The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-05

fEor tic kirhno nd Iiispatsh.I
TnirA Ternis
ii raAT THETaUa saEMEDY FOR OUR
PREsENT EyfLsass
Il ~ ~
fco1cLrDEDl
Yuraine4noW TO the consideration of Che
outside s.Temedy,o would it not be well, be
fore we finally conclude Jonletting the. Re.
nIfl,lfc no. to have q clear and de6ute
.idea. of-how we shalf bette .ourseiYesif we
give up hoping for il, and cease trying 20
preserve it. If this Repuhlic were gone,
into what would we drift into 9 paryenu
monarchy 2! an imperial abso 1utism or thaf
worst Of all tyrannies, an oligarchy : Nllal
else is there TO 90 To- unless it be general
anarchy. In what particular would we be
better off In either of these than we are
now even? yet more than we would be were
we to persist In trying to restore and pre-
serve the. excellence of the Republic. and
were finally to succeed? Who would be most
likely to WELD the power, or to secure the
ranks, honors, and emoluments of either Of the
three? We farmers OF the poorer and weaker
section, or the rich capitalists, the merchant
princes, the astute scheiI1ers, DC, OF the
strongerf And if we failed to secure
these prizes and were to be oppressed by
those who do, we would have no popular
curative element to look to for redress. We
had better not run into any such cal de sac
moi, risk being caught in any such trap. we
have better ofiDg, and far more sea room,
as things now are, and we had better try
and keep up the Republic and all its safe
guards, resisting instead of advocating gu
innovations which may help 10 open !ne
way to the dead-fall of monarchy, trusting
in time and ourselves against the most OF evil
doors. -.
! Do its advocates hope that in the "third
terrn'' with General Grant we shall have
remedial measure, which, though desperate,
will be but temporary, and Will go no
further; will be merely like shifting the
King and Queen in chess; and that when
our deliyeunce shall have been effected
and the enemy under foot we may, by con-
stitutiopal amendment, fix constitutional
limit to the presidential eligibility!
We may find that it is not so
easy to get constitutional amendment
as it is to dash off P. S. to letter,
especially if the Executive oppose it. There
may be thousand excuses for delay, or di-
rect OPPOSITION thousand sources OF de-
feat; and then that motto 'iNult1 res!SgsG
retrors7rn'' Is written over the entrance upon
every pathway leading toward rlsurpation.
&c. Go read, and remember, and reflect on
Esop's fable Of the Horse, the Elan, aud the
Stag.
But how do We know that General Grant
will sill the bili"Y It takes two to make q
bargain. Have not the advocates OF the
third term, in honest truth. been going
through the motions Tor both parties in the
?-for him as well as for us?
Have not bis assent and his accord with US
been. taken entirely for granted? What
stipulation or covenant with the sufferers
for their succor and salvation has General
Grant entered into? What schedule has be
exhibited of the forces he can bring with
him. What bond has he given not to .ac-
cept a fourth term from the Republicans
Is it not all mere vague matter Of imagina-
ton, wherein the wish Is father to the
thought?
But " make believe" it all true; or sup
pose we had it Enthusiastically down in black
and white-not, however, in like manner as
is the Government OF Louisiana ecl,onl may
,re rely ON 10 act ,cith rs ? Not the Repuoll-
can .sparty," for if it did so there would
either be no deliyerance or pooody to be de-
liyered from. Not the northern anti-Repub-
leans, Tor with them The trylnS-pan is not
vet hot enough to make them take to the
fire-their case is not so Desperate as to in
duce them to take so desperate "remedy."
~ h. oF he u-
for their experience Of and faith in General
Grant is not such as to guarantee any general
and enthusiastic support from chem. Not the
money power, for that calculates closely.
ventures on no uncertain novelty, and, OF
all things in the world, breads move of re-
volutlonary tendency.
1t may do to talk of "third term " for
bluff; but in reality neither the candidate
nor the measure is such as can challenge gen.
eral support from the sources they must look
to, and the presentation of the measure in
may do measureless harm, by dis
tracing, dividing, and weakening the ele-
ments of opposition TO the Republican party;
by checking the changes from that ptrty to
the Conservatives by putting dl>trust OF
our good faith or steadincsS in the minds OF
the friends of the South (and they are
by preventing confident, concerted,
and concentrated action, timely consolida-
ton, and effective and complete organization
of the national Conservative or patriotic
party, the party of the country-an organ
ization upon which the whole question OF
success depends and by strengthening the
Republican party in so far as it may give
them plausible ground before the people
to charge upon the South revolutionary
move towards substituting a monarchy for
the republic. It is flank movement too
feeble to make any impression on the enemy,
but it will cripple our main force, which
cannot afford such detachments.
Our safety, and our only safety, is in
timely, compact and perfect organization
ecithin the ship itself, in keeping her intact
and sound in sacrificing none of her bull
warks ; in winning over, or in subduing her
crew to their duty and in bringing her back
TO her true course not in dismantllng her !;
not in going off on any raft so long as she
floats, and not in deserving the true men on
her.
Let US determine to stay by the craft while
her timbers hold together above water, resO.
lutely and persistently fighting those who
are trying to wreck her, calling to our aid
all who care for their own safety or who
value her freight, hopefully remembering
chat
"Freedoms battle, once begun,
Bequeafhed from bleeding sire to son,
Though bafaed oft, Is ever aoon.".
Whether this be the wisest course or not,
it is at least brave and manly one. What.
ever fighting is to be done, let it be within
and on behalf of the whole Republic; such
it was meant to be. JOHN NJ. ORR.
LEEsBURG, Va, August %, 1874.