New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-09
GREELEY,
The Philosopher Opens the Presidential
Campaign.

| NEW YORK, september o.-H0face gree
ley will commence the Presidential cam
paign with an article in the forthcoming
! November GALAXY, on THE One-Term Prin-
| ciple." The following summary is made
| from advance sheets:
Starting with the idea that civil service
reform is essential to the publication of our
| politics, and demanded by all thoughtful
citizens, Mr.. Greeley contends that the
| desire and hope of the President to secure
reelection, and his efforts to that end, eff
fectual1y prevent the reform. Civil service
reform means the selection of the tittest
| men 1Ur office, instead OF the most effective
or noisy politicians Of the dominant party.
| The fruits of the present system are wide
spread incapa2ity, inetfciency, dishonesty
and peculauon. A postmaster-not TO be
| too eXacting-ought 10 know how TO read,
which some do, while others do not. All
will admit that such ability is desirable in
his vOcatiOn but if one who lacks it is the
most efficient partisan, and has done the
most toward the Presidents election, his
claims can not well be overborne. Will
not his services be wanted four years hence?
And how are they 20 be retained if his
| claims are postponed to those of one who
| can read, but has no skill in manipulating
| voters or votes
Mr.. Greeley asks: How much better is
this than the absurdity of hereditary legis-
latOrs! If our federal and local function
aries were chosen by lot, would they aver
| age worse than they do p
| That 'the king can DO no wrong," if taken
| literally, is irrational. If understood to
| mean only that lie is elevated above all
| temptation TO misrule-that his doing
| would argue moral if not mental insanity
| that he can not be presumed to act within
| his prerogative under the sway of any un-
worthy motlve-then the maxim becomes
| Ineligible. The justification of royalty is
ito oil TO fla 1l,i iaf vV1ler
| of a nation above the temptation TO regard
| and pursue his own interest at the expense
| Of the public veal.
Mr.. Greeley then discusses tie question
! bistOrically-the growth of the patronage
! of the President: the effort TO restrict the
President to one term, by the proposed con-
| stitutiOnal amendments; the selfish reasons
| for the defeat of these latter, and the rapid
| accumulation of the evils growing out OF
| the power of patronage and the temptation
| of the President to use that patronage Tor
| his reelection. Mr.. Greeley concludes his
| torical argument as follows: The Wings
| in due time took up the one term principle,
| and Mr.. Clay expressly gave It his power
| ful support. He failed to achieve the Pres
idency, and did not succeed in engraiting
that principle ON the federal constitution;
| but Van Buren,, who was first chosen in
| 1886 by decided majority, was lett in
meagre minority at the close OF his canvass
for "a second term. He tried again in 1914,
! and was badly beated in the national con
vention Of his party by James X. Polk, OF
Tennessee, who, though then elected, de-
clined even to seek second term. General
Taylor, who succeeded him, died early
in the second year OF his term, and
Millard Fillmore, who, being Vice
President, succeeded him, was beaten by
General Scott in the Wing national con
ventiOn OF 1852. General Franklin Pierce.
yrha ba TRannapatE . TJ-p IN
be re-nOminated in 1896, and was beaten in
the convention by James Buchanan, who
did not seek a denomination, knowing well
that such a quest would be vain. Mr. Lin
coin, who was then chosen 10y the Repub-
icans, was reelected by them in 1864, the
civil war then in progress impelling many
10 support him, in Difference TO the saw
which discOurages the swapping Of horses
while in the act Of crossing raging torrent.
Mr.. Lincoln thus constitutes the sole exceD-
ton to the failure 10 re-elect President
since 1882. Meanwhile, these efforts have
undoubtedly cost some signal defeats 10
either party. Had Mr.. Van Buren, grace
fully retired at the close of his first term,
his party might very probably have avoided
their stunning defeat in 1910: had Fillmore
done likewise in 1852. the Whig party might
have been defeated, but could not have by
its defeat in the triumph of Pierce in that
year. Time and again, since the federal
disaster OF 1900, las first one. then the
other party run President for a second
term: tOr quarter of century these efforts
have proved successtul of late they have
proved disastrous. Can We not discern the
signs of the times f''
That the change has been real, and based |
neither upon personal nor partisan consider !
ations, is evinced oy the gradual adoption
of the contested principle in other, yet kin
dred spheres. Witness the post of Cover |
arIv JloI ~,
quite every State without restriction on this |
head; whereas, at this time, in the States of |
New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Indiana, |
Illinois, South Carolina and Kentucky, a |
Governor is not eligible to reelection while |
in office, or for the term succeeding that for |
which he was elected; in Arkansas, Texas |
and Oregon he may serre but eight years |
out of any twelve; in Maine, North Caro- |
lima, Alabama and Mississippi he may serve |
but four years out of any six; in Pennsylva-
MIA six years out OF any nine: in Tennessee |
six years out OF any eight. The intention |
IN each case, however imperfectly developed, |
is to check if not Overbear the tendency TO |
use patronage for the indefinite peTpetua-
ton of power.
Mr.. Greeley concludes by saving All |
that is needed is an intelligent earnest, |
widespread conviction that the practice of |
re-electinG chief magistrate while in Office |
is fraught with evil and peril; that il dis
tracts his attention from the care and du-
ties Of his station, and impels him to con
slider, not who are fittest and most worthy
to fill the offices in his gift, but what choice
will be most likely to improve his chances
of denomination. We shall yet
achieve a civil service reform Nay, we
must Ottice-seeking is our national vice,
divesting our workshops of apprentices and
our farms of half the intelligent, energetic,
aspiring youth, who ought to make our
agriculture of the next thirty years ex-
hibit a series of brilliant advances and i'm
provements upon all that preceded it. But
vainly shall we hope for such reform
through the looping off of branches, while
the root of the upas remains intact and
vital. That root is the election, while in
office, of Presidents, Governors and other
dispensers of vast patronage, with their
temptation TO use that patron
age in aid of their own continuance in
power"