The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-02-23
The Presidents Office.

We had not supposed that Mr.. WADE OF
Ohio, and ourselves wonld ever come 30 neal
an agreement upon any question as appe".s
that we are upon the subject OF the tenure %
Office of President of the United STATES. ne
nronoses n the Senate CONSTITUTIONS "enu
ment tsomewhere about the serenty-serenAa az
%, seriss y 10 make the President ineligible
.f,ar one term Of four years. II mr.. WADE
uon,d make the term sir years. and the fresi-
aent ineligible TO second term, we would SO
with him.
II is. however, not q little amusing to see
how parties are affected towards this long agi-
,sted amendment Of the Constitution. As long
as President administers the Government TO
suit party-consults 1t, approves it's mea-
sures, bestows his patronage from the large
offices to the crumbs from the Presidential
table, and the refuse from the kitchen, upon
its members-i, is dead against all amendment
Of the Constitution. The Office is exactly right.
so is the man that fills it,, so are the good
things that he distributes TO the eager ana
greedy partisans. But presto, Those same
partisans will change their opinions on this
subject the moment the occupant Of the White
House shuts down upon them in the matter OF
office. and opposes their measures. Oh, change
the Constitution-this man is using his office,
or rather abusing it, to secure his re- election
He is corrupt, and he is corrupting the
nation, and the only way TO prevent such cor
ruption is to limit the Office TO one term.
Politicians, generally, are cautious and cum
ming They do not suffer a temporary excite
mont To drive them to the exposure OF their
purposes and motives. They look one way
and row the opposite. They arrange things
ouiatly and thoroughly, and make their open
movement with great regard to the illness OF
time and place. But Mr.. WADE is tempestuous
man. He despises caution, and cannot sub.
nit to delay. He breaks out and RACES like
mad bull. The veto was the red flag that
enraged him, and he rushed forward, tossing
right and left, utterly regardless Of every rule
that governs the statesman in his actions and
in his language. Our readers have had some
snatches Of the beauties Of his oratory ard the
samples of his decorum. He denounced the
policy of the President as "nothing but this" :
"That the rebel States should suffer nothing
"nor forfeit nothing, by rebellion; but that
"lhay should be admitted unwashed, and red
uwith the blood Of their countrymen, into
..full communion with honest The means
himself loyal men, and into the councils Of
/" the nation Such policy he considered mo
better than treason itself" Mr.. WADE wentfur-
Their and declared that JEFFERSON DAVIS could
desire nothing better than this policy-indeed
that were he in Mr.. JoHNs0S's place, he would
adopt it, He could ask no more nor less than
" that his co conspirators should be restored
:. to the positions they had when they left
. these Halls"
But leaving out of view this little bit OF
excitement, these amiable sentences, all pro-
duced by little veto thrust before the eyes Of
our gentle fellow citizen from Ohio, we incline
10 his amendment. Couldn't he add to it
clause making the tenure of all offices, save
those that are political, for life or during good
behavior: The two amendments would save
a world Of trouble to the nation, and prevent
an incalculable amount of corruption and de-
pravity.
We suggest the alterations, not despairing
that Mr.. WADE, having his eyes open to the
evil tendency of the present constitutional
provisions relative to Office will readily accept
them. We are sympathiser'' with him in
this matter, and would be delighted to help
him TO make the desired amendments. Par
ticularly with regard to the power of patron
age of the President, we of the South would be
entirely unanimous with him. We have no
share in the offices, and would be able to act
in the wisest and most unselfish manner. Mr..
WADE had better take the South into the
Union as n coup de main. We could carry him
through triumphantly We are afraid he can
not succeed without our help