The New York herald., 1874-10-28

has excited the anxiety Of patriots for half .
century. In 1926 there was . proposal, sup
ported by very able committee Of the Senate.
TO amend the constitution in this respect. In
every one of President Jackson's eight annual
messages ho recommended On amendment
limiting the President to a single term Of six
years. Henry Clays who belonged to the op-
poslte political party, zealously urged an
amendment restricting the President to one
term of four years. De Tocqueville, the most
enlightened and philosophical foreigner who
has written on our government, devoted q
chapter of his great work to prove that the re-
eligibility Of our Presidents is the weak point
of the federal constitution. The testimony on
this point is of superduous abundance.
When tie Confederate States, in the hope of
a new nationality, readapted the federal con-
stitution, they made such changes in it as they
thought experience demanded, and they
adopted, without question or debate, q
provision limiting the President to single
term Of six years. When Governor Dix says
that be has been for forty years the steady
advocate of such change he comedies that
same abuse of patronage which may be di-
rected to second term is still more to be
deprecated when employed to secure third
term, and it is just as available for one pur-
pose as for the other as soon as the tide of
patronage is swollen to such height that it
may sweep down all but constitutional
obstacles.
The third term question has hung as dark
cloud in the horizon Of our politics for many
years, although its full significance was not
understood The machinery by which
Presidents attempt to re-elect themselves once
is precisely the same machinery which would
be put in requisition for q third term, and tho
protest during halt century by our most
eminent statesmen against one form of the
danger is in substance protest against the
other and more alarming form of the same
danger. It would puzzle Governor Dix, and
would puzzle anybody. to state any reason
against one reelection of President which
does not apply with greater force against Q
third term. If President in Office, by an abuse
Of his patronage, can secure his rc-elec1 on it
is equally in his power, by further abuse Of
the same patronage, to re-elect himself per-
petually, except SO far as usage and tradition
stand in the way. Usage and tradition are
frail barriers in an age like the present, when
80 many venerated rules have been trampled
under loot. As Governor Dix was Of opinion
forty years ago that the re-eligibility Of our
Presidents was an evil which ought to be cor
rec,ed he is utterly without excuse for un-
dervaluing worse form of the same evil now,
when the federal patronage, which can be per-
verted to such an end, is so enormously
increased. If second terms were peril to
liberty forty years ago. as Governor Dix con-
tends, third terms must be o more formidable
danger when the patronage of the President and
his means of controlling nominations and
elections have been multiplied tenfold. Mr..
Dix's sincerity in the past efforts he describes
can be vindicated only by resolute opposition
to the third term. But his hesitating reluc-
tance to thwart the wishes of General Grant
shows that even he truckles to the Presi-
dent, that even he has become infected with
the spirit of subserviency and man worship.
His courtly doubts respecting Grants inten-
tons will not help him with the voters of this
State, who believe that Grant would eagerly
take third term if he saw his way clear to
get it. To pretend that Grant has no such
ambition, as Governor DIX does in his speech,
is so contrary to the public opinion of the
country that the people are more likely to
condemn him as the Presidents apologist
than to commend him for his correct personal
opinions.