Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-09-20
The Third Term.

noring long settled precedent, and the
warnings of the Father of his country,
and trainers of our Federal Constitu-
tion--that great chart of human liber-
ty, under which we have lived so hap
PLY and prospered so wonderfully
raising us from a few scattered and
impoverished colonies up to our pres
ent high position as one of the fore
most powers of the world. But to
this man nothing is held sacred that
interferes with his schemes of personal
aggrandizement. To those who may
feel sufficiently interested to examine
the early debates of the trainers of our
Federal Constitution, they will find
that the question of tenure of office
was exhaustively considered. We
had freshly emerged from state of
colonial vassalage to a power that
recognized not only life, but heredi-
tary tenure of Office, and down to the
present day, not only the throne but
the peerage is hereditary, and the
oldest son, be there never such an
idiot, claims his right to the throne,
or a seat in the House Of Lords.
Against this order of things the
whole power of these great and patri-
otic men was brought to bear. Hon.
esty, merit, qualification, was held by
those men as the only passport to
office, and tenure limited so as to
prevent the growth of an official aris-
tocracy-Judges of the Supreme Court
being the only exception. For the
high office of President views were
variant as to tenure-ranging from
four to ten years, and after much dig
nified debate, in which WASHINGTON
took large share, the result is shown
in Article 2, Section l of the Constitu-
ton and reads as follows:
"Article 2, Section 1.-The executive pow
er shall be vested in q President Of the United
for the term of Four Years."
Thus indicating the general feeling
as to the tenure of office, and the de-
termination of the people to hold
power as much in their own hands as
| possible-and this too, in the face of
the fact that it was foregone conclu-
sion that the beloved WASHINGTON, the
Father of his country, would be called
to fill the Presidential chair. This
idea was also clearly entertained by
WASHINGTON himself, as abundantly
shown by the debates in the Consti-
tuition, and more forcibly enunciated
when the people forced upon him a
second term. He earnestly urged that
it would be bad precedent, and could
only lead to ambitious aspirations on
the part Of the incumbent, but he
| frankly admitted that the time was
| too short, if we were sure of always
having the proper man in the place,
for it scarcely gave him time to per-
feet any policy he might inaugurate,
however beneficial to the country
but on the other hand, if a bad man
were placed in power,it was sufficient
ly long. With this view of the sub
ject he was not prepared to advise, but
his own opinion was that it would be
far better to extend the time to six
years, and the incumbent ineligible
thereafter, than to establish the
precedent of second terms. AS
before stated these views were
previously fully discussed in the
convention that framed the Con-
stitution, but the members being
so thoroughly opposed to long terms
of office, and perceiving in the infancy
of the Republic the probable necessity
of the services of WASHINGTON for a
second term, the four years was re-
tanned, without restriction as to eligi-
bility. This precedent set by WASH
INGToN, though under protest, was
generally followed down to the time
of VAN BUREN, when the people began
to see the wisdom of his advice and to
realize that the one term principle was
the safest, and it was rapidly becom-
ing the settled policy of the country
down to LINCoLN's time, when, under
the embarrassing circumstances by
which we were surrounded, he was re-
tanned for second term, no one ever
limiting at third. 1t was left to our
CESAR, without a single qualification
for the high office, to override all pre-
cedent and thrust himself upon us for
third term. What has he done that
he thus presumes upon the intelligence
and patriotism of the people "What
meat is this our CESAR feeds on, that
he has grown so great ?' Is 1t as
soldier? or is it as q statesman? If
as the former, We, as a civilian, are
probably not the most competent per-
son to criticise his claims; but we are
free to say that careful review of his
military deeds during our unfortunate
civil war, suggest the idea of man
boring very small holes with tre-
mendous big auger. At Fort Donald
son, where his name first rose to the
surface, the enemy was well demoral-
lied, if not whipped, before he arrived
on the field. At Vicksburg, he fioun-
dered through the swamps, morasses
and jungles for months, losing more
men twice over than his enemy num-
bered, and steadily calling for rein
| fnroan anta until ha forn,ad N aorJon