National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-02
THE OPPO8ITIONAED THE THIRD

TERM
1t should be distinctly borne in mind that
it is the opposition press, and not the press
friendly to General Grant, that is keeping
up the third-terIn excitement. The Tribune
of New York, which was SO violently op-
posed to q second term, enjoys al the pres
ent time monopoly of the agitation. The
Herald occasionally returns to the subject
in q spasmOdiC sort Of way, and the
EreRiDg Post, to use a nautical phrase, puts
in an oar every once and awhile. But the
Republican papers-Or, as they are more
frequently called, the Grant organs arc
all or nearly all silent upon the subject, eX-
cept when they are forced into the contro-
vcrsy by their contemporaries. In this they
only initiate the example of the President
himself, who has never expressed an opinion
upon the question one way or the other.
Thus far he has resisted every appeal made
TO him to speak upon the subject and de-
clare his intentions, and batfied all the in
genuity of the politicians and able editors
who have so earnestly stTiven TO find out
exactly how he feels in regard TO the mat
ter. With him they doubtless believe that
it is a mere waste Of time and words to
speak about an event which is so far in the
future, upon which the country has not
made up its mind, because it has not yet
come before the country. But this will not
satisfy the opposition, and so they keep
delving away. hunting up the records Of
the administrations of Washington and
jefferson and Madison and Adams and
Jackson, telling us what they thought and
what they did not think, garbling their
private letters and State papers, reminding
us of what they call the precedents and the
traditions-as if in this busy, busting age
we must bend and mold ourselves to suit
the hasty and perhaps ill-considered notions
of men and parties who lived nearly three
quarters of q century ago.
But for some reason or another, it suits
the opposition to keep the subject con-
stantly before the public. Here, for in
stance, is the New York EOeniBg Post of
Wednesday, pulling out an extract from an
old letter which the President wrote in
1864, relative to the Presidency, as an ar
gument that he does not care for third
term. The extract is as follows: ''This
''(to be President) is the last thing in the
world 1 desire. / would regard such a
contamination as being highly unfortu-
mate for myself, if not for the country.
Through Providence l have attained to
more than ever hoped, and with the po-
sEgSTSOr, I hp1 hn
allowed TO retain it, will be more than
Satisfied. / certainly shall never shape a
sentiment, or the expression of a thought
with a view of being a candidate for
''office." This is certainly fresher and
more 10 the point than the musty recol-
lections of Washington, and the reproduc-
ton of a document so modern must have
been pleasant surprise to the readers Of
the Post, which rarely reprints anything
that has not been mellowed by the dust
and cobwebs Of a couple OF centuries. Can
the Post deny that from 1854 to 1858, when
he was nominated for the Presidency, Gen.
Grant did not live up to that PLATFORM
Can it lay its finger upon a single point in
all his official or private life, between the
date of the letter and the date of his nomi-
nation, In which he attempted to influence
in any way his selection as the Presidential
standard bearer? And when he was
elected and his administration came into
power, can it show that he. in anything or
at any time, abused his high Office to secure
a denomination Before his nomination
his sole intriguing for the highest office in
the gift of the people consisted in doing his
duty; and when he was elected, all the
wire pulling he did to secure his renomina-
ton, all his shaping of public sentiment,