Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1875-03-03
Grant Means to Ran for u Third
Term.

design of Gen. Grant to be the Ropub-
lcan candidate for President in 1876.
We quote the whole of his letter:
"One has not to be long in Wash
ington to discover that all this South |
ern business means thrd-term.
Gen. Grant means it, and the whole
host of adventures whose personal
fortunes are bound upin his contin-
uance IN office mean it also. 1t is a
new political feature in our history,
but not more strange or striking than
many of the events Of the last dozen
years. The incredulity about it is still
considerable, because people do not
readily believe in wholly new things.
1t is not unlikely the plan is going to
succeed Gen. Grant has this great
advantage. BY making himself the
agent Of violence and repression at the
South, he secures the undivided sup
port of the blacks and carpet baggers
in the choice of delegates to the ma
tional nominating convention. Here
is a large founded capital to begin
with, With the delegates of all the
old slave States in his hands at the
outset, it will be seen that he enters
the contest with an immense advan-
tagc over every other candidate. 1t
must also be remembered that this is
a blind force, swayed by personal and
partisan considerations merely. 1t
will be the dead weight of the conven-
tention, not amenable to high public
considerations. 1t is difficult to see
how it can be overcome.
"The dividing line is already being
silently drawn here among the Re
publicans on this question, and it is
not difficult to trace its windings and
its boundaries. The stiff and sure
Republican States are at bottom anti
Grant, anti-third.term. They wish to
try no rash experiments, They desire
to save themselves, if they cannot
save the Presidential election. They
therefore oppose themselves to all po-
litical audacities of whatever charac-
ter, and strive to conciliatc the moral
and conservative forces which under
lie all sound republicanism. But it
will be recognized that the number of
such States is comparatively small,
and that they are ne match in repre-
sentative force for the body of South
ern States.
"Thc Northern States which are to
furnish recruits for the Grant stand
ard are States quite differently situat-
ed. They are States alrerdy lost to
Grant delegates from these States can
be furnished in any quantity, and the
rivalrics Of competing civilian candi-
dates will swell their number 1t is
not with them 4 question of success
now, but Of future operations They
would rather throw away their votes on
Grant than anybody else, since his
probabilities ofsuccess would be worth
more to them than anything else
within their reach Then the class of
doubtful Northern States, of which
Pennsylvania and Ohio may be taken
as samples, while they cannot be so
certainly counted on, will nevertheless
turn out good deal of driftwood
that will follow the strongest current.
So that all things considered, looking
to the States alone, Grants chances
seem to be altogether better for
nomination than those of anybody
else in the Republican ranks.
"This view receives confirmation in
a very striking manner by the reti-
cencc of leading Republicans. Very
few openly say anything against the
thlrd-term, In fact nobody except
such as are ready to break with the
Administration. Everybody is afraid
OF that. 1t affects them in their par
ty relations, and brings down partisan
hostility, which few have the intrepid.
ity to defy, 1t is an abasement that
all politicians suffer, rather than en-
danger their places. 1t is not manly,
it is not honorable, but it is human.
1t is a great misfortune that people in
public life cannot be independent and
cannot say just what they think Gen.
Grant dominates the leading Repub-
licans very much as Clay used to dom
mate the old Wings, though from
very different reasons Clay was lead
er and dictator by virtue of his geni.
us; Grant is so by reason of his place
The latter las all the patronage of the
country at his disposal and backing