New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-08-23
his tomb that no died Of being right at the
wrong time, and wrong at the right time!
THO TERMS.

respondent, "Of the negotiations between Col.
Forney and Gen. Rawlins prior to the first
"nominatiOn of Gen. Grant, respecting two
terms of office.n "What evidence is there"
asks another, "that Gen. Grant or those who
spoke for him, at or about the time OF his
election, pledged himself to one term for
the Presidency We are not surprised at
the difference of opinion which seems to pre-
vail on this subject; for it is certain that
Grant first bargained secretly for two terms
before he accepted the nominations; then COM
mitted himself to the doctrine OF one term;
and finally used the power of his Office to en-
force his denomination. For the benefit OF IN
ouirinp readers we purpose telling the whole
story. :. ~.
Col. John w. Forney published In dis
Washington paper. The Sunday Chronicle, on
the 25th of February, 1872, an account VI 'h0
conferences between himself ana COL raw
Inns and Others, through which Gen. Orant
was formally brought forward, NOV. Z, looI
90 a candidate for the Presidency. Col. For
nov wrote an article for The Philadelphia
preos and Washington Chronicle recommend
inc Grant as a candidate, and before it was
nrinted showed it to Col. Rawlins, by whom
II WAS submitted to the General. The nara
tive continues as follows:
"Wben Rawlins came back from Grant with the ed
itorial he told us with great emphasis Gen. Grant
does not want TO be President He thinks the Repub
lican party may need him, and he believes their can
didate no can be elected and reelected; but said Raw
Inns what is TO become of him after his second Pres
dential termi What, indeed, during his Admnistra-
toni He is receiving from seventeen to twenty thou
sand dollars year as General OF the Armies OF the Re
nublic-a life salary. To go into the Presidency at
$4,000 year for eight years perhaps TO gain more
fame but what ia to become OF him at the end OF his
Presidency He is not politician He does not aspire
10 the place Eight years from the 9Th OF March, 1862
he will be about 90 years old. or course he must spend
his salary as President and marx IT, II Grant
takes anything from the rich whose vast fortunes he has
saved after he ia President he will be accused the
willing recipient OF gfts.'"
Thus it appears that the contingency of re-
tirement at the end of four years was not even
contemplated at that time, and before Gen.
Grant would allow his name to be used he
made regular bargain for second term of
office.
This, however was not generally known.
Before the Chicago Convention assembled,
strong public sentiment showed itself in favor
of limiting the eligibility of the President to
one term. Messrs. Wade and Sumner intro
duced constitutional amendments to that effect
in the Senate, and Mr.. Ashley proposed
similar measure in the House. Strange to say,
Col. Forney warmly supported the proposed
change. De Tocqueville wondered, said The
Chronicle of June 3, 1868, chow the archi-
g. ects of the Federal system should
shave been short-sighted enough to render
L" their whole work insecure by making the
President eligible to reelection. We wonder,
" too, for it has incOntestably done more to de-
" stroy the constitutional balance and weaken
our in stitutions than any other inherent detect
of our system, or perhaps all Others combined.
Gen. Grant Z" is an adrocate Of the One Term
principle, as conducting toward the proper
administration of the lava principle with
(which so many prominent Republicans have
identified themselves that it may be accepted
L" as an article of party faith" On the 14th of
July Mr.. Forney wrote In The Chronicle as fol-
lows
"Let not Congress adjourn without passing the One
Term amendment the Constitution. There has never
been favorable opportunity. All parties are IN
favor OF it, The present incumbent OF the Presidential
Office has inducement to oppose it, Nobody's sensi-
bities car be offended by IT. 1t cannot be charged as
party movement, intended TO head of an obnoxious
President Gen. Grant IN fduor Of 1t. The party
which supports Gen. Grant demands 1t, and above all
else public morality calls for it, Let us never again
witness the utter debasement OF the Presidential office
by the efforts OF the incumbent to second term
The second term makes the first period OF chcanery.
1t is the fertile germ OF the Executive Policy, and
brings forth fearful crop of treachery and lies"
These articles, and others to the same effect,
were submitted to Gen. Grant, some of them
before they were published, and it was under
stood that they had his appreciation. Indeed,
when Col. Forney formally announced that
| Gen. Grant was in favor of the One-Term rule
he can hardly have been speaking at random.
| He was one of Gen. Grants nearest political
| friends and the original negotiator of the plan
| for making him the candidate of the Republic
| can party. He must have had authority to
| speak and act for Grant, if anybody had. The
circumstances which we have just rehearsed
have been widely published before. and none
of Col. Forney's statements, so far as we
know, have been called in question.
| 1t seems to us proved, therefore, that Gen.
| Grant professed to be in favor of the One
| Term principle after he had secretly stipulated
| for two terms, and that his present conduct is
| in violation of his former promises.