| OCR Text |
Show GRANT OS THE THIRD TEEM. ! General Grant declares in favor of the right of Die people to elect a president pres-ident for three, or any number of suc-ceshive suc-ceshive terms they may tee fit, and ' slights that it might prove dangerous danger-ous to the public interests to remove ' tine privili-gf. He denies that he j ever di sired the office ot president; in ! fa. t hiM acceptance of the first nomination nom-ination w;lo a sacrifice of comfort and j inclination to the paramount demands de-mands of public duly. He did not seek a eeeond nomination, although proud of so bignal public approval of his administration and gratified by his personal vindication from the abuse of his political enemies. He Iraukly admits that many of his acts havo been fair subjects of criticism, and adds that he does not want a third term any more than he tcjnttd the jirdt, and would do nothing to influence the people in their free choice of a candidate. The president expresses surprise that so many eenible republicans should havo been eluded in regard to the third term hobby, which has been forced upon them by the enemies of the party for the purpose of distracting distract-ing it, and he ridicules the idea that any man could elect or even nominate himself to the presidency- He asserts that ho is not nor lifts he ever been a candidate for re-nomination, nor could he accept another nomination, if tendered, "unless it came under such circumstances as to make it an imperalie? duty circumstances, not likely to. arise." This letter is likely to be variously coustrued, as it is certainly capable cf construction, according to the ideas of the third term politicans and the feelings of the oppouents of the third term. There is some force in the president's plea that it might have been regarded as undignified for him to have publicly noticed mere newspaper discussions, but having hav-ing found a suitable occasion for speaking upon a subject which has become one of great public moment, it is evident that he has intended to set the matter at rest so far as he is concerned, and his letter must be construed in harmony with his desire. After a careful reading read-ing of the document in this light, we are compelled to regard it as an expression ex-pression of tho president's candidacy before the republican convention of 1870. In fact, no language which he could use other than a positive refusal re-fusal to accept a renomination would be likely to satisfy the people that he had retired from the field of presidential presi-dential polities. Such an announcement announce-ment would havo been very simple, and in accordance with the high presedents that Washington and Jefferson deemed it wise and patriotic to establish. Instead of this, the letier is an argument, by ini-plic-ition at least, in favor ol a third presidential term on general principles, and in interpreting inter-preting the statement that he does not want a third term any more than he wanted the first, it is quite unnecessary un-necessary rr. fonem thr- rrHdl'.U-t of undue selfishness or ambitou. It would seem to be carrying modesty mod-esty to an affectation for him to pretend pre-tend that ho was originally indiflerent to the possession of the great prize which has seriously tempted such noble statesmen s Webster and Clay, to whom its honors were denied. Tne assertion that he could not accept a re-nomination unless it should come under circumstances making it an imperative duty, must bo interpreted by the politician's rule. "Our party" 1 is always an imperative necessity to the country. Grant was a necessity in lS72,we were told, to avert a finan cial crush, which, however, came in spite of him; an-l we are now seriously seri-ously told that the results of the war will be endangered unless the republican repub-lican party is kept in power. The plea of necessity is always a good political one; and it would be used as freely in 1S76 with Grant as the republican re-publican candidate 08 it was in 186S and in 1872. It is true that no man can nominate nomin-ate or elect himself president of the United States, contrary to public opinion; but it is equally true that tho influence of the presidential party upon nominating conventions is an immense one, which may be wielded with great power by an ambitious politician of military methods. While acknowledging that the preponderating preponderat-ing opinion of the legitimate republican repub-lican party is in opposition to a third presidential term, as is indicated by the action of the Pennsylvania convention, con-vention, we can imagine that tho continuance of the defeats de-feats of that party for another year might bring about a change alto gether favorable to the third term project. |
