Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-08-14

uudHliuity cApACSoOu Ouo ycdI dSo,
that he would be wise enough to ac-
cept the position, and not so foolish as
to publicly parade himself in giving
excuse for so doing. We clip por-
ton Of an editorial from the Brooklyn
Eagle (Democratic) relative to the
matter, which we commend to all of
our readers for its frank, straightfor-
ward and honest "speaking''
| From the Brooklyn Eagle Democratic}.l
X A desire even for a
second term has been the catastrophe
OF every executive who INDUCED it
since Jackson, save Lincoln and Grant
Both were reelected because of excep-
tional services and circumstances.
Their reelection was a clear success of
the popular will. In each case the
men made the running and the two
term principal was simply form adopt
ed by the people, who could to their
own satisfaction honor the men they
had resolved to honor in no other way
On the whole, the rarity Of reflections
confirms the assertion that one-termism
is the general habit and preference of
our country. We depart from that
habit in few cases, but just often enough
to show that we can do what we please
with our own. We have never shared
the apprehensions of the one-term
school We would be willing to see
the Constitution amended as that school
wants. But we are not very earnest
about it, and cannot find it in US to get
scared about it. The people of this
country always have been able to take
pretty good care of themselves. We
reckon they always will be able to do
so. One thing seems certain: there
have been times when a one-t term
amendment would have been suspended.
The people could not have been kept
out of re-electing jackson and Lin
coin by anything printed on paper.
Another thing is certain Unwritten
custom has always been sufficient to
ensure the dispensation with the most
popular Presidents at the end Of their
second term. That custom is absolute
ly sure always to prevail. The people
can be relied on very quickly to dis
pose Of any who propose to discard
III * X
This people are sovereign in a sense
which panicky papers are too apt to
forget. They don't intend to tie them
selves up from having man whom
they want second time. Neither do
they intend to allow any precedent to
be made which will continue an Execu-
tive longer than that The men most
alarmed about two termism have prin-
cipally been statesmen who coveted
but never reached lust one term -
All policies which proceed on the as
sumption that the time will be when
this people cannot CONTROL their own
affairs, are illusory. The one-term
theory and the specter of third term.
or perpetual President, have never
taken hold of the public imagination.
They cannot be made to take hold of
1t simply because the first occasionally
becomes crossed by the steady wish of
the people, and because the second is
is felt to be rebuked by that part of
the career of the fathers which is more
potential than anything else they fur
nished to postcrity-their example.
Abstractly, the alarm is bugbear
that has never exerted any influence
except on sensationalists and visiona-
ries. The people feel it in their
bones that it is nonsense, and you
can work the conviction out of them.
Nor do we believe that Grant is the
sort Of man to trouble himself with
that phantom of third term. There
is no evidence that he is. Men in this
latitude Want no better assurance that
it won't snow in July, than the fact
that 1t is July. Nor do sensible folk
want any better assurance that Grant
is not lmbued with the third term nom
sense than the consideration of what
NINA " d LIlti Hc ID. anu VIC COIS!utI-
alton Of what sort of "sources'' those
are whence have issued this midsum
mer madness 1t does violence to COM
mon sense and universal knowledge of
him to paint the President as an ambi-
tlous, conspirlng compound of Guy
Fawkes and Julius Caesar Frank p.
Blair, Jr, made some discoveries about
Grant which five years Of his occupan-
cy OF the most public of our officers
have not confirmed It was the calm
conclusion of that retired prophet that
II Grant ever got to be President, the
people would never get rid of him. The
people Of Missouri had no such diff
Guilty with Frank. The people of the
United states will have no such diff
Guilty with Franks misconstructed
President, when the time comes.
There is no single act Of administra-
ton, there is no known habit or asso-
citation Of the President which tends
toward a third term. We dissent from
the tentative policy, we disagree with
most of the appointments, we do not
relish the domestic Or foreign tone of
the administration. But we find in
none of these things the slightest pre-
text on which to zee the shadow Of a
| ch.la &c Oh Il.