Mr. JOHNSON. I am in favor of the amendment proposed by the honorable member from Vermont provided the office is one which is not to be repeated. The honorable member from Ohio says he is in favor of the term of 4 years, because our fathers fixed that as the proper term for the office; but he ought to have recollected that at the same time they provided that the President might be reelected; and if the honorable member will refresh his recollection of the grounds upon which the clause as it actually stands was inserted in the Constitution he will find that the opinion of a very decided majority of the members of the convention, including many, perhaps, of the ablest men of that body, was, that the President should be reeligible, without any limitation of the term at all. The reasons for that are very persuasive, and they operated as we know to satisfy the convention that the in cumbent should be reeligible. I confess that I have come to the conclusion for the last 20 years, as much as I respect the opinions of the the convention by whom the Constitution was adopted, that the term should be limited; but in limiting the term I am for increasing the period of service to at least 6 years. The honorable member from Ohio I think is needlessly apprehensive that there can be any danger to i. liberties of the people, or that there will be any impediment at all thrown in the way of the prosperity of the nation in having the office continued 2 years longer than the Present term; for it is not to be disguised that if a POTUS shall be found at any time so antagonistic in his own views with the proper policy which the Congress of the U.S. may think should be pursued his power will be of little or no practical result. We have that illustrated, I think, in the condition in which we are now placed. All the powers conferred upon the office are now in the hands of the POTUS, and yet we have seen that he is impotent to accomplish any policy of his own when it is found to be in conflict with the opinion of Congress; and we have seen that he is not so omnipotent but that it is in the power of Congress to deprive him of powers which have heretofore been exercised by every POTUS without objection. Assuming that the legislation of Congress is within the legitimate authority of the body, (and it is not for me to deny it,) it proves beyond all doubt that if the representatives of the people think one way and the Executive another, there is no danger that the measures which the rePresentatives of the people may think proper to adopt will ever be seriously thwarted, or that any danger to the liberties of the people can result from the fact that there is a President in office for 6 years instead of 4. The limitation of the term to 4 years was adopted principally upon the ground that the incumbent could be reelected; and I think my friendfrom Ohio will find, if he will consult the debates, that but for the provision which makes him reeligible the term would have been extended beyond 4 years, perhaps to 8. No inconvenience, but on the other hand, as I think, great benefit has been the result of making the term of Senators of the U.S. 6 years; and I do not suppose that any reflecting man in the country, who is at all acquainted with the dangers to which all popular Governments have been subjected, and under which, sooner or later, they have fallen, can doubt that the security of our institutions is very much stronger by having the term of the Senators 6 years than it would have been if form had been 4 years, or any shorter erloot. p The POTUS has thrown upon him the duty of consulting the interest of the entire country, of making the entire country his study, and it is made his duty in consequence to propose to the Congress of the U.S. from time to time such measures as he may think are beneficial. Now, it is possible that he may fail the 1st or the 2nd year, that he may fail the 3rd or the 4th, but at the end of the 4th he may have satisfied the country that the measures which he recommends are the best which can be adopted for the true interests of the country. I am decidedly, therefore, in favor of the amendment suggested by the honorable member from Vermont, if we are to have any change, and I think there ought to be a change, which provides that the term of office of the President shall be 6 instead of 4 years.