The New York herald., 1874-10-20
The Third Term Quandary OF the
clustered Republican,.


''quandary' is corruption of the French
phrase quen drai- i-je-what shall say abou
1t? 1t implies that person is what we cal
nonplussed, being in q perplexity which de-
prives him of the free use of his faculties.
This seems to be the intellectual condition OF
the republican journals on the third term
question since the Western elections. They
are at their wits end to know what to do or
say about it. They are suddenly brought to
suspect that what they had laughed at as q
political toy invented for the public diversion
is a dangerous Internal machine which 1t is
neither safe to tonch nor to let alone. They
wish it were well out of the way but fear that
if they undertake to remove it it will explode
in their hands with shatterlng damage to
themselves and their party. The Times fran
tically advises Governor Dix to pick
it up and fling it out at the window;
the Albany Journal and Buffalo Com
nlercial Advertiser protest that this is bad ad-
vice and that the Internal thing will do more
damage if handled than if let alone. The
Ereninq Post declares that if anybody is to
| take the risk of pitching it into the street
that dangerous duty belongs to President Grant
who gave the cue to its inventors. 1t is the
old fable Of belling the cat The whole as
sembly OF rats conceded that it was o very
proper thing to be done, but the practical
question as to which bold member of the we'll
tailed fraternity should undertake the feat
found no satisfactory solution. Had they been
on shipboard they might have verified an old
saying about sinking ship and taken a leap
into the water. 1t is laughable to witness the
sudden CONSERVATION of the republican press
on the third term question since the demo-
cratic successes last week
| Perhaps the most remarkable utterance on
this subject was that OF Congressman Kelley in
| his speech in Philadelphia on Friday night.
His is very CHEEKY view, like that of cum
ming old rat luxuriating in meal tub, which
had been covered against the approaches OF the
unbelled third term cat The Pennsylvania
republicans, Mr.. Kelley thinks, protected
themselves by the timely action of their State
! Convention We insert some of his consoling
sentences:-
| Itis mistake to suppose that the causes that
overwhelmed the republicans o. Ohio and In
diana will operate in this State. They are not IN
operation here. The third term question hung
like gripping cloud over our trends IN both
those States. But our sky Is clear oil that evil
omen Our state Convention, true to the irad-
tions OF the country and the convictions OF tie
people, made an emphatic declaration against
/ third term. Willie appreciating as highly as ever
the pre-emnent services and patriotic purposes
4 would vote lor no man for third term and would
rather take the risk OF bad President lor iour
years than assist In overtni0wing tne wholesome
son, OF retiring voluntarily from the Presidency at
/ the end ofthe second term.
! We acknowledge both the truth and the
picturesque aptness of Mr.. Kelleys fight of
rhetoric. He is, no doubt, correct in saying,
with much poetry and more truth, that "lhe
third term question hung like dripping
cloud over our friends in both those States -
meaning Ohio and Indiana. But we do not
quite share his sanguine assurance. ''our
sky'-meaning the republican sky in Penn
sylvania-''is clear of that evil omen" The
republicans of Pennsylvania are bound by
party ties. They are inside and not outside
of the national republican organization. They
did well to make their indirect protest against
third term; but if they expected it to have
any moral effect they should have uttered it
more squarely and boldly. All they did was
to express q preference for one Of their
own citizens as republican candidate
for the Presidency. They could not
have seriously expected that citizen 9
nomination, and if the Convention OF
1876 rejects him, as it is quite certain to do,
they will be as much bound by the party
choice as if they had not put forward candi-
date OF their own. II the successful candidate
should be General Grant for o third time
they have done nothing to preclude their Civ
ing him their support. They failed to rally
the republicans of New York and the other
great States in uncompromising opposition to
the third term because their lead was SO halting
and pusillanimous. They dared not break
with President Grant by bold and unequivo-
cal declaration. Had they spoken out as
plainly while the thing was yet clear as Mr..
Kelley has now, when thunder clouds are
closing over it, other republican conventions
would have been emboldened by their example,
and the third term question would not have
chung like a dripping cloud" over the Octobe,
elections. The tent OF gauze spread by the
Pennsylvania Convention cannot protect the
republicans of that State against drenchinp
from the angry November skies. They are
as much exposed to its peltings as the repub
licans of New York, because if Grant should
prove stronger candidate than Hartranft ir
1876 they are as much bound to support him as
they would be to support Morton or Blaine OF
Conkling, if either OF these gentlemen should
get the nomination against Hartranft AL
they have done is to express preference for o
citizen of their own State who cannot pos
sbly get the nomination. This binds them tc
nothing, and leaves them as free to support
Grant as to support Blaine.
The republican party is in danger of being
engulfed in the third term storm because il
has lacked political foresight and courage to