New-York tribune., 1874-09-11

influential Administration leaders nave ex-
pressed themselves in favor of third term,
have given the question unusual import
ance. These considerations, with the reticence
of the President himself upon the subject lift
it out of the mist and fog Of mere conjecture and
make it pronounced and tangible issue in our
politics. The Pennsylvania Republicans have
in an indirect way, by nominating Gov. Hart
ranft for the Presidential succession, signified
their hostility to the scheme. The Republicans
of Michigan have squnted in that direction by
their refusal to approve the Presidents views
of finance. In Kansas they addressed them
selves more boldly to the question, and in un-
mistakable terms pronounced their hostility
to the principle involved as virtual viola
ton of the Constitution.
That Presidential third term is contrary
to the spirit of the Constitution and
subverson of the system of popular
government, which must in the end
be fatal to republican institutions, needs
hardly be argued. They who advocate it
have lost faith in democracy, aud are
willing to see any change made or begun
which shall overturn existing institutions. In
| this view the question assumes such an i'm
portance that neither party can safely ignore
it. The Democrats of the North have not gen.
erally hesitated to avow their opposition to
third term for President Grant. They should
be careful to put themselves upon record,
however, as opposed to the principle inrolued
in such departure from the Fundamental
doctrines of democracy, and there should be
no uncertainty or ambiguity in their utter
ances. 1t is equally essential for the Repub-
lcan party to speak out in the platforms OF
its State and Congressional Conventions upon
this subject, and to speak so plainly that there
! shall be no mistaking its meaning. Charged
already with revolutionary tendencies, with
deyiations from the Constitution, and mis-
chievous innovations, they can hardly afford
to be silent under the imputatiOn OF fostering
or encouraging so revolutionary movement
as this must be- In the coming elections 1T is
incumbent upon them to inform the people,
whose votes they ask precisely what it means
| to support that party. Aside from the office
holders there is but an Insignificant fraction OF
the party at the North who favor third term
for Grant. If the party would commend itself
to the suffrages of the people it must take the
position already assumed by the Kansas Re-
publcans. To say nothing upon the subject
now, after other Conventions have pronounced
upon it, would be only confession of COM
plcity in the scheme.
In New-York it is especially desirable that
the utterances of both parties should be bold
and explicit. That the Custom-house Ring
| and most of the ofice-hOlders in the State
who are so potent in political Conventions are
either for the third term, or non-cOmmittal,
is matter of course and goes without saying.
The Liberal Republicans in their late Conven-
ton, which represented public sentiment in
much larger degree than the politicians care
to confess, have already laid down the prin-
ciple that the people should demand of any
"party expecting their votes an explicit de-
claration against the claim of any man to
"become President of the United States, or
"against tho conduct of any man tolerating
" the use by others of his name for such
candidacy" Both Republicans and Demo
Gratis can do no less than make answer in
some form to the demand. Silence will be
fota