136 



.CONGRESS, UNITED STATES. 



(as adopted will take effect in 1881, making the 

 term of office six years and the President in- 

 eligible for reelection. Having elected our 

 President, how natural is it for us to say : ' Our 

 -President is a good man, and every President 

 hitherto elected has had an opportunity for 

 reelection ; ours only of the men elected to 

 the office is limited to this one term of four 

 years; the next one to be elected and all 

 thereafter will have six years of officel ' That 

 will be an invidious distinction against the 

 President of the party in power, and every 

 jnember of that party will vote against the 

 adoption of such an amendment, and you can- 

 not get three-fourths of the States to adopt it, 

 and the amendment will fall through. 



" Now put off the operation of the amend- 

 ment if adopted until 1885, and you will have 

 removed it from all these difficulties which 

 otherwise beset it. You have made it certain 

 that if it commends itself to the people it will 

 be adopted by them. No party, as such, would 

 necessarily be arrayed against it. 



"Now, while I have reported this amend- 

 ment in behalf of the minority of the com- 

 mittee, I am free to confess that I do not see 

 any necessity for it." 



Mr. Reagan, of Texas, said : " I now offer 

 the following amendment as a substitute both 

 for the original report of the committee and 

 the pending amendment : 



That no person who has held or may hereafter 

 hold the office of President shall ever hereafter be 

 eligible to said office. 



That the term of office of President and Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the United States shall be six years. 



" Mr. Speaker, I desire to say a few words 

 only. I have not participated in this debate, 

 and I shall not now participate in the discus- 

 sion of the general question. I am not satis- 

 fied with the amendment to the Constitution 

 proposed by the majority of the Committee on 

 the Judiciary, nor do I feel satisfied with the 

 amendment offered by the minority. I there- 

 fore offer this amendment, which will take ef- 

 fect from its adoption, if it shall be adopted. 

 I desire to see the presidential term made for 

 six years and for a single term." 



The question was taken ; and there were 

 yeas 71, nays 184, not voting 35. 



So Mr. Reagan's substitute was rejected. 



The question recurred on the following 

 amendment of Mr. Frye : 



Srike out " no person who lias held or may here- 

 after hold the office of President shall ever agnin be 

 eligible to said office," and insert in lieu thereof the 

 following : 



From and after the 4tli day of March, in the year 

 1885, the term of office of President and Vice-Presi- 

 dent of the United States shall be six years ; find 

 any person having been elected to and held the office 

 of President, or who, for two yearp ? lias held such 

 office, shall be ineligible to a reelection. 



The question was taken ; and it was decided 

 in the negative yeas 107, nays 143, not vot- 

 ing 39 ; as follows : 

 . YEAS Messrs. Adams, Ashe, George A. Bagley, 



John H. Bagley, Jr., John H. Baker, Banks, Blaine, 

 Bradley, William R. Brown, Horatio C. Burcliard, 

 Burleigli, Gate, Chittenden, Clymer, Cochrane, Con- 



er, Crapo, Crounse, Farwell, Faulkner, 1'oster, 

 reeman, Frost, Frye, Garfield, Robert Hamilton, 

 Hancock, Haralson, Hardenbergh, Benjamin W, 

 Harris, Harrison, Hatcher, Hathorn. llendee, Her.- 

 derson, Abram S. Hewitt, Hopkins, Hoskins, Hous-e, 

 Hubbell. Hurlbut, Joyce, Kasson, Kehr, Ketchv,m, 

 Kimbal!, King, Franklin, Landers, Lane, Laiiham, 

 Lawrence, Ltaveuworth, Luttrell, Edmund W. M. 

 Mackey, Levi A. Mackey, MacDougall, McCraiy, 

 Miller, Monroe, Morgan, Norton, Oliver, O'NeiJl, 

 Packer, Phelps, William A. Phillips, Pierce, Piper, 

 Plaisted, Platt, Potter, Rainey, Randall, Reagan, 

 John Reilly, Riddle, John Robbins, Roberts, Robin- 

 son, Sobieski Ross, Sampson, Sheakley, Singleton, 

 Sinnickson, A. Herr Smith, Strait, Stowell, Teese, 

 Thornburgh, Throckmorton, Washington Towrsend, 

 Turney, Van Vorhes, Robert B. Vance, Walling, 

 Warren, Erastus Wells, Wheeler, White, Whiting, 

 Willard, Alpheus S. Williams, James D. Williams, 

 Willis, James Wilson, Woodworth, and Yeates 107. 

 NAYS Messrs. Ainsworth, Anderson, Atkins, 

 Bagby, William H. Baker, Ballon, Banning, Barnv.m, 

 Beebe, Bell, Blackburn, Blair, Bland, Boone, Brad- 

 ford, Bright, John Young Brown, Buckner, Samuel 

 D. Burcbard, Cabell, John H. Caldwell, Campbell, 

 Candler, Cannon, Caulfield, Chapin, John B. Clarke, 

 of Kentucky, John B. Clarke, Jr., of Missouri. Col- 

 lins. Cook, Cowan, Culberson, Cutler, Duvis, Davy, 

 De Bolt, Denison, Dibrell, Douglas, Dunriell, Du- 

 rand, Durham, Eames, Eden, Egbert, Felton, For- 

 ney, Fort, Franklin, Fuller, Cause, Glover, Goodin, 

 Andrew H. Hamilton, Henry R. Harris, John T. 

 Harris, Hartzell, Haymond, Hereford, Goldi-mith W. 

 Hewitt, Hill, Holman, Hooker, Hunter, Hunton, 

 Kurd, Hyman, Thomas L. Jones, Knott, George M. 

 Landers, Levy, Lewis, Lord, Lynch, Lynde, Magoon, 

 Maish, McDill, McMahon, Meade, Metcalfe, Milli- 

 ken, Mills, Morrison, Mutchler, Nad), Neal, New, 

 Odell, Page, Parsons, Payne, John F. Philips, Pop- 

 pleton, Powell, Pratt, Rea, Rice, William M. Rot- 

 bins, Miles Ross, Rusk, Savage, Sayler, Scales, Seel- 

 ye, Siemens, Smalls, William E. Smith, Southard, 

 Sparks, Sp ringer. Stenger, Stevenson, Stone, Swann, 

 Tarbox, Terry, Thompson, Thomas, Martin I. Town- 

 send, Tucker, Tufts, John L. Vance, Waddell, Wal- 

 dron, Charles C. B. Walker, Gilbert C. Walker, Al- 

 exander S. Wallace, Walls, Walsh, Ward, G. Wiley 

 Wells, Whitehouse, Wigginton, Wike, Charles G. 

 Williams, James Williams, Jeremiah N. Williams. 

 William B. Williams, Wilshire, Benjamin Wilson, 

 Woodburn, and Young 143. 



NOT VOTING Messrs. Bas^s, Bliss, Blount, Wil- 

 liam P. Caldwell, Cason, Caswell, Cox, Danford, 

 Darrall, Dobbins, Ellis, Ely, Evans, Gibson, Gocde, 

 Gunter, Hale, Hartridge, Hays, Henkle, Hoar, Hoge, 

 Jenks, Frank Jones, Kelley, Lamar, McFarland, 

 Money, Morey, O'Brien, Purman, James B. Reilly, 

 Schleicher, Schumaker, John W. Wallace, Whit- 

 thorne, Andrew Williams, Alan Wood, Jr., and 

 Fernando Wood 39. 



So Mr. Frye's amendment was rejected. 



The question recurred on the engrossment 

 and third reading of the joint resolution, as 

 follows : 



Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives 

 of tin United States of America, in Congress assemUtd 

 (two-thirds of each House concurring therein). Tlu;t 

 the following be proposed to the Legislatures of the 

 several States as an amendment to the Constitution 

 of the United States, which, when ratified by three- 

 fourths of said Legislatures, shall be valid as a part 

 of said Constitution : 



ARTICLE XVI. No person who has held, or may 

 hereafter hold, the office of President, shall ever 

 again be eligible to said office. 



