The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-06-17
HoYT & CO., Proprietors ANDERSON

HoYT & CO., Proprietor
Reyecdy Johnson,s Criticism of the Presi.
DENTS Letter.
We print below the recent letter OF Hon.
Reverdv johnson. of Maryland, addressed to
the New York Herald, in which he discusses
President Grants 'third term letter." Mr..
:Johnson is one of the ablest statesmen and ju-
rists of the country, and his acute analysis of
this now famous epistle will be read with in
terest:
BALTIMORE, Nd, June 2, 1875.
To the Editor of the HerGld:
MyDEAR SIR :-One of your correspondents
snforms me that you wish me to say to you
what I think Of the Presidents letter OF last
Saturday, the 29th ult., known as the third
term letter" This proceed to do. There are
several matters contained in the letter that have
no direct and very slight indirect bearing up
on the question. What sacrifices, if any, the
President may have made in accepting his first
nomination or his second have nothing to dc
with his election for third term. And what
ever abuse he may have been subjected to du-
ring the time that he has held the Presidency
is equally irrelevant. Although it is no doubt
true that his conduct has been subjected in
some instances to harsh and unjust criticism,
yet, as he admits Gin the light of subsequent
events his conduct on some occasions was
subject to fair criticism he has not always
been unjustly dealt with. What those occa-
sions were he omits to say. Were they in his
recommendation for the passage of the "Force
bill" and the suspension of habeas corpus, his
approval of the conduct of the military at New
Orleans in expelling portion Of the Legisla-
tr1re of that State, and in the yet more t1agrant
wrong, if one more aagrant could be committed,
in the recommendation made to Congress IN his
Message relative to Arkansas, recommenda-
ton in principle absolutely destructive of the
right of the people of every State to change
their constitution But these wrongs are not
pertinent at all to the general question OF the
election of a President for third term, except
as they bear upon his fitness for that office.
WHAT the President says is this, that there is
nothing in the constitution to prohibit 1t, ana
that It can only come before the people by
nroposition to amend the constitution. The
precedents, no matter how long established,
and no matter what may have been the chsrac-
ter of the men by whom they were established,
as patriots and as statesmen of unsurpassed
ability. and no matter how universal has been
their sanction by the people, these precedents
should, in the Presidents view, have no lnt1u-
ence upon the people now or hereafter or upon
the determination of him who may have occu-
pied the Office for two terms. For he tells us
chat ssit may happen in the future history OF the
country land this may be the case during the
balance of the present term) that to change an
executive because he has been eight years IN
Office will prove unfortunate, if not disastrous"
It is certainly true that the people are at lher-
ty to elect to third term but until the time
of President Grant not only did no one of his
predecessors who had held the Office for two
terms, give the most distant hint that he wished
or would accept the Office again, but, as far as
am advised, no individual citizen or journal
ist ever proposed or suggested it.
That constitutional prohibition does not
exist is no proof that the usage of prohibition
is not and should not be considered as conclu-
siYe. Its idle to say that in government
like ours long and uninterrupted usage can safe
ly be disregarded. The power of the veto on
the part of the Crown exists in England, but
has. not been exercised since 1892. And yet 1t
is power which Mr.. Justice Blackstone says
sis most important and, indeed, indispensable
part of the royal prerogative." It may with
truth be said that now, when it has been 80
long disused, that its exercise by the Crown
would produce fearful ferment IN the King
dom. Such, in that law-abiding country, is the
conclusive force and effect Of usage. :.
The idea of the President that the safety OF
the country may demand the reelection OF
President for a third term, in my opinion, is an
idle conceit, having no other support but the
most eggregious vanity. Of this vanity ne
himself seems to partake, since he says that ne
"Hould not accept a nomination it 1t were ten
dered. unless it should come under such cir
cumstances as to make it al imperative duty"
Who is to judge whether the duty to accept Is
an imperative one? 1t can only be the man
himself May he not we'll conclude that q
nomination by q convention is conclusive as TO
the duty? The safety of the country ne may
really think requires his continuance IN office,
and that his own opinion upon the point, if he
has one. is established by the action of the con-
yention. and by this process of reasoning ne
may be reelected for as many terms as life is
spared him. I think it may, with perfect JUS,
tice. be said that ifthe convention which framed
the constitution had known the enormous ex-
tent of the official patronage which IN time
would necessarily be vested in the President,
that they would have limited the official term
TO six or eight years and have rendered the IN
cumbent ineligible.
The question which is now agitating the puO-
lie mind is whether President Grant shall be
elected to third term. Does his letter solve
it? It may do so practically, because believe
that he will not be renominated, or ii ne ls,
that ne WILL nar0ly receive tue fote VI d siuS'o
State. The voice of Pennsylvania, as spoken
by her recent convention, which has forced the
President to write this letter, is Judging by all
the the signs of the times, concurred in by an
immense majority of the Union. The Presi-
dent, indeed, so far as he is personally concern
ed, seems to regard it as q mere matter of dol
lars and cents !; and it may perhaps legitimate
" inferior that if the salary which he now
receives should be secured to him as a retiring
oension he would gladly leave the Office at
Che end of his present term and return to that
home "where the balance of his days might be
spent in peace and enjoyment of domestic