The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-06-05

of the Presidents letter:
Allowing that every word in the Presi-
dentS letter TO Gen. Harry White il con-
olustSe and sincere, and attaching NO
other meaning to what he says than ap-
pears uponthe surface, those who sought
to prepare the country against tho ap-
proach Of the third term issue need 90
no farther for complete justification Of
all they have said on the subject. Gen.
Grant says he wants third term no
more than he wanted a first term; which,
fairly interpreted, means that he would
be glad to have u third term if the peo-
pie, who, as he argues, have the right
and the power to offer it, should do 80.
1t is too much to nsk us to believe that
the original prospect of being elevated
to 0he Chief Magistracy was unwelcome
to him, or that his actual elevation cost
him any painful sacrifice. When man
declares that he does not seek great
place, but adds that if elected he will
serve in it, the inference is sufficiently
plain. In tho present instance IN actual
argument favoring third term is made,
and as this was put forward by the Pre-
! sident's Immediate friends before and
after the South Carolina expression, md
accompanied by the utterance or quali-
fiecation from the President himself,
until after the reverse action of the
Pennsylvania Convention, we are moi
permitted to doubt that he has had the
thought in his mind, that he has con-
ceived its realization possible, and TINT
he would have accepted it, just rs he ac-
cepted his second election, as q personal
vindication. 81 cannot say" he OBJ
serves, "that was not pleased ut this, I"
his second election. Nor can anybody
wonder that he was, or that, by the snme
token, n third election would be less
pleasing. provided he could be made
believe that the public service called
him "to make the sacrifice" the deci-
sion MS to whether it made the demand
resting with himself.
nonsense. Gen. Grnnt gave up q life
Office, it is true, to take the Presidency;
but, in republic like ours, and in time
of peace, tho command Of the army is of
subordinate importance and influence.
Gen. Scott sought to exchange it for the
Presidency during twenty years. Gen.
Sherman would be glad to mako the e1-
change next year. As to personal COM
fort, q man may be quite as uncomforta-
BILE in the war Office rs in the White
House. AS to final retirement, the Chief
Magistracy affords the better opportunity
along with an increase of dignity Pc
ruslng the slip-shod sentences in the
residents plant about his "sacritices, "
one can i'll resist IN impression that he
is somewhat disingenuous. He GER
talnly departs from his characteristic
good sense when he supposes that the
American people will credit him with
genuine weariness of the cares of q sta
ton the highest in the land-of station
whose duties no has worn so loosely-of
station whose opportunities he has not
siighted-of q station, in short, which
has seen his rise from poverty to COM
parative wealth, and from which at the
end OF eight years he may withdraw, yet
young enough to enjoy the fruits of
about twice that period of well-paid,
and by no means exhaustive public
service. 1t is worse than policy for a
man, just turned of fifty, who, fourteen
years ago, was taken by the gods out of
the depths of degradation, whose only
blessing was its obscurity and rapidly
advanced TO the command of great
armies and to the head of great milton
1t Ii .pYeposterous for man who, in
every situation Of life, has taken his for
cent coolncss, all the while enioying his
creature comforts, his pipe, his horses
: and his dogs-it is unworthy Of Gen.
Grant, solid and stolid, hale, hearty and
well-to-do, having thrifty provided for
his family and himself, to set up a
denlngogic cry about ''sacrifices." He
had better announce himself out-and-
out as an nspirant for IL third term, or
declare. TINT but for the not-to-be-mis-
} taken popular demonstrations whicl,
have come to him, he should bo glad to
hold fast to SO good thing to the end OF
his days.
The Presidents direct reference to the
third term discussion is unfortunate. In
the first place, though he opens his let
ter by extolling the dignity of his Office
as reason for his prolonged silence,
his tardy utteran ces are less dienilicd
than his taciturnity. He speaks of n
third term much as he might speak of II
horse mce: 1t is thing conceivable
and possible. 1t might be necessary
thing, For example, if the scheme oI
organizing another rebellion" in the
South had succeeded; if the elections
} last full had gone Radical; if the bayonct
J legislation of the subsequent session OF
} Congress had passed, investing the Pre-.
sident with martial jurisdiction over the
lnsurrectionary country, and then if the
"down-trodden loyal people Of the
South" had demanded third term fo1
the only man who could protect them in
their property and lives, we suppose
that Gen. Grant would have considered
the case as one justifying his candidacy,
and rendering his election department
OF the public safety and peace. As mat-
ters stand, with q Dcmocratic House
yawning before him, with the whole
South at rest behind him, with Williams