Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-09-12
The Presidency.

Convention ~ candidate sor TUG pe""""
nomination. au authoritative denial Of 1t has re-
cent?, lsea ruh.i.hed Possibly so,neHueh move
meut Nh. "a fsa.-.a. .be Ex-Prcsident, as
soon as he ,ai,iea upon ocs shores. puta s'ap !" "
Mt once, and has declared lha, he has no further
ambition to occupy the Executive chair.
In this Mr.. Pierce showed good sense. Wenev-
ar could understand what hcrc was SO attractive
about the Presidency. TIM, men should engage i"
lifelong struggles to attain th" position.
l. Il the honori What Ia the honor oil beng
President for the comparatively short time OF four
yearss What il the glory offretiing such brie'
hour upon the Presidential stage, compared with
the abuse and Islander and injustice Of which eve
~ President, in modern times, is bound to be the
yictimf Even censure. whom well deserved, Is nm
pleasant. Can President compensate himself
with the honor of his position for tho numberless
attacks that are made upon him both personally
and politically
And, after the four years have expired. what
theni A President is Aaitcr,d and fawncd upon'
in nine cases out of ten, solely and exclusively on
account Of tLe;power he possr sses. When hi' term
has expired. and he becomes reduced to the level
of The common citizen, does the recollection oi hi"
former elevation indemnify him for tho neglect
and Indifference which are then exhlbited.f We
h,uld think not. Mr.. Van Buren,. Mr.. Tyl'r, Mt
Fillmore, Mr. Pierce arc merely units In the great
aggregate OF tho cvuntry's population. Respect
Cd. all Of them no doubt are. by great many re"'
pls. But what has become of The Loud hnSza'
with which each was greeted by the Popnlaee
when be wore tho imperial purple! what has
become of the guns that o fired upon their mp
pr.ach--the music which swellcd from innumo'a-
BE instrumen,s--th shouts that shook the mr..
and echoed 10 the sky7 All gonc-and the pain
full consciousness recurs to each TIM; it wn@ not tho
man, but the Office, that excited tie popular de-
monstratiors
Is IL the emolurncnt that attracts aspirnutsp
Very few Presidents have ever come out Of the Of
fee any better of, in respect Of worldly possess
sions, than when they went in. To sustain the
dignity of the ONCE as il should be dnne the pay
10 motto, iously not tao much, to say the ea't OF it.
Neither Mr.. jefferson nor Mr.. Monroe--each oil
occupied the Presidential chair for eight years
had more than n comfortable competency Mt their
deaths. Moreover we find among the most eager
aspirants for tho Office men whose means place
not be this tina, ia the great attraction.
Is il the possession of powerf l. it the ability
70 make frendsa Alas, for the ingrntitude and
selRshness Of the world--iricnds thus secured nre
summer friends, who desert at tho very first ap
proach of q chilling breeze. Instances were nu-
mcrous, in tho last Presidential contest of men
whom Mr.. Fillmore Ind placed in high position,
IL. g.
The recipients IT hiq bounty, AID the humble sup
plants at his feet when he hal pih I, II spscne
were the first to desert his fortunes N2ol it WAS
discovered he had no chance Of election. Are such
friends worth the bavingY And in the mania office
which now prevails, how many enemies nre made
by defeat and disappointment in securing place,
in comparison with tho so cullcd friends wha
are made the recipients Of Executive ihyorf Is
IL worth mans while to make ono friend"
when, by the Same act, he makes ten enemies!
Look at it in what light We may. the fever with
which 90 many Of our politicians burn, For the a,-
tainment Of tho Presidency, is IN unnatural aud
an unreasonable one. 1t is useless to say TINT
they are all animated alone by an anxiety to be of
service 10 the ooun,rythat it is nothing but pat
riotism that prompts them in the pursuit. There
is no man in the world that cannot truthfully ANY
that he knows another whom he regards MS
his superior. There is no politician in the Union
that dces not feel-whatcver he may sny--that
there are others superior to him in statesman hip
Moreover, what can the President do without tho
aid Of Congressf Can tho President, of his indi-
vidual motion, promote the great prosperity Of tho
nation, without the intervention Of the National
Legislatures
We arc no political admirer of Ex.Presidcnt
Pierce. but We cannot help feeling That he has
shown his good senso never 30 plainly Ms in arres-
ting and discountenaneing this attempt to place
HMM the list of Presidential competitor. lie
may have desired denomination, Mt the close of
his first term, as an endorsement of his COURSE
and for the purpose Of correcting som. Of the err
rors Of bis first Administrations and this was nat
ural. enough. Divested altogether of the Office
thrown once more into the ranks--rich in expert
snce Of the immense labor. both oi mind and 10 Iy
which il necessary for the proper fulGImcnt Of
the duties Of the Presidency-and, above all, rcu-
inisosnt Of the ordeal of censure to which the head
of tho nation must inevitably he suljectcd-ho
now perfsrs the quiet retirement of home to the
VuHinB Uust1 81 TUG Nh'ei HaS'stracy Mr.. tili-
more only consented to come forward in 1856 to
save the nation from the stigmnof contest Of Sec
tons. He, TOO, repudiates all attempts to bring
his name again before the people. If those rliti-
clans who are now SO eager for Presidential hon.
ora. had besn through the experience Of even one
tern Of the Presidency. we are of opinion many
ct them would be as solicitous to be counted
ont" - they now are to be counted in"
Tax flen'phis Avalanche names the man whom
II had ''h'. ~~ay in quiet sequestered spot" Ms