New-York tribune., 1874-10-22
" DELICATE" AND "PROPER" SILENCE.

We learn from The Albany Evening journal
that there is really nothing in the third term
business, that the President has not given the
slightest intimatiOn that he wanted or expected
q third term, and that no friend OF his has
suggested it. 1t is a charge taken up by the
enemies of the Republican party for the mani
fest purpose of making mischief. The reason
why the President has not publicly announced
that he did not seek third term is because
ait has been the practice of honorable and
"high-minded men generally to abstain from
volunteering the statement that they were
"nOt candidates for Office until somebody had
"asked them to be candidates. Gen. Grant
"has acted upon that simple rule OF
common delicacy and proprety.' This
is sufficient, of course. Everybody under
stands that Gen. Grant acts always upon
the simple rule of common delicacy and
propriety, and that in all his administration
he has been honorable and high minded to an
extraordinary degree And it only shows the
progress we have made in the past sixty or
seventy years in matters of delicacy and pro-
priety. President Washington did not know
that the simple rule of common delicacy and
prOpriety forbade his volunteering the state
ment that he was not candidate for third
term. Jefferson and Jackson, both well mean
ing men doubtless, but very ignorant OF :" the
"practice of honorable and highminded men
generally" were both indecate and improper
enough to volunteer statements on this subject.
President Grant has set us all another exam
pie of delicacy and prODriety, and given us
another illustration of the practice of honorable
and high minded men generally. He has pointed
out to us at the same time what indelicate and
improper old fogies Washington, Jefferson and
Jackson were. We are constantly learning
something from the President.
The journal proceeds to say that, "On
"similar principle, the Republican Convention
" of this State did not declare itself against
"Grant for third term because 1t did not
"beleye that Grant had any thought of
" third term. Aud it did not feel under the
necessity of humiliating the President by
"saying that it would MT have him, when he
"did MT want it to have him." 1t is to be
regretted that the President should combine
so much sensitiveness with such delicacy of
feeling and strict regard for propriety. Still,
if it be true that the President would have
considered himself "humiliated" by the pas
sage of a resolution affirming clearly under
stood principle of government, we can under
stand why his personal followers were so
anxious Oh the subject. 1t seems pity though
about the President. So delicate; and so
proper and sensitive too.
As to Gov. Dix's position. The journal says:
"The papers are debating whether Gov. Dix
"should OF should not make declaration on
" the subject. Gov. Dix has already made
"declaratOn. In his speech responding to
"the serenade rendered him in this city on
"the very day after the nomination, he re-
" ferred to the Importance of sustaining the
president in his effort for peace, and then
"said: '.The Congress to be elected will con-
"'trol legislation during the t,co remaining
"years of his Administrations Is there any
" mstaking that I"
The italics are The Journals. And so is the
discovery. And we undertake to say that the
campaign thus far has furnished nothing half
sO funny.