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Show Political Gems From Marshall Thomas Riley Marshall has been vice president of the United States for almost eight years through a period per-iod as vital as any other of similar length in American history. They have been eight crowded years of war, of International readjustment, re-adjustment, of ticklish domestic problems. prob-lems. They have been eight years of governmental Innovations, sometimes revolutionary In their conception; eight desperate years of meeting emergencies that shook the foundations founda-tions of our national life. ' Throughout this period Mr. Marshall, Mar-shall, as the presiding officer of the United States senate, has heard and seen a lot and has gathered some definite opinions as to our method of government. He says, among other things: "We have gotten away from our original Idea of representative govern- ment. it was never mtenueu inui our form of government should be a pure democracy. "The presidential primaries we have now mean nothing at all, and there 's much foolishness about our national political conventions. "This nation Is breaking down its presidents. It will continue to break them down so long as the present sjstem exists. There should be a single term for presidents, say six years, "One of the things that ought to, be done would have government clerks work eight Instead of seven hours a day. Then, right at once, we could get along with one-eighth less clerks." |