Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-07-16
THE THIRD TERM TALK.


THE THIRD TERM TALK.
WHAT SENATOR GORDON THINKS ABOUT 1T.
Gen. Gordon, United States Senator from
Georgia, has just returned home. On his
way through Atlanta he was interviewed by
a reporter of the Atlanta Herald, who elected
the following expressions of opinion from
Senator Gordon on political topics:
GRANTS POSITION AND VIEWS AND A THIRD
TERM.
Reporter. Do you, General, think that
there is anything Of truth in the third term
aspirations of Gen. Grant, as suggested by
the Courier-Journal?
General Gordon. certainly do. think
that President Grant is exceedingly anxious
to run again, and is apt to do so. l am very
intimate with him as much so as almost any
one, and he is always very cordial with me.
think he certainly intends to run again.
Reporter. Will the Republican party nom-
mate him again?
Gen. Gordon. l don't think Gen. Grant
desires a party nomination at their hands.
His ambition is to run as the Peoples candi-
date; not as a Democratic or Republican
candidate of the people Of the United States;
as candidate of great Grant party, if you
please. Evidences Of this ambition are
evinced daily. His absolute independence of
all Republican leaders the indifference with
which he incurs the enmity of Morton, Logan
or Butler and, above all, the evident pains
he takes to show the South that he is not her
enemy. man cannot be with Grant any
length of time before he catches his kindly
drift in favor of the Southern people, His
idea seems to be to show our people that ne is
President, not of one section but of the Re
public, and that he shall deal to them just
such judgments as to those who followed the
Stars and Stri pes Still, if Grant wants the
nomination of the Republican party he will
get it. Not that they prefer him to any
other candidate. Not at all. For with the
tradition of the Republic, and in the spirit of
our institutions so decidedly against such
course, they will be timid about offering
third term candidate. They will nominate
him, though, because they will be afraid not
to do it. For two reasons: First, they be-
lieve he is the onl man who can hold the
Republican party to victory, and (they are
right in this) that he is much stronger than
his party secondly, they fear that if they
leave him out he will be picked up by some
middle party, or even by the Democratic
party, and run against them. Hence, if he
wants the nomination, in my opinion he will
get it without any trouble
IF NOT GRANT, WHO THEN?
Reporter In the event of Grants not of:
feriug, who will be the probable Republican
candidate?
Gen. Gordon. | think that Hon. Eli B.
Washbu,n our present minister to France,
is by lorg odds the most prominent. He is
Grants especial friend and adviser, and be-
sides his own power and popularity, would
have the benefit of Grants strength with the
party. If Grant could name his successor, as
the Republican nominee, and l think he
could pretty nearly do it, he would certainly
name Washburne.
THE DEMOCRATIC CHANCES AGAINST GRANT
AND THE RADICALS.
Reporter. What are the chances, in your
opinion, for the success Of the Radical party
under Grant?
Gen. Gordon. think the Democracy will
have certain victory. They will have three
points, either one of which will be almost ir-
resistible First. Grant cannot be elected on
his financial platform. The great mass of
the people are opposed to the speedy return
to specie payments that he advocates, because
they believe it will bring panics ten times
worse than the one we are just recovering
from, and ruin the country. They all be-
lieve in hard money as a fact, and love to
talk of it as boast, but they don't believe
in wadng through ruin and bankruptcy to
resumption. Grant, on his veto PLATFORM or
his policy set forth in his memorandum to
Senator Jones, can't, in my opinion, carry
single Western or Southern State, and don't
think he can carry Pennsylvania. Secondly.
1t would be almost impossible for any man
to enter the White House for third term.
The whole spirit of the Republic is against
it. 1t would he esteemed an audacious grasp
at dictatorship. The people who revere
the Republic and its traditions will rise to
put it down. And yet with this terrific in
fiuence against him, Grant is the strongest
man his party can run. Morton and Logan
are both aspirants, but neither can bring the
same spirit and influence and enthusiasm to
the canvass that Grant can. So that think,
if the party runs Grant, the alarm of the peo-
ple at the approach of absolutism will entail
defeat. If it throws Grant overheard, there
is no Otner man Ill ltS TaHkS IHat 10 oIiohS
enough to lead the party through another
victorious campaign.
STRONGEST POINT AGAINST THE RADICALS.
Reporter. You said there we're three
"strong points that the Democracy could
put to the country against the Radical party,
and you only mention two-what Is the other !
Gen. Gordon. Oh that is the strongest OF
them ALL 1t is the corruption and the rot
tenness of the party. 1t cannot stagger along
much longer under its load of infamies. The
Sanborn contracts, the Credit Mobilier, the
moiety system, the District of Columbia jobs,
and above all the carpet-bag scoundrelisms in
the Southern States; all these arrayed against
the party will kill it.
CAUTION TO THE souTIIERT PEOPLE,
Reporter. You think the Democratic
party has victory ahead of them, then, in the
next campaign?
Gen. Gordon Almost certainly, unless
they make some terrible blunder. If, by any
imprudence of speech or action, the Southern
people give the Republicans chance to fly
the issues of corruption and misgoVernment,
and the differences on which the war was
fought, and which are still invincbles in the
North we will lose the fight. The passions
and prejudices of the war are dying out very
rapidly in the North, and, if nothing rash is
Jono to ray;va them we can meet the Repub-