Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-11-03
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A PRESIDENTIAL EXPOSITION.

JIG Will De seem that fIsslaenl AiaooiAi - $50
speech delivered to the persons who called upon
him On Wednesday evening last, to tender their
congratulations on the result OF the recent illegal
election held in Maryland on the Adoption OF the
npew Constitution" took occasion to correct an
;mnre,sion derived from the speech of Mr.. Secre-
tarv Seward at Auburn, in which he said
"wbat now if there be no Convention at all, or if the
Convention fail to agree submission to the Federal
snhority Jefferson Davis then remains in authority, his
CoDederacy established and the Union with all ts glo
RES is gene forever. Nay more, If such thing could
happen that the Chicago candidate nominated upon
such an agreement should be elected President OF the
United States the first Tuesday of November next Uho
cax couch for the safety Of the country against the rebels
during tbs internal ohtch etapse before the Ad
minisration can cons,i.uionally into po,ocr2
seems 10 me that such election iooutd tend equally 10
dmorazs the Union and to inuite the insurgents TO Tsnso
their efo1ts for its destruction"
In order to counterfeit the inference drawn from
this remark of the Secretary of State, Mr.. Lincoln
said
"A word upon another subject Something said BY the
Secretary Of State, his recent speech 81 auburn mas
been construed by some into threat tnat unouu 20
beaten at the election WILL between then aud the END OF
my constitutional term do what may DO aDio 70 run Inc
Government Others regard the fact that the chicago
Convention adjourned not ssns d,e Du. 70 NEE. again
of purpose that if their nominee shall be elected ne VIII
at once seize control of the Government hope the good
people will permit themselves to suffer no uneasness on
either point struggling to MAINTAIN Inc Govern
ment not TO overthrow it, am struggling especially TO
prevent others from overhrowpgt therefore that
if shall i've shall remain President until the fourth OF
next March and that whoever shall be consttutonaly
elected therefor November shall be duly installed Pes.
dent the 4h of March and that in the interval snail
my utmost that whoever to hold the helm for the ne
voyage shall start with the best possible chance Tor saving
the ship This is due to the people, both on principle and
under the Constitution Their will constitutonaly ex-
pressed, is the ultimate law for all"
We are sure that the loyal people of the United
States will be pleased to learn from the President
that if he should be beaten at the election" ne
does not intend to hold over, but promises that "who
ever may be consttutionally elected in November
shall be duly installed as President on the 4th Of
March next" At time when his Military Gov
ernor in Tennessee, and his associate on the Re-
publican ticket, is taking measures for the dsfran.
chisement Of his fellow citizens, it is something to
receive from the President an assurance that ne
does not intend to usurp the Office Of the Presi-
dency if he should be beaten" at the polls.
1t remains for him, however, still further to sa-
tisfy the country on one other point is, whe-
Their he means to afford to the people in all the
States "a free election" 1t is a most significant
and melancholy fact that the President of the Uni
ted States should conceive himself laid under obi
galons to pledge himself not to hold unlawfully the
Presidential chair beyond the Term for which he was
originally elected, and that loyal men, in their f.
miarity with other forms of Executive usurpation,
should be called to congratulate themselves on the
feet that they have the word Of the President in
assurance that he does not mediate any purpose
80 extreme as this, and that he does not even in
tend to aruin the Government if he should b.
permitted to enjoy its honors and emoluments ne
longer after the 4th of March next. For these
and for all other acts of forbearance we proper
ly grateful,
But it would greatly heighten cur gratitude tc
know that the President, in managing "his sids
of this contest in his own way" does not mean te
elect himself by the improper use of those physical
agencies and appliances which the country has
placed in his hands for far other and higher pur
pose than the perpetuation Of his own political
power, and he must permit us to say that so Ions
as he allows the regulations of the right of suffrage
prescribed BY his Military Governor in Tennessee
and his political associate on the Republican ticket
to stand unrevoked, the loyal people of the United
States can have no assurance on this score. il
Is no consolation to know that "whoever may be
constitutonally elected in November shall be duly
installed a, President on the 4th of March" IN
less we are permitted to know at the same time
that tho President means to "manage bis side Of
this contest in "way" that shall leave no doubt
as to the fact Of hi, being "constitutonally elect
ed" il elected at all For he admits that the right
full tenure Of the Office depends on this condition
and ina matter at once SO plain, imperative, and
momentous he should not only dare to do right,
but should sedulou,ly shun the very appearance Of
self-seekipg and wrong-doing
We have still one more suggestion to make. A,
the President has departed from the reserve Of hi.
station 80 far as to answer the incautious utter
ances Of his Secretary Of State We hope that 10 hi.
next speech he will throw some explanatory light on
the little arrangement which the Ex-Postmaster
General informs us was " concerted between him
and Gen. Grant for bringing Gen. Mcclellan again
into the field as the "adjupcP Of the latter, pro-
vided he would agree not to be candidate for the
Presidency
We need not pause To demonstrate that the Presi-
dents Secretaries, in view Of his delicate position
at this moment, should be more careful in what
they say before the people The President has