CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



135 



berg of Congress of how great importance ex- 

 perienrr is in this matter of office for the bet- 

 tor jHTtunnaiicr <>t' its duties. When I came 

 li.-iv to the Congress of the United States, for 

 tlii- first two years I found myself a complete, 

 ignoble, unworthy cipher, and in my modi-sty 

 itiul humility again and again in the thoughts 

 hy day and in the dreams by night I deter- 

 mined to resign the position and get out of a 

 place where 1 was so utterly useless. I sup- 

 pose that there is not a modest or sensitive 

 in m in the House who has not again and again 

 experienced the same feelings. There are a 

 dozen men of experience in this House, having 

 been hero term after term, holding command- 

 ing posjtions and swaying the legislation of 

 th.' I louse hither and thither just as they please. 

 Whence comes that power? From preemi- 

 nent ability? From superior intellect? From 

 excellence in learning? No, sir. From ex- 

 perience in the performance of the duties de- 

 volving upon members of Congress. They in 

 everything else have their peers in hundreds 

 of men on this floor who are here to-day for 

 the first term. And, sir, it seems to me that 

 the same rule holds good in the office of Presi- 

 dent of the United States. If he is fit to be 

 elected to the position he will be a better man 

 the second term than in the first. He will per- 

 form his duties more wisely during the second 

 term than the first. I submit therefore to the 

 House that when you limit the presidential 

 term to four years you are forcing upon the 

 country a loss of valuable experience which it 

 might otherwise enjoy, in my opinion, with- 

 out any prayer from the people, even against 

 their wishes. 



" I, sir, do not believe for one that they have 

 ever asked any such proposition as this. I 

 never have seen it in any press representing 

 the people and their voice. I submit if they 

 have desired any change in the term at all it has 

 been in favor of one of six years, not one lim- 

 ited to four, and that no man shall be eligible 

 to a second term. 



44 Again, sir, there is a serious objection to 

 it. It provides that no person who has held 

 the office of President shall be eligible to a re- 

 election. Then, sir, suppose a Vice-Presideut 

 who by the death of the President haa held 

 that position for two hours' time or two days' 

 time, he will be forever ineligible as President 

 of the United States. Sir, it seems to me that 

 proper consideration has not been given to 

 that, for there is no reason why a Vice-Presi- 

 dent accidentally taking office' for a few days 

 or a few weeks shall be made ineligible to the 

 office of President of the United States. In 

 those days or those weeks he cannot by any 

 possibility have gained that control of the pa- 

 tronage of the country which will endanger 

 tha liberties of the people or improperly secure 

 his election. He may be the man of all others 

 we desire for that high office, and yet we can- 

 not be gratified. 



" Again, sir, I submit that this amendment 



never can be adopted by three fourths of the 

 States of this Union. And why? Suppose 

 the Democratic party a forced hypothesis, I 

 admit come into power and elect its President 

 in the next election. It has been out of power 

 for fifteen years. It went out of power when 

 the patronage of the Government was com- 

 paratively small ; it will come back again into 

 power when the patronage of that Govern- 

 ment is immense so immense that to-day it 

 has frightened the people, if they have sought 

 it, into seeking an amendment of the Constitu- 

 tion so that that patronage shall not be used. 

 Now, sir, I submit to my Democratic friends, 

 if they elect the next President of the United 

 States and he has that patronage in his hands, 

 is there a hod-carrier in the remotest town of 

 all our borders who will not be instructed by 

 their party, then in power, to vote at the polls 

 against this amendment to the Constitution? 

 You know this will be so; it is absurd were 

 we to ask the question. Will they not say : 

 4 We are in power ; we have the patronage now 

 and can retain power by its use and reelect the 

 President of the United States.' Shall not we, 

 as Republicans, if we prevail, instruct our men 

 to vote against the adoption of that amend- 

 ment? Certainly we would do it, and under 

 no such circumstances would three-fourths of 

 the States be induced to adopt it, and it would 

 thus become mere child's play. 



44 The minority of the committee submit a 

 different proposition, one for a six-year term ; 

 and I have given my reasons why I prefer that. 

 It provides, somewhat curiously, perhaps, to 

 thosa who have not reflected upon the subject, 

 that, if adopted, the amendment shall not take 

 effect until the year 1885. Why 1885? Becauso 

 when we propose a resolution to the House we 

 propose it seriously, thinking that the people 

 need it and that they may adopt it. Now sup- 

 pose that we had said that from and after the 

 next election this amendment should go into 

 effect, what would be the result? The very 

 first question, a very serious one, presented 

 would bo this: Would it affect the term of 

 office of the next President? If it does, then, 

 being adopted six months or a year after the 

 election of the next President, it would make 

 a six-year President out of one elected for four 

 years. 



44 Now, suppose that the Democrats should 

 elect their candidate for President at the next 

 election. Is it possible that the Republican 

 voters of the country will vote for the adop- 

 tion of an amendment to the Constitution 

 which will give that Democratic President two 

 years longer of office than he was entitled to 

 on the day he was elected ? Of course not : 

 and every Republican in the country will vote 

 against the adoption of such an amendment 

 as that. 



4t Suppose, then, yon put it off until 1881, 

 as has been proposed. Then you are in thi<* 

 condition : Suppose that next year we elect 

 our candidate for President. The amendment 



