The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1872-09-27
THE ONE-TERM PRINCIPLE.

ence that an Executive may haYe ac
quired in n term would be desirable
in a second one-still grave doubts
may be entertained whether the evil
resulting from the longing for second
terms, with the consequent scheming.
Will no overbalance the exceptional
good from its continued legality. The
history Of the re nomination of Gen.
Grant is instructive Oh this point. He
went into the presidential chair under
a pledge that he would be satified with
a single term. Had he beer a mar of
honor and strict integrity, he would
never have sought a re nomination;
but, he has made the office Sc profit
able to himself and to a multitude of
relatives and retainers that it is not to
be wondered at that he should eagerly
seek to retain his position. Had lie
kept his plighted faith, he might have
gone down to history as a tolerabiy
respectable character. His grave mis-
takes might have been regarded as er
rors of Judgment, and even for his
gross nepotiSm some excuse might
have been framed. But the country
has seen merceuary motives cropping
out of each movement made by him.
and it is we'll understood that he
sought a re nomination for p~ecuniary
purposes. and that he is not actuated
by patriotic impulses. His more ar
dent admirers are forced to admit that
mis- administration has been one OF
which the country had no reason to be
proud.
Had the Republican party been left
free to chose a candidate tor the presi
dency, Grant would have had no show;
bat he found it easy to pack the Nom
mating Convention through the agency
81 the many thousands of Office hold
ers who hold their positions at his will.
before the g%uillotine, which could take
off the head OF each Federal officer
without a moments warning, the
whole army Of Postnasters, Collectors
Assessors, etc, shiver in terror. The
dependent creatures do not pretend TO
have any political opinions of their
but all, with one accord, stand
ready to sound the praises OF him who
who gives them not only their daily
bread, but the luXuries in which many
of them are enabled to indulge. This
army is so we'll distributed that there
is no a city, not a village, not even a
.cross-road. where one or more of its
members cannot be found. And each
one of these is an active and interested
political agent. They can control
primary elections, and mould the eel
timent of County Conventions. The
tools they selected packed the
State Conventions. The tools they
selected packed the State Conventions
which demanded Grants re nomina-
ton, and the creatures chosen by
packed State Conventions packed the
Republican National Convention 50
that no expression unfavorable to
fGrant's denomination could lind ut
~terance.
Under such circumstances it is not
to be wondered at that the Democratic
party stands ready to indorse the one
term principle. lis adoption and in
sertiOn in the Constitution Of the
United States will protect the country
from many of the evils which have
sprung up under the personal rule OF
Grant. Presidents who 90 into office
without hope of being re elected, viii
not De tempted to pervert the power
entrusted to them. as Grant has done.
They can not be induced to engage in
intrigues with such men as Simon
Cameron, and will not surrender the
patronage of the Government to the
Keeping Of rogues who may have suf
ficient influence to control primary
elections. With the election of II0r
ace Greeley, who has been one of the
steadiest and most earnest supporters
of the one-term principle, a great and
growing crop Of evils will be cut up
by the roots, and Civil Service Reform
will be in%aucurated in all departments
of the Federal Government.
The advantage to be reaped by the
people in this single field ought to be
sufficient to insure the defeat of Gen.
! Grant. 1t is admitted that he pos
sesses one of the qualities of a states
man, and there are few who will claim