The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-10-22
The Third Tcrm-0tner COnsidera-
aiOnRs
FLOR the Dispatch.I
RICHMOND, September 80, 1874

FOR the DlSpatcn.I
RICHMOND, September 80, 1874.
And now, having made a few suggestions
relative TO the third-term principle, do not
profess to have adequately discussed the
question, on which | am wholly open 10 con-
yiction. Let me say what think is due to
the S0-ca'lcd 'thirG-.ermers"- men who
think have been misrepresented because mis-
understood. Imay not appropriately un-
dertake their defence, since am not one of
them. Unless l mistake them, the truth Of
the matter is this They are not in favor
of q third term for any one, but if
obliged to accept the same President
three times, there are probably in the
United States thousands of men whom
they had rather have than Grant. All they
can say for him is about this: He is physi-
cally brave (of his moral courage little seems
to be knowp), firm even TO obstinacy, has co.,
siderable shrewdness, lnanifests no malevc-
lence toward the South-on the contrary,
something of friendship, except when acting
a. the blind tool Of The party; and that as
he has acquired greater eXperer ce in office,
of the duties of which he was when first
elected as ignorant as child, he has shown
disposition TO act for himself, and not be
guided BY those Republican leaders who long
took mean advantage of his ignorance. His
having become a less plastic and su5SerVient
| minister is, by the way, principal reason of
| his party's strenuous opposition to the third
term and they would be Notwithstanding
precedent piety--I doubt not, to retain him
| jus. so long as he would obey their dictates,
and no longer. What they want is servant
| they can manage-a slave. Ga the other
| band, the third-term men promptly concede
Grant to be q rough, coarse soldier, with
some of the virtues and many of the faults
| incident TO military calling; that he
| is neither statesman, patriot, nor-as many
understand the term-genlleman that he Is
| intensely selfish, thinks greatly more OF his
own interests than of the interests Of the
people, and that be has not so much bad po-
! litical principles as no political principle at
all, so far as has been discovered. They say
| further, that while they do not knop Grant
will veto the civil-rights bill they believe so
and they had rather accept such man as
Grant with the probability Of his prevent.
ing the ipilicton so dreaded than see elected
any other Republican with the certainty
Of his doing all in his power to force negro
equality upon us. They agree with the
Louisville C0urier-J0uraal that "the third
term is revolution; the passage of the civil.
rights bill also revolution; and of the two
evils they regard the former as less intolera.
bic. They express themselves somewhat to
this effect: People living under very diff:
ferent state of things at the North are
sublimely cool iu their advice to us-that we
had better endure our troubles patiently,
with civil rights, negro equality, and any
other invention of the devil, all thrown In
together, than create an exception TO we'll
established rule. Not long ago the Bal
timore Gazette was indignant with as
for not preferripg any imaginable evil
to the third term, deeming us selfish, I'm.
patriotic, &c. It Is easy enough to be
philosophical under other peoples ufflic-
tons. We understand the serene courage
of the Irish landowner who wrote to his
steward, ssTell my dissatisfied tenants that
no threat of numbering you will terrify me
into lowering the rents" Our northern
countrymen can with noble fortitude Wit.
ness our sufferings, but how if called on to