New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-03-10

ons.tarm men AID be il was who hrst 10 our Ms
tory led off, as President, IN the desperate game VI
setting ne y excitement on foot, oil nsAinS tne
public tranquility and the rePose oil tue nation iot
the safe ef purchasing second term LOT ninl'et'
lie succeeded indeed, in throwing the country mo
commo,ion on the question Of the annexation oil
Texas. for the syowed purpose OF Strengthening
the Slave Power: but that cOmmotlon' adrolu!
taken advantage Of BY other men as 'elish ana uu'
prrcped AID az reckless as he, resulted 10 placing
rot BIN but Polk in the Presidential chair, ana IL
transferring the Government back agaln To- 'ne
party IN opposition 20 which Tyler himself had
cone into Office No sooner WAS PolA mus
by Tylers folly, not TO say knavery' ra'ed
to a one.term Presidency than he too WAS 81
o1ce seized With the same reckless and headlohg
passion for securing himself second term, Tor
which purpose, against his own better judgment
he thrust the nation into the Mexican war. Bur
that war, instead of making Polk double-term
President or even securing the Office to his poll
teal brother, Mr.. Cas-, not only transferred the
Presidency 10 General Tay lOr, but lost the control
q. the Government TO Folks party.
There was every prospect that We might now 81
last have an Administration Of the Government OF
which the welfare Of the nation rather than the
Continuance of the incumbent in Office might be
the leading idea. But unfortunately Taylor died,
and Fillmore succeeded, il seeming TO be the sad
destiny Of the Wing party to lose its Presidents
by death and its Vice.Presidents by desertion and
treacherv No sooner was Fillmore in the chair
than he too Was forthwith seized, as Tyler and
Polk had been before him, with the fatal passion
for reelection. 10 which, without remorse or hest
tatiop he sacrificed the entire consistency of past
life. and the respect and confidence of both friends
and foes, seeking to employ as bis trump card IN
this gambling operation the Jealous advocacy OF the
new Fugitive. Slave bill. OF course, while thus
DESTROYING his reputation at cnce for honesty and
ssgacity be failed, Ike his predecessors, in getting
even a denomination, the sole result of his
greedy folly being to destroy his political
party as well as himself and to place in the Presi-
dental chair not only over his head, but over the
heads of Webster and Scott, that smallest pattern
ever vet seen Of Presidential candidate. One
might have supposed that if it were possible for
term, Franklin Pierce, considering the strange
freak Of fortune which had waited hiR into the
chair, might have been that man. But ne, too
speedily went crazy like the rest, and endeayored
to purchase a denomination by exerting the whole
force of his official authority to hand over Kansas
70 the Slave Power. But there was no more
method in his madness than in that of any of his
n tba trapc ~ e fpn
of the Democracy, which in electing him seemed
to have swept the board, into sectional minority
party, only escaping ruinous defeat by small lack
of unanimity among its opponents in two or three
States. and the false impression it SUCCEEDED IN
creating that Mr. Buchanan, nominated over
Pierces head, was a sage, moderate reasonable
man, who might be depended on to keep matters
quiet.
Considering Mr.. Buchanan's age, which ough
to lead him to think rather Of securing his peace
with heaven and his own conscience than of pro
longing his reign upon earth; considering his known
timidity, and his reputed moderation, 1t might have
been expected that he at least would have beer
content to accept as preOrdained fact the lmta
ton of bis Presidency TO single term, and would
have been content 10 sink all longing for continue
ton in office in his devotion TO that harmony and
union upon the strength of which he came into
place. But neither has bis age, gravity nor long
experience proved any safeguard against this Presi-
Dental epidemic which, in fact, exhibits i'3ef in
Buchanan's case in form even more desperate aud
malignant than that in which it attacked either OF
his predecessors. 1t is impossible to explain the
desperate resolution Of Mr. Buchanan TO bring
Kansas into the Union under the LecomptOn Con-
stltution, except by supposng him to be possessed
by some insane idea similar to that by which his
predecessors were deluded, that this wrong TO the
people of Kansas, this gross mOckery OF every re-
publican principle. is sOmehow-n0body but a
crazy man can imagine how-to aid in his reelection
TO the Presidency.
In view of all these melancholy catastrophes, We
again repeat the wish that the Constitution may be
speedily so amended as to limit the Presidential in
cumbent TO a single term. 1t is bad enough TO have
weak Presidents; We ought certainly 10 DO al in
our power to guard against having crazy ones
Protect them against the overwhelming temptation
Of the possibility of 4 second term, and even such
men as Tyler Fillmore Pierce and Buchanan might
administer the Government TO decent acceptance
The Journal Of Commerce and The Heroid eXult
over the fact that the Supreme Court Of this Dis