The New York herald., 1874-10-19
ne New EAase ef the Third Term
Discussion.

Within the last ten days, and especially
since the election returns were received from
Ohio and Indiana. the discussion of the third
term question has passed to new stage OF
greater interest in some respects, than any
OF the preceding. For some time previous to
these elections several leading journals, and
notably the Tribune, which had treated the
third term controversy as a political bubble,
came to regard it as question of the utmost
gravity, virtually acknowledging that the
HERALD was fifteen months in advance OF the
public thought in deserving a formidable
danger to our institutions. Since Tuesday S
elections the furry of the republican
journals on the third term is ludic-
rous. They have become suddenly clam
orous to have President Grant and Gov
ernor Dix declare their hostility to this
alarming innovation. The HERALD, which
takes time by the forelock, pressed this ad-
vice upon them at time when compliance
would not have been open to the suspicion OF
being forced by political necessities or e1-
torted from party fears In politics. as IN
other affairs, much depends on timing things
/ TlBQtly. IL uldhcS ICuo NiASAchSS "oSsASA
seed is put into the ground in May or in
August. Had President Grant needed the
sound advice OF the HERALD and publicly re-
nounced all third term aspirations five months
ago; or had the Utica Convention taken our
advice and passed resolution favoring an
amendment Of the constitution limiting the
President to single term of six years; or
had Governor Dix adopted our later sugges-
ton and declared his opposition to the third
election of President, the futtcr of conster-
nation in the republican journals, which
are ''wise behind time" might have been
avoided. "There is tide in the affairs of
men," If a ship is to be got past bar at the
mouth of harbor it must be foated over at
high tide. If it misses the opportunity it
will remain landlocked, and its more enter
prising competitors will get start in the
voyage which no extra burning OF pitch and
coal after it gets at sea will enable it to re-
cover The HERALD kept giving good advice,
and the way it was rejected may remind one of
the fable Of the Sibylline leaves, which con-
stantly rose in price in proportion to the
number which were scattered by the winds
and lost The whole collection could have
been purchased at first for lower sum than
was finally demanded for the remnant Had
General Grant spoken five months ago.
as the HERALD advised the third term question
would not have cost the republican party
single vote. When that opportunity was
squandered by delay we advised the Utica
Convention to indorse the one term principle,
and if our friendly suggestion had been fol-
lowed the third term controversy would have
been extinguished and have given the repub-
icans no further trouble. That opportunity
was also lost but the HERALD, persisting in
its desire to do good, then advised Governor
Dix to save his party and himself by publicly
declaring his opposition to third term.
Had he done it then he would
have hit the tone Of popular feeling in
critical moment, and have won
strength and applause. General Dix also
failed to float his ship out to sea in the food
tide. There may still be water enough on the
bar for him to get over by throwing out
little freight and it behooves him to make the
trial But if he had discerned the drift of
puUuC oCAVA1ACAt uo curly do tuc aEhAID
did he would have been spared the embar-
rassment Of making decision under cir
cumstances which expose his motives to mis-
construction.
1t is amusing to witness the sudden impor-
tance attached by the republican journals to
the third term question since the elections of
last week. The sedate Evening Post thinks it
Sc f1o lat fo~ o.
the advice seasonably rendered him by the
HERALD and repeated by the Times "a day
after the fair" The Euening Post said on
Saturday.
Since the Times now repeats It's advice to Cover
nor DIX, we also will 60 q step iurtner and say
that It's advice had better be bestowed upon
President Grant. 1t is by the mouth and the pen
OF The President himself that the republican party
should be relieved Of this load IL Is the continual
ofnce-nolders and the liberation OF such talk by
the President himself that aeepens popular
much to do with the great republican reverses in
OHIO and Indiana and lcars Will endanger repuD-
Sa is voter IN tSs state Of ao ether nU.
from Fort Niagara to Montauk Point, who suspects
IN good earnest that Governor Dix favors third
term" But we do believe. and so also manifestly
the Times believes that there are thousands OF
republican voters whom the sycophantlc talk OF
those offce-noders, who would nave rebelled
against Governor Dix at Utica had they dared,
combined with the tacit assent OF the President
himself, renders uneasy and anxious.
For our part we think the Times tardy ad-
vice to Governor Dix is still good, although it
would have been better timed if that journal
had sooner recognized the sagacity and pressed
the views of the HERALD. A declaration by
General Dix would have been worth infinitely
more when we first urged him to make it than
it can be at this late day. The Times has the
grace to say that the third term talk scan no
longer be deemed ridiculous" If our con-
temporary had had the courage to say two
weeks ago what it is coerced by thick coming
political calamties to say now it would have
done better service. But tardy wisdom is
better than persistent blindness. The Tines