The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-06-03
erent ON the Third Term.


Ersnt ON the Third Term,
The country was surprised yesterday morn
ing by the publcatit N of President Grants
letter to the chairman of the Pennsylvania
republican convention concerning the third
term issue. He has maintained silence on
I the subject SO stubboruly that the people
no longer expected him 90 speak.
The president opens with the significant
declaration that the republican politicians
have committed serious blunder IN ac ept-
ing the third term issue, which can only
weaken the party, however it may be met He
has preserved silence on the subject up to
the present time because be did not wish to
to commit the folly of accepting or refusing
an honor that was never offered 10 him.
When convention of the second state in
the Union thinks it worth while to adopt
resolutions condemning the third term.
however, it is not beneath the dignity of
the president to notice the subject. The ex-
PLANTATION of the writing of the letter is
rather lame as Pennsylvania and Kansas
spoke their mind in the matter last year
and South Carolina gave her opinion eight
months ago.
Gen. Grant thinks that the whole subject
OF choosing president for q third term lies
in the hands of the people. and there is
nothing, and ought to be nothing, to pre-
vent their electing favorite
far TIE third time if they
wish to. A constitutional amendment
might be adopted restricting the popular
viii ia shis respect, but he does not hest
tate to say that emergencies may arise in
which such a restriction would be uu-
fortunate, if not disastrous. He AYERS
that be is not candidate
for nomination now any more than he was
when chosen for his first and second terms.
and he would not write or utter a word to
change the will of the people in the premi-
SOS. He offers many considerations to show
that he has made sacrifice in accepting the
presidency at all, declaring that he only gave
up the position which he held for life to save |
the party. The inference Is that the partv
owes him still further consideration.
General Grant has evidently acted |
throughout his presidential career under |
the conviction that he was a political |
necessity, and he seemed determined |
to sell himself as dearly as possible. When |
he first consented to accept the republican |
his representative bargained |
for two terms, putting forward the identical
arguments about giving up the generalship
Of the army used by the president in the |
present letter. When elected, Grant acted |
on the homely principle of making
hay in the sunshine, and used the |
executive power for the purpose OF advane
ing the fortunes of his family, and finally
as provision for the future, had his salary
doubled in spite of the constitutional pro-
vision against such measure. His letter
ne has not yet received an equivalent for
lis surrender of the sinecure which he
night have held for life. and il is clear that
le regards the willingness of the politi-
.ians TO be pure and patriotic at his ex-
,ense, as an evidence of ing1atitude and bad
aith.
Taken in connection with the rest of the
et.er, the closing declaration is very sig
lificant: SCI am not, nor have ever been
a candidate for denomination, and
would not accept denomination If
~ WoI0 tSuu6IeU, UNLESS II
should come under such circumstances
as to make it an imperative duty, circum-
stances not likely to arise" It is very {
asy for man to persuade himself that it
} his imperative duty to become president, !
nd very easy for q party to persuade itself t
bat a crisis is at hand which would :
lstify the nomination of favorite for I
bird term. The simple meaning of Grants
sitter, therefore, seems to be that he is in '
ne field. His attitude does not greatly diff /
sr from that which he assumed seven or /
ght years ago, when be asserted that @
e would become president only in the Q
vent of a unanimous. choice by the people /
OF party. i
The republicans will make a desperate g
fort to construe the sphynx-like utter e
noes of their leader into renun- s
alton of his ambition, but S
le most that can be said in their favor '
retching every syllable till it cracks in the n
is that the letter leaves the t
lird term issue where it was a week ago. t
may say Of Grants epistle as !
yron did of Coleridge's lectures explaining q
to the nation: a
wish to God he would explain his explanation /
lr