National Republican., 1875-06-28
PRESIDENT GRANT AND HIS SUCCESS


PRESIDENT GRANT AND HIS SUCCESSOR.
A sufficient time has elapsed since the
publication of President Grants anti Third
Term letter foTtbe reception by due course
of mail of all the leading journals Of the
Old World containing comments upon it.
From them We learn that following the
lead Of the London Times, telegraphIc
repo}t, of the comments of which journal
have already been printed, they unani-
mous!y agree that the letter ''goes directly
10 the point, " sis plain without being awk-
ward. and brisk without being vulgar"
At the same time the London Times mildly
denounces the avowed ground of opposition
70 the Third Term as 'idolatrous homage
to the unwritten law" The New York
Ecening,, Post, commenting upon these asser-
tions of foreign opinion, arrives at the con-
clusion that the Presidents retirement
is at best but q negative gain to those who
were opposed 10 bis denomination, because
"t only determines who shall not be Pres
idenL, " and adds that ''the serious business
"of choosing his successor remains to be
"done" The Post continues Its COM
Fnents with the expression of fear that
his successor may be some one Of exactly
the Same political kidney, who will not
"exhibIt any Improvement upon his sd-
miKIstration. This may or may not be
true. but our explanation Of the opposition
to the Third Term, as announced by the
Republican platforms OF Pennsylvania and
Ohio, Is that the people are not opposed to
president Grant personally, or to the gen
eral outlines Of the policy Of his admins
trBtion. On the contrary, the resolutions
adopted BY the Republican conventions Of
both Of those States assert a positive reli-
Gnce in him s8 . public leader. and an
earnest approval of his policy as regards
all the salient points Of public interest that
have been developed since his first inaugu-
ration. The language OF the Ohio rssolu-
ton unu.istakably indicates this. 1t reads
e. follows:
"l2 The distinguished success OF his sd
niristration, which to the fame of the patriot
and soldier has added that Of the capable Gna
?,.G,rioa:s Sarcsn0n, entities President Grant TO
TIE gratitude Of Lis ccuutymeu."
Bul lLe Pennsylvania Republicans went
still further Analyz;ng the salient points
OF lis Administration to which We have
referred u-cy sid:
"Ecso1~~G. That fno Republican party Of
this Commonwealth recall with pride their ef-
fcCtive agency in tie creation Of the admins
tratieu 81 PRESIDENT Ulysses 8. Grant, and
point with confidence 10 it, general policy and
The JcIsucEu- results thereof IOr their viuii-
cation aU1 lii. hat, having received the Gov
erUmcEt from rs T-ed'cesspr dgmyraliZo1 in
eFeTy branch. corruption sad responsiveness in
Office tLe ruIc, yhr fruits Of the war ungIJh-
cred She lately rtbellOus states sullen, the
late slave unprotected and yet denied that
great rlcaHs If -c.fprotection, the ballot, for
eigu States uUrhantisCd for their wrongs % Us,
and home States dciiantly inefficient to The CX-
piatiGn which their rgbeliiOUs action required
tie administration Of President Grant hss in
six short years steadily and UupretendingiV re
formed every known abuse, and Is today re
IentlesslT upon the track Of wrong doers; kas
largely reduced the nations debt; has largely
reduced the peoples taxes: has infigTbly pun
ishei ali ViulstcTs Of law; has secured by con
StitUtioual provision the ballot TO all freemCn,
and by Law thrown surely-needed safeguards
around the bailOt-bOT: has wrung from IN
friendly foreign States confessions OF their
faults and reparation for injuries done US, and
has Influenced reluctant home States to at
least the appearance Of Just dealings with all
their citizens; all OF which events make the
nresent Administration az among the most bril-
liant in achievement in our annals"
We are unable 10 make any other deduc-
ton from these declarations than that the
trainers Of the resolutions quoted, as well
as the representative sssenblages by which
they were unanimously adopted, were sim
ply influenced by a reverence for what
they were pleased to term "unWritten law"
and were not influenced by any personal
or other prejudice against President
Grant. Any man with common sense will
admit that the resolutions condemning the
Third Term were passed because the agita-
ton Of that question had assumed unwar-
rsnted proportions. If this had not been
the case, the conventions would have salts.
fed themselves with the adoption of the
resolutions commencing the President and
his acts, and would have entirely ignored
anything relating to his successor. This
would not have left the question open, by