96 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts, and Letters. 



so it is, that, with annual local elections, biennial state elec- 

 tions, and quadrennial national elections, we manage to have 

 nine-tenths of the most important offices filled with inexperi- 

 enced men, and to keep the whole body of the people in a fever 

 of excitement and under the play of demoralizing influences 

 from the beginning to the end of their lives. 



But for this state of things, or in other words, if the people 

 were always capable of acting wisely and calmly in the selec- 

 tion and support of men to represent them in official positions, 

 so that the selection of an officer conspicuous alike for ability 

 and fidelity would depend more upon his willingness to con" 

 tinue in service than upon the manoeuvering of ambitious 

 scramblers for his place, then, in that case, the necessity for an 

 increase in the term of office would not be so urgent. But the 

 people are not universally capable of so acting, and it is next 

 to impossible that they should ever become so under the short- 

 term system. 



In connection with the presidency, there has been much dis- 

 cussion within a few years past, of the one-term principle. 

 Able senators have urged congress to take preliminary steps 

 looking to a change to that effect in the constitution ; and at 

 least one candidate for the presidency has inscribed the one- 

 term proposition on his banners. 



The strong argument, if not indeed the only one, employed 

 by the advocates of this change is, that, as the provision now 

 stands, the tremendous power of the public patronage, so much 

 of it in the hands of the president, is liable to be used to secure 

 his re-election, regardless of the wishes of the people of the 

 whole country. This is indeed a matter worthy of thoughtful 

 consideration. It seems to me, however, that the proper order 

 of the discussion is : first, to inquire whether re-eligibility is 

 in itself desirable ; secondly, whether the objections thereto are 

 of sufficient weight to overbalance the reasons for the present 

 provision ; and, thirdly, whether in such event, it is not pos- 

 sible to remove the objections without the sacrifice of any other 

 important interest. 



