With the nomination of President Roose-as the Demgcratie candidate for president in the coming November US. elections, the electoral campaign may be expected to be in full sWwing within the next few weeks. It will be, perhaps, one of the strangest that has ever taken place in the history of the United States. It is clear, from the programmes pre~ pared by the Republican and Democratic Conventions, that there is very considerable agreement between the two parties on the subject of foreign policy, except that each appears to be more determined to keep out! of the war than the other, and while there must be considerable difference of opinion between the two parties on the subject of the New Deal, it is not upon that that the elec~ tion will be fought. There is every indica~ tion that the issue will eventually resolve HMself into decision of the question whether the electorate will approve of President Roosevelt serving a third term. There is nothing against him doing so save a tradi~ tional dislike of the idea. The fact that, Washington did not serve a third term has very little to do with the matter. He retired after his second term of office because of disgust over the turbulence which pre vailed during it, and there is little to suggest that, had conditions been very different from what they were, he would have refused to continue in office. Nevertheless the fact that he did not do 80, has been invoked on many' occasions as suMicient argument against a President serving more than two terms of office. Coming to the present century it will be remembered that Theodore Roosevelt suc~ ceeded McKinley to the presidency in 1901, after the latter had been assassinated, and served out his term of office. He frankly expressed the wish to be nominated in 1904, which the Republican Convention at Chicago of that year gratified, securing in the election the largest popular majority ever secured by' any candidate in any presidential election to that time. Immediately after his clec~ tion he declared he would not accept the: nomination in 1908 for another term, despite the fact that from 1901 {0 1904 he was only talding the place of his murdered predecessor.
Theoretically he could have stood for elec~ tion as President a second time,—for he only. actually stood once,—but the fact that he would not take advantage of the situation brought about by McKinley's assassination has been considered as strongly supporting the case against a President serving a third term, The case against the third term, if it were not strengthened, was certainly not weakened by Mr, Calvin Coolidge, who suc~ ceeded President Harding on the latter's death in 1923, In 1928 having been elected President in 1924, he refused to stand 2 second time, with his famous remark I do not choose to run." It can safely be said that in no case was the situation 'n any way' comparable with that existing in the world at large and in the Uniled States. In such unprecedented times justification can found for departure from old traditions, and the Democratic Party by their action at Chicago have clearly demonstrated their convietion that Mr. Roosevelt is the only Democrat they care to put forward handle the helm of state during the critical period which lies ahead, The record during his two terms as President imposing one. Whatever may be thought of his New Deal policies there cannot be the slightest doubt that he has handled foreign affairs with an_ altogether praise~ worthy adroitness, and firmness. Tt was by no means his fault that his efforts for peace, together with those of His Holiness the Pope, came to naught; he did all that he possibly could, and when aggression became the order of the day he did not hesitate to rebuke the guilty, and to indicate where his sympathies, trid latterly those of his country were. It is. to be gravely doubted whether the Demoerats could have nominated any other man. from amongst its numbers more likely to cap~ ture the imagination of the electors. But the question of the third term will loom like a shadow over the whole of the election, and will introduce an element of uncertainty which certainly did not exist in 1936. Then the Republican candidate was weak as compared with President Roosevelt. The Repub-beans appear to have a man of a different calibre in Mr. Willkie to oppose President Roosevelt, and he is likely to, have the support of "big business" throughout the country.
'Therein lies the danger to President Roose~ volt. 'The Republicans vote solidly' against him on purely party lines. The Dejocrats nominated him with an overwhelming majority and lastly by acclamation, Yet there are signs that some of the Democratic Party resent his third nomination, and will actually work against his reelection. Much depends upon the proportions of this dissident opinion. There is not much to suggest that it is large at present, but the actual voters may not follow so closely the path chosen by their delegates, and the possibility that a large section of Democrats may vote against President Roosevelt simply on the third term issue is one which cannot be dis~ regarded, A great deal will depend upon developments in the world situation between now and the elections. Tt is more than probible that these will follow lines bringing bout increasingly favourable factors tending to ensure the President's reelection, for
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.