The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-06-09
THE UNWRITTEN LAW.

RIGHTS of the fortunate contestants.
THE UNwR1TrEN LAW.
The example of Washington, say the Re-
publicans of Ohio, has become part of the
unwritten law of the Union.
It was a very graceful way OF indicating to
the friends of Gen. Grant that it would not
be polite or becoming in them to urge their
chief as candidate for second reelection.
Washington, in the early days of the Re-
public, without precedent to guide him, after
serving two terms with singular fidelity. and
being most ardently desired to be candidate
for third term, saw fit to decline, much to the
disappointment offs very great majority OF the
people Of the Republic. It can not now be
said with any degree of certainty what would
have been the influence upon the prosperity
of the Republic and upon the stability OF the
great political tenets on which it was based if
Washington had consented to serve for an
additional four years. He was not party
man, nor the representative of party. His
third election would have been q triumph of
his friends over no party or candidate. He
was probably conscious of the fact that he
could administer the affairs of the Executive
Department better than any other man, not
because he was the ablest natural execu-
tive upon the continent, (Which was
nevertheless fact), but because his
successful military career had given to him
the thorough confidence of the people At
the close of Washington's second term the
aim of the ruling men Of the country was to
fill the vacancy as we'll as possible. The sys-
tenn of scrambling for public positions had
not begun. The friends Of Washington were
willing that he should rest from his iabors at
tend to his personal interests, and find at his
no ne solace for his bodily inirmities. He
WIS old and had already served as long as the
highest sense of patriotic duty could require.
The people at large (by the census Of 1870,
8, 929, 2l4 in number, Of whom 3, 172, 600 were
white), were not so reluctant to part with him
as they would have been if they had not be-
lieved that the position could be worthily &C.
cupied by some other patriot. Such proved
to be the result, as all now concede, in the
case of the Presidents who succeeded, and for
forty years.
What ideas may have occurred to Gen.
Washington as to the example which he set,
we have no means of knowing in detail. He
probably thought it best that the people
should be taught that the government would
get on very well without him, and that they
should learn to put their trust in their system
of constitutional government rather than in
the virtue or capacity Of their President
His retiring when his retention for life woulo
have pleased the masses of the people was
sagacious as well as magnanimous. And the
act has been adopted as q safe and good
precedent Jefferson would have been very
acceptable to the people; but having no
greed for Office, preferred to follow the
example of Washington, and to spend
his years in philosophic pursuits and
the society Of the gentlemen and scholars
of Europe and America to whom his profuse
and elegant hospitality was cordially ex-
tended. Many regretted his resolution, but
even his devoted friends found his successor
worthy to fill his place. Madison doubled
the emphasis which Jefferson gave to the ex-
ample of Washington; Monroe added still
greater force to it, and the great Jackson
more than quadrupled it. The latter might
have been elected for q third term. He was
in the full vigor of frosty but kindly" age,
and might have added another lustrum to his
model administration, much to the satisfac.
ton of all good Democrats and a great many
"Anti.masons besides
An example so set and SO followed has now
in the thoughts and sentiments of the people
the force and effect of law, but it is a law
which Grant and his adherents do not intend
to obey. Having sounded the keynote in his
queer letter to Philadelphia politician. the
members of the third-term party lay great
stress upon the absence from the Constitution
of limit to the Presidents term of service.
They urge that Grant is still young. and that
on account Of the experience which he has
had he will be better President than ever.
They laud his services, and in this praise they
are joined by the very conventions whose
platforms would forbid his nomination.
The resolutions of Pennsylvania and Ohio
have not discouraged Grant or his friends,
but they have evoked strong third-term fire
all along the line. 1t is now nearly certain
that very vigorous and persistent effort will
be made to nominate Grant, and there is more
than an even chance that the effort will pre-
vail