New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-10-07


"upon the question one way or the other.
"Thus far he has resisted every appeal made
to him to speak upon the subject and de-
I" clare his intentions. and baffied all the IN
"genuity of the politicians and able editors
"who have 80 earnestly striven to find out
"exacty how he feels in regard to the mat
"ter. With him they doubtless believe that
ait is q mere waste of time and words to
/" speak about an event which is so far in the
a. future, upon which the country has not
"made ND its mind, because it has not yet
"come before the country"
There is short answer to this line of argu-
ment, and it suggests itself. One sentence
from President Grant can end the discussion.
We mean no disrespect to that gentleman
when we say that in matters of craftsmanship
no need not hesitate to follow the examples
of Washington, jefferson, Madison, Adams.
and jackson, even though they "lived nearly
three quarters of century ago." and their
EMOTIONS Of men and parties" were hasty
"and perhaps ill-considered." Attention has
been already called to the fact that the discus
sion of q third term has been carried on TO
months within hearing of the President that he
has been nominated by Conventions and news
papers and before his face in public professions,
and that Convention has been called at Chat
tanoOga for the purpose of committing the
party in the South to his support. But the
President says not q word. "Tbus far in
the words of the organ, he has resisted every
"appeal made to him to speak upon the sub
"jectn He has not so much as intimated in
any remOtest manner that he would not be
candidate. The event is "far in the future
to be sure, if he intends to be can
didate; but it is not too far for
him to say so if he is not to be.
In the first case his silence would be COM
prehensible, in the second not 1t is not alb
surd, it is not unreasonable, it is neither as
sumption nor presumption to say in this state
of facts that President Grant himself desires
a reelection. His silence bears no other in
depreciation. Presdent.of the United States
does not take the risk of defeating his party
or weakening it, as he certainly does by his
silence, without having some object in it.
. But another class of Administration organs,
which are more anxious for the success of the
party than anything else in the world, dismiss
the third term discussion with the assertion
that whatever may be the Presidents hopes or
expectations, lie Ci1nOt Uc nOIliudtcuJ tnC paiy
would not do so absurd a thing; no National
Convention would invite defeat by taking such
risk. The Utica Convention is q sufficient an
swcr to that line of argument The Republican
Party of New-York could have set its heel on
the third term business and stamped it out in
single resolution. The office-hOlders know it.
There would have been no risk of losing
votes in the pending election by such course; ;
they know that on the contrary it would have
gained votes. There was nothing put in peril
by the adoption of such q resolution except
the very thing aimed at-the denomination
of Grant. And the office-hOlders packed the
Convention and managed it so that the Presi-
dents prospects came to no hurt. What
was done in New-York at a State Convention
may be done in other States and in National
Convention. There is but one inference de-
ducible The President is a candidate for re-
nomination. The men who control Conven-
tions in New York at least are doing all in
their power to promote his chances The
effect of an Administration victory then upon
Grants candidacy is something for voters to
consider.