congress but they came up again in the Seventieth culminating In La- La LaFollette's LaFollette's Follette's resolution being reintroduced reintroduced on January 27 1928 amend amend- amended ed and passed by the senate on Feb Feb- February FebI February February I 10 by a vote of 56 to 26 28 It said I I Resolved That it Is the sense seme of I Ithe the Senate that the precedent established fished by Washington and I other Presidents of the United States Stales in retiring from the presidential office once after their second term has become by universal concurrence a part of our republican system of govern govern- government government government ment and that any departure from this time-honored time custom would be bo unwise unpatriotic and fraught with peril perU to our free Institutions Released br by We Western l rn N Newl Newspaper r Union |
